Cineplex Politics

As war, wiretapping and gas prices linger in Americans’ minds, politically charged films are flooding theaters and acquiring countless honors. The Academy Award nominations, announced last week, were the latest to shine a light on recent political movies.

Historically, the amalgamation of politics and film has led to high acclaim. Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 satire, “Dr. Strangelove,” openly scoffed at existing political policies. The film earned numerous awards. But in post-Sept. 11 America, criticism of current policies can be confused with anti-American sentiments.

Steven Spielberg’s controversial “Munich” received a surprise Best Picture nomination. Support for the film began to wane as the politics behind the movie polarized viewers and critics. The film focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the 1972 Olympic massacre of 11 Israeli athletes.

Despite documenting events taking place nearly 34 years ago, the issues in “Munich” remain pertinent. Many viewers have connected the Israeli hunt for Palestinian terrorists to the pursuit of terrorists today, arguing the hunting and destruction of enemies makes the hunter a terrorist as well. Spielberg has never been one to stray from controversy. However, the latest vocal Hollywood incendiary is the star of recent political potboilers, George Clooney.

Clooney stars in director Stephen Gaghan’s latest film, “Syriana,” dealing with the world’s dependency on oil. Gaghan highlights the influence of corruption and malfeasance in the oil trade through interweaving storylines.

The film has come under fire from conservative groups for expressing an anti-American attitude. The filmmakers have repeatedly stressed that the film disregards political parties and looks at the issue objectively. President Bush underscored America’s “addiction” with oil last week in the State of the Union Address.

The rabble-rouser, Clooney, did not stop with “Syriana.” He served as director, co-writer and star of the Red Scare-themed “Good Night, and Good Luck.”

The film examines the notorious on-air battles between Communist witch hunter, Joe McCarthy, and the do-gooder journalist, Edward R. Murrow. The correlations between the Communist scare and prevailing terrorist threats are astonishing. Again, in spite of its fair share of conservative cynics, the film has earned tremendous accolades. The work remains small in scope throughout and packs a powerful punch.

Murrow, played by Academy Award nominee David Strathairn, delivers several embattled orations against the reckless abandonment of liberties. The timing for a film of this nature is ideal, as debate over President Bush’s imposed wiretappings comes to a boil. Major complaints against the film have been directed at the historical accuracy. It seems some critics concentrate on details rather than the big picture.

While Hollywood is continually accused of swinging to the left, both liberals and conservatives have found fault with romantic drama “The Constant Gardener.”

Most critics hailed “The Constant Gardener” as one of the best films of the year. A select few panned the film, arguing it served no purpose other than propaganda. In reality, the film spotlights an ill-fated romance developing against a backdrop of drug company corruption in Africa.

The dilemma with politically inspired film is friction between the film and audience. Viewers tend to skip the trip to the theater if their ideals differ from the filmmakers’.

Furthermore, the widespread political apathy in America and, to the same extent, on Bradley’s campus, produce viewers favoring Hollywood riffraff over penetrating films. Although film has proven itself a powerful medium, audiences continue to travel in droves to movies the caliber of “Big Momma’s House 2.”

There is a sense of irony in political and critical complaint with the new breed of radical filmmaking. Politicians and critics have commonly agreed that contemporary film is nothing more than trash or fluff. It seems that as the art transforms, more detractors arise.

Until a balance is reached between Hollywood litter, “Big Momma’s House,” and Hollywood brilliance, “Munich,” America is destined to debate.