Saturday, August 28, 2010

The Unconstitutional subtext of the movie Dodge City.

I grew up watching Errol Flynn movies. I first fell in love with "The Sea Hawk" made a favorite out of "Captain Blood" and enjoyed his many oaters. One of these is the wonderful movie "Dodge City" starring Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Alan Hale (Father of a famous "Skipper.") and a list of extras each with a long line of credits of their own. In other words, a sterling cast and a great director: Michael Curtiz. But the plot is so full of subtexts that it barely rises above political indoctrination. And maybe it doesn't even do that. The movie is an exercise in perceived good over perceived bad.

The following ideology is presented as good:

1. Suspension of civil rights.
2. Ignoring the Constitution and constitutional rights.
3. Ignoring due process. Unlawful detention. No legal representation.
4. Rampant killing to preserve totalitarian rule.
5. Taxation without vote, representation or objection.
6. Land redistribution.
7. Murder justified by situation.
8. Government control.

This list is presented as bad:

1. Independent thinking and action.
2. Ownership.
3. Gun rights.
4. No taxation.
5. Desiring a lawyer and hearing before incarceration.

There are more but these are lumped as traits exhibited by a group of characters who are portrayed as really unpleasant people who are barely better than thugs. Even poor Ward Bond is cast as a low-watt thug who finally sells out everyone around him. At least he played the part well. Along with the listed "bad" actions are greed, murder, manipulation, drinking and gambling along with gun ownership and possession. So we have totalitarian government rule better than murder which the government does to gain power. When government does it, it's good. When ordinary people do it, it's bad.

You know, I used to think that movies were independent from government influence. Now, one must remember that this movie was made during the reign of FDR. Much of Hollywood received government money in one way or another. The FDR propaganda machine worked its way through many movies from Shirley Temple to Busby Berkeley along with a host of films even staring such luminaries as Ronald Reagan. The ideals and ideas of progressive socialism or at least the American version of the same fill movie scripts without restriction. But when one actually looks at the films with the idea that these are screenplays based on propaganda, one gets a completely different idea about the films. Basically, many films are nothing more than well-acted vehicles for Democrat propaganda. It's sad to say but even such a classic as "It's a Wonderful Life" is full of anti-American sentiment and full of collective thinking.

I have to admit that growing up, I had little or no political awareness on this level. Errol Flynn was simply a he-man kind of hero. He stood up for the downtrodden, abused and oppressed as far as I was concerned. "Captain Blood" was about abusive rule of monarchs and the limits that drive men to rebellion. Maybe there's another message that I missed in the film. With all film, reality is quite a distance from fantasy and film is fantasy. As it turns out, film (movies) is also propaganda. And this is propaganda of the most insidious sort. Sometimes political messages are obvious such as in war films made during WWII and after. Sometimes they are so direct as to be almost foolish like many of the anti-communist films made during the 1950s. But often, these messages are hidden behind seemingly innocent stories. One wonders if the book and cinema versions of "The Grapes of Wrath" are as close as one would expect. A close scrutiny of the screenplay would have to be made to ascertain where the movie inserted propaganda, if any.

So I will have to review films made under FDR to see how many "political" messages I have missed though youthful ignorance. Until then, take a look at "Dodge City." Whether or not it is propaganda, which I think it is, it's still a good view.

FB

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