Geopolitical, cultural, and economic factors are all responsible for the shift in Hollywood “war” films with respect to those featuring WWII and those concerning the Gulf War and modern day geopolitical realities. If we look at one of the greatest war romances and propaganda ever fashioned by Hollywood filmmakers, we see the story of an embittered American living abroad who in the geopolitical realities of the WWII era decides to involve himself in the war effort, even though it means losing the love of his life. In the Hollywood classic Casablanca (1942) Rick explains to Ilsa his decision she asks him to make for “both” of them about their course of action: “Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world” (Curtiz). Such films put out by the Hollywood cinema machinery during the 1940s were as much propaganda as entertainment. Films like Casablanca were meant to reaffirm American values (patriotism, sacrifice, compassion, strength, etc.) while helping form a consensus among the American people. While many war films continue to be used in such a manner to this day, their perspective is typically jaded and acts more like social criticism of geopolitical policies and goals than films meant to build support for the sacrifice, patriotism, and strength needed to endure them. For instance, of the few films available that depicts President Bush Sr.’s war efforts during the Gulf War sharply criticizes geopolitical concerns. The film blatantly portrays the conflict as one that was fought more over oil than national security or world peace to such a degree that it would more than likely in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, be considered anti-patriotic and bordering the treasonous.
Despite such distinctions between war films that react to geopolitical concerns in the 1940s and 1980s and 1990s respectivel...