Wag the Dog

The film Wag the Dog (Levinson, 1997) had a presidential sex scandal at its core, and it appeared in theaters just as a real presidential sex scandal was becoming major news. This gave the plot added appeal for the audience and made the plot of the film seem even more real, a plot which suggested a blurring of the division between illusion and reality in the media. On one level, the plot of the film would seem highly unlikely, requiring a massive conspiracy and the necessary secrecy to make it work. However, the audience was more willing to accept this scenario after several decades of conspiracy theories suggesting that just such a thing would be possible, with theories extending back at least to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The film itself became a touchstone for certain kinds of conspiracies after its release so that people would see instances where politicians facing scandal might create a distraction, even to the point where the U.S. participation in the UN action against Slobodan Milosevic was seen by some as an attempt by President Clinton to divert attention from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

There are two elements which are brought together in the film to create a suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience. The first is the idea that the government may be able to keep secrets and fool the people with some conspiracy to mold public opinion. The second is that film and television images can be manipulated today to create truly realistic images

Related Essays

Cinema Studies .... The Matrix, Fight Club, and a spate of films dealing with politics and war in a post- post-modern hyper-reality: Primary Colors, .... The ...., Bulworth, Courage .... (4966 20 )

Information Systems Internship at MTVN/Viacom .... such as "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," "Pleasantville," "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," "The Wedding Singer," ".... the ....," and "Dumb and .... (2269 9 )

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People .... Habit 1: Be proactive, in other words, don't let the tail .... the ..... Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind, which cautions awareness at all times. .... (607 2 )

Pseudo-Events .... An exaggerated example of this can be found in the movie ".... the ....," where an entire war is made up as a cover-up for the President's sex scandal, which .... (813 3 )

Bill, Monica & Ethics .... a negligible society like that of Sudan, and killed wogs to save his own lousy Hyde." Of course, this scenario is one depicted in the film .... The ...., and it .... (1731 7 )

Category: Film - W