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Praeger has announced the forthcoming publication of Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics. Get more information about it here.
from the catalog:
“Conspiracy theories have developed into a potent undercurrent in American politics. Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics examines the evolution of this cultural climate, looking at the intersection of various film and television production in the context of unfolding political events. The chronological chapters show how screen media have both reflected and shaped the cultural milieu in which traumatic events and political controversies have been interpreted. The book reviews the original contexts in which film, television, and political manifestations of conspiracy ideas first appeared.”
ISBN: 978-0-275-99462-4
The conspiracy-theory theme has been one of the most durable in popular culure over the past six decades. It’s the topic of the forthcoming book Conspiracy theory in Film, Television, and Politics coming in 2008.
Here’s the publisher’s description–
Since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, motion pictures and television productions-some based on historical fact and conjecture, others clearly fanciful-have embraced the idea that conspiracies shape many events, hide others, and generally dictate much of the course of modern life, often to the disadvantage of the average person. As a result, conspiracy theories have developed into a potent undercurrent in American politics. By the 1990s, it was not unusual to find conspiracies used as explanations for a wide range of political events that would otherwise seem to have quite ordinary explanations. Thus, a “vast right-wing conspiracy” was suggested as the source of Bill Clinton’s troubles, just as conspiracy-like machinations of the “liberal media” were used to explain why the picture of world events did not coincide with conservative views. And this to say nothing of the bitter arguments that still erupt over varying explanations for the attacks of 9/11.
Regardless of a person’s opinion about such claims, what these and many other examples clearly show is that conspiracy-theory explanations have penetrated mainstream American thought. Here, author Gordon Arnold examines the evolution of this cultural climate in the United States. Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics examines the intersection of various film and television productions in the context of unfolding political developments. The chapters follow this story chronologically, showing how screen media have both reflected and shaped the cultural milieu in which traumatic events and political controversies have been interpreted with increasing cynicism. The work also reviews the original contexts in which film, television, and political manifestations of conspiracy ideas first appeared.
–from the Praeger book announcement
The conspiracy-theory theme can be found in numerous films of the past half-century. Looking to explore these movies? Get started with this brief list of popular movies with conspiracy-theory themes, listed in no particular order.
- The Parallax View (1974). From director Alan J. Pakula, the story of this film follows a reporter (Warren Beatty) as he investigates a mysterious corporation that seems to be behind high profile assassinations. The result is an entertaining and well-crafted, if slightly dated, movie that builds on that era’s growing public suspicion of high-level conspiracy.
- All the President’s Men (1976). Director Pakula continued the conspiracy theme in this riveting retelling of the all-too-true Watergate conspiracy and cover-up. Based on the acclaimed book by Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein, the film stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as the journalists who discover and begin to untangle the secrets that brought down the Nixon presidency.
- Capricorn One ( 1978 ). Though a film that sits squarely in the “B” movie category, this entertaining story follows conspirators inside NASA as they fake a mission to Mars and then engage in a deadly cover-up on a massive scale. Complete with conspiracy theory hallmarks such as black helicopters, this movie has a lot in common with actual conspiracy theories that claim the real-life NASA mission to the Moon in 1969 was also fake. Directed by Peter Hyams and starring Elliott Gould, Sam Waterston, James Brolin, O.J. Simpson and other Hollywood regulars.
- Big Jim McLain (1952). Western star John Wayne stars in this story of an FBI agent hot on the trail of communist conspirators in Honolulu during the Korean War era. An excellent example of the anti-communist films amidst the tensions of the McCarthy era.
- JFK (1991). Director Oliver Stone’s account of the alleged conspiracy behind the Kennedy assassination is in many ways the mother lode of all conspiracy-theory films. Deftly blending traditional Hollywood staging, real archival footage, and faux documentary segments, the director presents a film that makes for compelling viewing, even if it is questionable history.
- Seven Days in May (1964). An under-rated thriller that was released shortly after the Kennedy assassination, director John Frankenheimer presents a chilling story that recounts an attempted military coup at the height of the Cold War. This outstanding film features stellar performances from Hollywood legends Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Ava Gardner, and Fredric March.
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962). By the time he made Seven Days in May, Frankenheimer had already made news by directing The Manchurian Candidate. It tells the story of a communist attempt to assassinate leading American political figures by brainwashing an unwitting American soldier. With stand-out performances by Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury.
- Chinatown (1974). Sometimes not recognized as a conspiracy film at all, this late example of film noir movie-making is, in fact, steeped in conspiracy story-lines. Roman Polanski directed Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway star in this detective story with many layers of deception and intrigue.
- Three Days of the Condor (1975). The late Sydney Pollack directed this Robert Redford vehicle that follows the story of a low-level CIA analyst caught in a web of murder and deception. The story suggests that conspiracy is found not only originating from outside the United States, but also from deep within U.S. government itself.
- Conspiracy Theory (1997). Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts star in this story about an ordinary man who thinks he sees conspiracies all around him. When he later stumbles onto a real conspiracy, he finds that his life is in danger and there are few who will believe him.
Read about these and many other movies, and about the times in which they were created, in the book Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics (2008) from Praeger Publishers.
