Disadvantages Of Cinema

The cinema is a complex phenomenon and its true global importance is gradually being appreciated. The historical occurrences of the twentieth century has provided empirical evidence for the definition of cinema as an instrument of political power, despite Lumiere’s misguided proclamation that the future holds little potential for the new medium. Most significantly, cinema is recognized as a form of escapism during the harsh political, social and economic turmoil of the recent century. “Nowadays, in enlightened societies, there is a better appreciation of the need to ensure [cinema’s] proper development in the national interest both internally and in respect of a country’s relations with other countries and its place in the world”
At the

“Films are aesthetic representations of realities, whether we are viewing documentaries or feature films that refer to politics or culture.”
As the article by Frank Stern suggests, through this apparent influence of visual imagery, cinema as a tool represents an ‘intervention of the mind’. An intervention, that at first glance may appear a pacifistic form of providing information, however, can be a useful tool for the propagation of an ideological mindset on a mass social scale. Nowadays, this tool is marketed, produced and promoted through many notable means in various forms of award ceremonies and festivals through a use of sophisticated technology and communication to amass-hysterical extent in the Western

Therefore, its influential or intrusive form inspires ideological thought by representing basic human beliefs and actions with a power that evokes the shaping and forming of opinions – “an ideology that converys an attitude toward everything from the trivial to the profound, from what we eat for breakfast to whether we should go to war”(Biskind, 2000: 2). Thus, the controversial subjectivity of this medium is arguably the essence to the influential power it holds. Therefore, the integration of “the film” and “the political” requires an analytical approach in the area of international relations in a manner which is dedicated to the awareness of the macro-political state of the factual world. Without such a cautious approach, this new medium may easily transform from educational to manipulative or ignorance-inducing. – “Are films more serious than we at first thought? Is International Relations theory more trivial than we dared to imagine? (Weber, 2003: 133)
The approach of various analysts vary in the context of the connection of cinematography with international relations. Other than the definition of film as a “learning tool”, opinions describe it as an aid to understand “the complex and dangerous issues of International Relations” (Gregg), “foreign policy instruments that serve to naturalize a state’s foreign policy obectives by interpellating citizens into foreign policy discourses’