Politics & Noir
Politics & Noir
Film Noir, from it's early days, has been dominated by artists of a decidedly leftist persuasion, if my obserservance is correct I wonder why that is? If I am not correct in my assessment please tell be where I have gone wrong.
Left vs right? Liberal vs Conservative? Fiction vs Fact?
Hi Ken,
I think you're absolutely correct in your observation. I think that those to the left of the political spectrum are probably more cynical by nature and mistrustful of the government than those to the right, those that once would have said "America, love it or leave it." It might be accurate to say that most "conspiracy theorists" also lean more to the left in their political stance. Without benefit of having met him or read anything substantial about him, I don't know how wrong I might be if I stated that Oliver Stone was a "leftist" just by virtue of his body of work. I think that's where you'd find most of the "what if" scenarios in the political/military arenas and that's where you'd likewise find the most intriguing story lines, those that would make the best theater or cinema. Besides, retelling history accurately requires a great deal of attention being paid to detail in order to portray it as it occurred. And because it's a matter of record, it's also a harder sell. Why go to the movies to see a picture about a subject you studied in high school or college? Conjecture and speculation require no adherence to any "rules" and allow for far more engrossing stories and plots, don't you think? Did Roosevelt know about Pearl Harbor before December 7th, 1941? How close were the Nazis to having an atomic weapon of their own? What if the assassination attempt on Hitler had been successful? Even the far fetched like "The Final Countdown" and the ability to rewrite history if you could make for interesting possibilities (even if that's not the best of examples.) I think I've written more coherently in my life but I think you get the gist of what I'm trying to say, don't you? Tell me what you think...
I remain,
Hollis
I think you're absolutely correct in your observation. I think that those to the left of the political spectrum are probably more cynical by nature and mistrustful of the government than those to the right, those that once would have said "America, love it or leave it." It might be accurate to say that most "conspiracy theorists" also lean more to the left in their political stance. Without benefit of having met him or read anything substantial about him, I don't know how wrong I might be if I stated that Oliver Stone was a "leftist" just by virtue of his body of work. I think that's where you'd find most of the "what if" scenarios in the political/military arenas and that's where you'd likewise find the most intriguing story lines, those that would make the best theater or cinema. Besides, retelling history accurately requires a great deal of attention being paid to detail in order to portray it as it occurred. And because it's a matter of record, it's also a harder sell. Why go to the movies to see a picture about a subject you studied in high school or college? Conjecture and speculation require no adherence to any "rules" and allow for far more engrossing stories and plots, don't you think? Did Roosevelt know about Pearl Harbor before December 7th, 1941? How close were the Nazis to having an atomic weapon of their own? What if the assassination attempt on Hitler had been successful? Even the far fetched like "The Final Countdown" and the ability to rewrite history if you could make for interesting possibilities (even if that's not the best of examples.) I think I've written more coherently in my life but I think you get the gist of what I'm trying to say, don't you? Tell me what you think...
I remain,
Hollis