The President of the United States has been a subject of many movies
in Hollywood history. From the earliest days of cinema, in films such as
The Birth of a Nation (1915), The Fighting Roosevelts (1919) or Young Mr.
Lincoln (1939), to the present day, in films such as Nixon (1990) and Dick
(1999), many real-life U.S. presidents have been portrayed in the most
different ways. In the years before crises like Watergate, Vietnam and the
growing media coverage have demystified the presidency, most of these reallife
portrayals have shown the President as a wise heroic man, almost like a
saint (Edelman 323). In the years after these events, Hollywood lost its
respect for the presidency discovering that the man in charge was human
and that he also makes mistakes (323). Since Hollywood likes to adapt
politics, it is no surprise that politics adapted Hollywood, too. The simple
fact that Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 was subject for
several jokes in one of the most successful movies of 1985, Back To The
Future. In this time-travel film, Marty McFly (Michael J.Fox) accidentally
travels to the year 1955 where he tries to find the inventor of the time
machine, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), to help him get back to 1985.
After having found him, Doc Brown does not believe Marty’s story. In order
to find out, if Marty’s story is true, Doc asks him the following question:
Doc Brown: Then tell me, Future Boy, who’s President of the United
States in 1985?
Marty McFly: Ronald Reagan.
Doc Brown: Ronald Reagan? The actor? Ha! Then, who’s Vice President?
Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady and Jack
Bennetty is Secretary of Treasury !
Marty McFly: Doc, you gotta listen to me !
Doc Brown: I got enough practical jokes for one evening. Good night,
Future Boy.
And later in the film, when Marty shows Doc Brown the recording of his
camcorder, Doc Brown is amazed about this technological invention and cries
out: “No wonder your president has to be an actor, he’s gotta look good on
television.“ [...]
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The President in Hollywood's history
- Early Beginnings
- Present Day
- Back to the Future
- Ficticious presidential characters
- The public's expectations of the President
- Addressing the Nation
- Moral Leadership
- Reactions of the President in a situation of crisis
- Deep Impact
- Independence Day
- Mars Attacks!
- Evaluation of the President's performances.
- President Beck
- President Whitmore
- President Dale
- Adaptation of the ficticious actions to real-life
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the portrayal of fictional American presidents in contemporary Hollywood films, specifically focusing on their handling of situations of extreme crisis. The paper aims to analyze the expectations placed on presidents by the public and to evaluate the effectiveness of the presidential responses in the chosen films, Deep Impact, Independence Day, and Mars Attacks!.
- The representation of the American President in Hollywood movies
- The public's expectations of the President in times of crisis
- The President's role as a leader and communicator in crisis situations
- The impact of genre on the portrayal of presidential characters
- The adaptation of fictional presidential actions to real-life scenarios
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter traces the historical representation of the American presidency in Hollywood films, beginning with early examples and exploring the evolving portrayals of both real-life and fictional presidents. This section examines the shift in representation from idealized heroic figures to more complex and flawed characters, reflecting the changing public perception of the presidency.
The second chapter delves into the public's expectations of the American President, analyzing how they are portrayed in Hollywood films. This chapter examines the president's role as a communicator, specifically focusing on presidential addresses and the use of the pronoun "we" to unify the nation. Additionally, it explores the concept of moral leadership and the president's responsibility to embody and convey ethical principles.
The third chapter analyzes the reactions of three fictional presidents in situations of extreme crisis, as depicted in the films Deep Impact, Independence Day, and Mars Attacks!. It examines how these presidents handle the pressure of extraordinary circumstances and the different approaches they take to communicate with the public. This section considers the influence of genre on the portrayal of presidential characters and their actions.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on the representation of the American presidency in contemporary Hollywood films, specifically analyzing the portrayal of fictional presidents facing extreme crisis. Key themes include the public's expectations of presidential leadership, the role of communication in crisis management, and the impact of genre conventions on the portrayal of presidential characters. The films examined, Deep Impact, Independence Day, and Mars Attacks!, serve as case studies for exploring these themes and the challenges faced by presidents in such extraordinary circumstances.
- Quote paper
- Uwe Sperlich (Author), 1999, Presidents Under Pressure or how fictional presidents handle situations of extreme crisis in the movies "Deep Impact", "Independence Day", and "Mars Attacks!", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/14454
