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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 of events that never really occurred. The two together are precisely what happens in this film. In order to divert attention from a presidential sex scandal that is about to break, one of the president's media handlers enlists the participation of a Hollywood producer to manufacture a war and war footage for showing on television. The plot works well, but the producer has too much pride of authorship and wants to reveal what he has done. The government elimi...

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Wag the Dog. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 12:00, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1702077.html