Violence in the Media Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Violence in the Media Gina Marchetti, in her essay Action-Adventure as Ideology, argues that action- possibility films implicitly convey complex cultural messages regarding Ameri backside values and the white American status quo. She continues to say that all action-adventure movies have the same basic structure, including plot, theme, characterization, and iconography. As ideology, this film genre tacitly expresses social norms, values, and morals of its time. Marchettis essay, written in 1989, applies to films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Rambo First Blood II. However, action-adventure films today seem to be straying farther away from her publicizations about structure, reflecting new and different cultural norms in America. This changing ideology is depicted best in Oliver Stones Natural born(p) Killers (1994), which defies nearly every concept Marchetti proposes about action-adventure films and it sets the stage for a whole new viewpoint of action in the 90s. Until recently, most action-adventure films, to some extent, fit Marchettis general guidelines. In the case of iconography, she states that all action-adventure films are set in exotic locations, for example decaying temples or rainforests. Most modern American films, though, are set in American cities and towns in which much violence occurs. Natural Born Killers is filmed entirely in New Mexico, Arizona, and Illinois, with dry desert land forming most of the opthalmic scenery. Why is America no longer as interested in exotic and foreign places? Perhaps the modern movies are more realistic, and therefore can solve real American social problems in the realm of fantasy. In the case of characterization, Marchetti claims that the most st... ...sening up in this country, although not quite to the extreme as in Natural Born Killers. Despite the controversy caused by the assumed message that killing is cool, there is important ideology embedded within the film. thither is sanity within the i nsane. The film, in a sense, displays the consequences caused by the suppression of the inner, free soul. Weve all seen instances of people cracking under the pressures of modern society. Im not suggesting that we live the likes of wild animals, but I do think that Natural Born Killers is an excellent movie which made a natural attempt to kill banner ideology. Works Cited Natural Born Killers. Dir. Oliver Stone. With Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, and Robert Downy Jr. Warner Bros., 1994. Marchetti, Gina. Action-Adventure as Ideology. Cultural Politics in Contemporary America, 1989.