The Film in Conflict: War Cinema and the Changing Nature of Authenticity
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Communication & Media Studies
Start Date
13-4-2018 9:45 AM
End Date
13-4-2018 10:15 AM
Sponsor
Sherra Schick (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), Dennis Bingham (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)
Description
Throughout film history, there has been a special relationship between cinema and the conflicts which people wage against one another. In terms of these films' relationship to the realities of war, however, there are obvious cleavages between those examples which can be considered "realistic" and those which take an artistic license within the constructed reality of cinema. Moreover, those that lay claim to the brand of authenticity can illustrate shifting cultural attitudes regarding authenticity, inviting an interrogation of the relationship between reality and artistic license. Because the war film tends to represent actual historical events, these claims to authenticity, and other appeals to their audiences, can have deeper cultural implications regarding the nature of truth and reality. Through an examination of four WWII films, this paper will attempt to identify these instances and reconcile them to the historical moment of their production: So Proudly We Hail! (Sandrich, 1943); The Longest Day (Zanuck, 1962); Saving Private Ryan (Spielberg, 1998); and Flags of our Fathers (Eastwood, 2006), each of which makes a specific appeal to its audience about the nature of WWII, and each of which offers a particular claim of authenticity. In addition, each of these films illustrates our shifting cultural concerns regarding authenticity and war. By comparing these films and the historical moments from which they emerge, we may gain a greater understanding of what authenticity means regarding war cinema.
The Film in Conflict: War Cinema and the Changing Nature of Authenticity
Indianapolis, IN
Throughout film history, there has been a special relationship between cinema and the conflicts which people wage against one another. In terms of these films' relationship to the realities of war, however, there are obvious cleavages between those examples which can be considered "realistic" and those which take an artistic license within the constructed reality of cinema. Moreover, those that lay claim to the brand of authenticity can illustrate shifting cultural attitudes regarding authenticity, inviting an interrogation of the relationship between reality and artistic license. Because the war film tends to represent actual historical events, these claims to authenticity, and other appeals to their audiences, can have deeper cultural implications regarding the nature of truth and reality. Through an examination of four WWII films, this paper will attempt to identify these instances and reconcile them to the historical moment of their production: So Proudly We Hail! (Sandrich, 1943); The Longest Day (Zanuck, 1962); Saving Private Ryan (Spielberg, 1998); and Flags of our Fathers (Eastwood, 2006), each of which makes a specific appeal to its audience about the nature of WWII, and each of which offers a particular claim of authenticity. In addition, each of these films illustrates our shifting cultural concerns regarding authenticity and war. By comparing these films and the historical moments from which they emerge, we may gain a greater understanding of what authenticity means regarding war cinema.