Film Genre Politics

[Social Distance Warrior]

Good thread by the way...

and great responses...

if only most War Room threads were like this.

 

[Madmick]

I was having an interesting discussion with friends about films and politics. Which film genres do you think lean to the left and which lean to the right?

List of genres:

Action
Adventure
Crime
Horror
Fantasy
Sci-Fi
Comedy
Thriller
Western

(If I've forgotten some, please add them)

Horror is by far the most conservative subgenre of film, ironically-- or not, in fact, if you read much into "fear" studies. Westerns tend to trail closely.
Comedy is by far the most liberal. Drama follows.

Crime would be unique in that it skews either left or right.

Action, Adventures, Sci-Fi, and Thrillers tend to be more agnostic.

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

No but seriously...some films like Avatar are easy to pin point in terms of "political ideology."

I really enjoyed this film, but it was clearly a very "left movie", pro-environment, big bad evil corporations...etc

 

[RockstarChris]

Aliens.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

What makes you say that? Either way, there are left wing libertarians, in fact they were the original libertarians and right wing libertarians came afterwards, mainly in the US.

It's not about right and left, which are broad categories. If you want to talk about politician tilts in movie genres, it's worth pointing out that sci fi has a long libertarian tradition. I'm sure some of that is right libertarianism and some is left.

But libertarian =/= progressive imo. Two different flavors of leftism.

 

[Madmick]

No but seriously...some films like Avatar are easy to pin point in terms of "political ideology."

I really enjoyed this film, but it was clearly a very "left movie", pro-environment, big bad evil corporations...etc

...was the better film.

 

[Islam Imamate]

It's not about right and left, which are broad categories. If you want to talk about politician tilts in movie genres, it's worth pointing out that sci fi has a long libertarian tradition. I'm sure some of that is right libertarianism and some is left.

But libertarian =/= progressive imo. Two different flavors of leftism.

That's fair. I assumed your response was in disagreement but in hindsight could be more a clarification. I think he does have a point about the relationship to progressive values and the genre but at the same time the genre does often depict dystopias, both of the right and left variety, and that could be seen as an anti-statist undercurrent which is characteristic of either left and right wing libertarianism depending on the context.

...was the better film.

I was so young when I first saw that movie that my memories were sufficiently vague for me to doubt the movie's very existence. I thought it was a fake movie from a dream cobbled together from elements of Disney movies I saw irl until someone mentioned the name and the plot and it all came back to me more clearly.

 

[Trotsky]

Horror is by far the most conservative subgenre of film, ironically-- or not, in fact, if you read much into "fear" studies. Westerns tend to trail closely.
Comedy is by far the most liberal. Drama follows.

Crime would be unique in that it skews either left or right.

Action, Adventures, Sci-Fi, and Thrillers tend to be more agnostic.

I would say Action is right of even horror, from the hyper-conservative gender roles, ultra-nationalism, obsession with self-reliance, fetishism of law enforcement and firearms, offensive portrayals of foreigners and exploitation of xenophobic fears, similar protagonist/antagonist setup as horror films. More than anything, I think that, of all genre audiences, action crowds are definitely the most disproportionately conservative, well in excess of horror audiences.

 

[Islam Imamate]

I would say Action is right of even horror, from the hyper-conservative gender roles, ultra-nationalism, obsession with self-reliance, fetishism of law enforcement and firearms, offensive portrayals of foreigners and exploitation of xenophobic fears, similar protagonist/antagonist setup as horror films. More than anything, I think that, of all genre audiences, action crowds are definitely the most disproportionately conservative, well in excess of horror audiences.

I agree. Some of the sexual mores that seem to underwrite horror movies appear more like an excuse to mix sex and violence rather than send a message. Action movies take the patriotism and gender roles more seriously.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

its crazy just how much society, and by proxy films have changed

I watched High Plains Drifter last night, Clint Eastwood strolls into town, kills 3 guys in basically self defense...

but then straight up rapes a chick. Sure she eventually 'submits' and is into it, but she is saying no desperately while he is still undressing her after literally dragging and then throwing her on the hail bail...

and that's the HERO of the movie. Similar action in many old Bond or Eastwood westerns too

That shit would never be allowed now

 

[Gref]

No one else thinks this is silly? In that, there are way too many movies in any given genre that you could frame a genre as left or right leaning.

I could understand if we we're discussing a particular movie or director but not entire genres.

 

[Trotsky]

its crazy just how much society, and by proxy films have changed

I watched High Plains Drifter last night, Clint Eastwood strolls into town, kills 3 guys in basically self defense...

but then straight up rapes a chick. Sure she eventually 'submits' and is into it, but she is saying no desperately while he is still undressing her after literally dragging and then throwing her on the hail bail...

and that's the HERO of the movie. Similar action in many old Bond or Eastwood westerns too

That shit would never be allowed now

[Progress] - morons here that yearn for the days of open celebration of rape

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

I would say Action is right of even horror, from the hyper-conservative gender roles, ultra-nationalism, obsession with self-reliance, fetishism of law enforcement and firearms, offensive portrayals of foreigners and exploitation of xenophobic fears, similar protagonist/antagonist setup as horror films. More than anything, I think that, of all genre audiences, action crowds are definitely the most disproportionately conservative, well in excess of horror audiences.

C'mon now...

Muslims, Native Americans, and Japanese have never...and I mean never been portrayed as savages, stereotypical heathens in any film....and I mean ever.

I challenge you to prove me wrong....


lol

 

[Scheme]

Western, Action definitely have a right wing feel to them. basically gun, police and military propaganda movies.

Weird how they never make any Western movies these days.......

 

[HunterSdVa29]

also, the movie Ladybugs about a boy dressing as a girl to play soccer was a lighthearted comedy just 20 or so years ago....As was Juwanna Mann after it, w/ a guy playing in the WNBA
The premise of transgender athletes went from a comical farce to real life event in a shockingly short period of time

 

[tonni]

Weird how they never make any Western movies these days.......

didn't Tarantino make a few?

 

[Scheme]

But honestly the only movie genre that truly leans right are Westerns, because they are all about personal responsibility. Most Westerns are about communities regulating themselves. Some of their plots are even telling the government to fuck off. And they actually show the differences in culture and the disputes that rise up between them rather than just showing an Indian and a Mexican and an American holding hands and braiding their hair.

IMO Westerns are the most realistic depiction of the melting pots we see today. Segregated communities living and working together, with their own small disputes and agreements between them. And that is what the leaning right is truly about, realism (not a specific religion or banning gay people).

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

Weird how they never make any Western movies these days.......

Magnificent 7 ...the remake?

Django Unchained...

only 2 that come to mind...

prior to that was Open Range with Kevin Costner. which is grossly underrated.

 

[Michael13]

After doing a little research, it seems that the vast majority of sci-fi authors are liberals and the vast majority of horror authors are religious.

That's pretty much in line with what has been said in this thread.

 

[Jack V Savage]

Yeah, sure. I'm at work now, but I'll earmark it.

Also, I misspoke. BB and TDK were clearly leftist works, I actually think there's an equally if not more convincing argument to the contrary for TDKR, with its blatant criticisms of both corporate capitalism and left populism.

Interesting. I'd like to see this fleshed out. I found TDK to be boring to the point of being unwatchable. Literally couldn't stay awake all the way through in two attempts. But, like @Kafir-kun, I'd heard the opposite claim made about it.