Politics In Films example essay topic

Politics in Films: "House of Cards" and "Reds" The two films House of Cards and Reds give us two very broad while detailed views into two very different political worlds; one showing the drive and motivation one must have to step up British party ranks to become Prime Minister, and the other showing the dedication and perseverance one must exhibit to start a new party in efforts against an inevitable war. Through the films we see two very distinct forms of politics that make and shape the different stories and characters. House of Cards takes place in the center of London, where Francis Urquhart, a wise old politician, battles and plots his way forward in an effort to become head of the British Republican Party. In Reds we see the story of a liberal writer from New York, who through his writing and travels becomes sparked with political ambition in the American World War I era.

The politics that the two men, Urquhart and Reed, exhibit are very different in motivation and action, however they are very similar in that politics are politics and haven't really changed over the ages. The issues at stake and the values of the two cultures are different, but what these men must do is the same. Politics is more than a game, a job or even a reputation; it marks a social society and a way of life all its own. It is as complex and deep as personality and in order to succeed in politics the players must adapt and live out the politics they preach. House of Cards opens with shots of London and we see the landscape as old and traditional through the architecture of the city.

Everything seems set and fixed in straight lines and corner, almost framed simply by these buildings. The bridge and the palace are bright and glorious but leave shadows throughout the streets and lower levels. This is much how we see the entire movie. The political life is placed on a pedestal. The filming is all done very straight forwardly with no cinematic tricks. This is very crucial for the film to work the way it does because the characters and actions are not straight forward at all.

In fact, everything we see in the characters and story line is well thought out and deliberate. The other setting the movie has, although we really don't see it much, is the country estate of Urquhart. Here is themed the affair between Francis and Mattie, as they can only be together when the wife leaves for the country. Other foul political play takes place here as well when Urquhart poisons Roger O'Neil.

In this location everything is removed and private like the country would suggest and like a politician might need. A final visual theme that the movie sets up is the repeated showing of rats in the city. It highlights two important things one being that the streets are represented by dirt and filth that is very real, and the other being that there is a "rat" in the party. The politicians take the party very seriously and the fact that there is a leak in the inner circle gives everyone room for suspicion.

In the story, the party is trying to figure out who will become the next Prime Minister. The film gives us a firsthand look at the relationships and institutions in this political world. We see a big social distinction between the politicians and the people of the press who cover them. We see rules and inside strategies for being a "good" politician. Through Francis' character we see a man led by ambition and self-interest. He says at one point, "everyone can be valuable".

His character is always thinking ahead to the next move and how every relationship he has can be useful to get what he wants. Another common happening in the film is sex, and more importantly sex for power. The wives of these men are not concerned with affairs as long as they can gain power from them or have no threat of loosing reputation. To these people it is all about status and not at all about how you get it.

The politics in House of Cards is corrupt in this respect. People act for personal gain rather than political issues. We see this everywhere in the movie. Francis always keeps a calm front on the outside so that people trust him and confide in him. His actions, however, show no shame, as he does whatever he has to so that he may have what he wants. Mattie plans ahead to benefit herself as well.

She is a journalist and wants to be published and make a name for herself. She will sleep with people and carry a tape recorder to get ahead. Even getting stories published in the newspaper is political in the movie. There is a created hierarchy within the staff and we see this everywhere in the film. Who can help you or hurt you and how? This question brings up the main themes of this movie.

The first is that of morality in politics, or a lack there of in some cases. Another theme is the idea of duty or job versus self-interest. We see that things change quickly in politics and that politics brings about change. Party orientation and social life always come into play with politics, and with all the relationships and desire for self-gain, we see that for characters to be successful they must live their politics through their social lives. We see this perfectly with Francis Urquhart. His entire social life is devoted to bettering his political stance and that is why he succeeds.

Things are never what they seem with him, or in the rest of the film. This idea is repeated a lot through the story line itself and through the characters and their motivations. The film uses a lot of repletion to make points and exemplify these themes. It is used cinematically, politically and verbally; "You may think that, but I couldn't possibly comment".

This is Francis' trademark line in the film. He knows exactly what he is doing but leaves his interpreter to make of it what they will. This is very different from the character of Jack Reed in Reds who is also deliberate, but straight forward too. In Reds, the background world changes a lot throughout the course of the story. The film starts out in Portland where Jack Reed and Louise meet, and we immediately see a transition in the film. Jack convinces her to go with him across the country to New York City.

They travel to Greenwich Village, a small liberal neighborhood in the city where free spirits and different thinkers thrive. One of the interviewers described it by saying, "Everyone was a bit of a rebel" (there). This move west to east is very interesting because it represents freedom between Jack and Louise and love, whereas the typical American Dream is to move out west for that. From here the setting moves again, this time to a small conservative fishing town on the ocean. Jack and Louise live a romantic life walking on the beach and being open with each other, almost free of politics. Here they get the dog, which sticks with them throughout the film and visually represents unity between the two.

The third world we see in the film is Russia. This is a very key part in the film as it has a lot of meaning in the story of Jack Reed. The scenes show it as cold and windy and grey. We see the train ride scene that really gives the scene a nostalgic and American feeling, which is important for what happens to Jack there. It is through this visit to Russia that he decides to become involved in politics and wants to make a change in America.

Visually we see that the different countries are dealing with the same type of issues. It really brings about inspiration in Jack to get involved. The structures of experience in this film frame what happens and how we interpret it. Jack is a member of the Liberal Club early in the film, which sets up an idea of this character Jack. He is a writer and a free thinker. He is against the war and says that it is a war for profits, and that Germany simply wants to have economic control like the British and the French.

From here the film delves into very complex social issues that range from birth control to worker unions versus capitalist society. The other issues include the characters themselves and their politics. This idea foreshadows the concept of politics running social life in the film. A great example of this is that of Emma Goldman.

When we first see her in the movie, she is portrayed in the dark. She is a radical and it is as though it should be hidden or covered up by darkness. We see this in Jack as well, as he is constantly moving around to follow his politics. He wants to stir up trouble and cause commotion with the capitalists, but his life must experience that as well it seems. The love story between him and Louise begins to fall apart as though they are at war with each other. Politically, we see Russia being torn apart as they visit it, while it brings them together again.

We see Jack's lifestyle following his politics in that he is stubborn. He doesn't like to change his mind or take help from anyone else. We see this when he has the cooking catastrophe and refuses help from Louise, and again when he decides not to tell her about his kidney. Politically, we see this as he is stubborn in joining parties with Paul Sorvino's character. We see this film as having a lot of visual representation for the characters and what they stand for. This example above is a key point of this.

Another foreshadowing point is early in the movie. Jack tells Louise that to be taken seriously at all, she must write about serious stuff. This idea of seriousness comes in and out of the movie and the politics. As Jack and Louise struggle throughout the film, Jack becomes more and more involved in politics until it consumes his entire life.

He ends up heading his own advice about getting serious, as it is remarked that, "our old friend Jack is getting serious on us". This is what must happen for him to be taken seriously in politics and he knows it. He makes these politics follow his life, and his life follow his politics. It is constantly moving him and we see this in the reoccurring scene of the taxi coming to pick him up and take him away from his life. A key line explaining this idea of politics dominating one's life is when Jack says that politics play with your poetry. He is going through a social transformation throughout the film and it represents a war.

This is both on a personal level and a national level, as we see it with himself and Louise and Russia and World War I. The events and stories of the two films clearly show the commitment and dedication people must exert to make a stand in politics. The political institutions and practices that are set up are fixed, and that is the way things work. It is up to the individuals to adapt their lives to accomplish what they want. The scenes of action in both of these movies give light to very similar meanings in themes and politics.

We see through the films what these men do to be political. In House of Cards we see Francis Urquhart, whose life is run by politics. It is all that matters to him and it is his life's ambition. In Reds we see Jack Reed who learns to be political and shapes his life around what he wants to do politically. Though what occurs in the films is different, we see that for the politics to be meaningful or successful, the people who practice them must represent and adjust their entire lives to be political and follow what they believe. Weather or not it is simply to gain power or importance, or to follow a deep internal flame, both Francis and Jack conform their lives to the political goals they wish to achieve.