Military-Entertainment Complex
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| See also: | Copaganda, List of Military Fandoms |
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The military-entertainment complex is a term used to describe collaboration between the military and entertainment industry.[1][2] The American Department of Defense has stated that it has "a long-standing relationship with Hollywood" and has worked to "accurately depict military stories and make sure sensitive information isn’t disclosed."[3]
History
During World War 2, the U.S. Office of War Information ran a department specifically dedicated to Hollywood, reviewing over 1600 scripts during the war and censoring material that it considered anti-war.[4]
Examples
George Orwell
During the Cold War, the C.I.A. played a role in promoting and distributing Orwell's novels Animal Farm and 1984.[5][6] John Rodden of The American Conservative has stated that the popularity of Animal Farm "had much to do with the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret funding and distribution of the film adaptation, along with translations into more than five dozen languages."[7] According to Laurence Zuckerman of The New York Times, CIA "agents were dispatched (by none other than E. Howard Hunt, later of Watergate fame) to buy the film rights to Animal Farm from his widow to make its message more overtly anti-Communist."[8]
Marvel Cinematic Universe
A 2019 paper in Studies in Popular Culture argued that one method Hollywood used to grow superhero content into mainstream popular culture was to "tie superheroes into the wave of popular support for militarization in post-9/11 America" and that the MCU "embraces a model of 'heroism' that mirrors how the military frames itself for the public, a liberal ideal of the military as an inclusive, supportive pseudo-family that brings out the best in each individual and uses precise, unerring violence only because it is necessary."[9]
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of The Daily Dot reported that the American Air Force had a "partnership" with the production of Captain Marvel in 2019, and argued that "some of the teasers do look like recruitment ads aimed at girls, and the promotional materials are full of Air Force shout-outs like Larson's pilot training and uniformed officers attending the premiere."[10] Reuben Baron of Comic Book Resources argued that "a significant portion of the film's marketing has involved cross promotion with the United States military, in this case the Air Force," including Air Forces jets performing a fly-over for the film's premiere, the film being preceded by an Air Force recruitment ad in cinemas, and a Marvel video where the "superheroics and virtuous qualities of fictional Air Force pilot Carol Danvers are directly compared to real life Air Force pilots."[11]
Akin Olla of The Guardian has stated that "the end credits of WandaVision imply that the Pentagon had a final say on the script."[12] Amelia Merrill of Bitch Media has said that WandaVision "highlights just how uncomfortable Marvel is with its current portrayal of the U.S. military," saying that "it’s true that WandaVision is a form of military propaganda."[13]
References
- ^ https://www.ft.com/content/90f4855e-04f3-48af-8bd4-3e30acb512a0
- ^ https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674724983
- ^ Lange, Katie (2018-02-28). "How & Why the DOD Works With Hollywood". U.S. Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17.
- ^ "How Hollywood became the unofficial propaganda arm of the U.S. military". CBC Radio. 2020-05-11. Archived from the original on 2022-06-11.
- ^ Chilton, Martin (2016-01-26). "How the CIA brought Animal Farm to the screen". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23.
- ^ Vulliamy, Ed (2020-05-03). "'Rockers and spies' – how the CIA used culture to shred the iron curtain". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27.
- ^ Rodden, John (2021-08-26). "'Animal Farm' Turns 75". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on 2021-09-12.
- ^ Zuckerman, Laurence (2000-03-18). "How the C.I.A. Played Dirty Tricks With Culture". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27.
- ^ Pardy, Brett (2019). "The Militarization of Marvel's Avengers". Studies in Popular Culture. Archived from the original on 2022-06-25.
- ^ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (2019-03-01). "Is 'Captain Marvel' military propaganda?". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17.
- ^ Baron, Reuben (2019-03-16). "The MCU's Relationship With the Military, From Iron Man to Captain Marvel". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16.
- ^ Olla, Akin (2021-03-09). "Is WandaVision ... Pentagon propaganda?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-06-11.
- ^ Merrill, Amelia (2021-03-18). "Is "WandaVision" Celebrating or Condemning the Military?". Bitch Media. Archived from the original on 2022-04-14.