A Definition of a Political Hero as portrayed in The Manchurian Candidate (1950) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The two films John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate (1950) and Dr. Robert Wise’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), both display heroism through politics, which shape the plot and characters who act as heroes. In Frankenheimer’s film, one focuses on a political family during the communist conspiracy. The army is supposedly brainwashed, leading Raymond Shaw into an assassination. Major Ben Marco steps up and is a phenomenal leader for his country. He is the noticeable hero for attempting to make things better, and for stopping the corruption that could take place. Wise’s film was one of fearless acts. Klaatu meant no harm although he was shot when coming down out of the spaceship because no one had a clue what was happening. The setting was not crucial to the action of this film. The timing and scenario held a higher significance. Although heroes can be thought of as typically accomplishing a good deal and saving someone, the heroes throughout these two films shape a definition contrary to a typical thought. Through studying the mise-en-scène, continuous and discontinuous movement in these films, the hero can be defined as one who takes selfless action to better the life of others.
Throughout Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate we can expand our awareness of the great achievements made by Major Ben Marco. The opening scene of this film
As people ponder about heros, superheroes or Benedict Arnold, valiant and lionhearted attributes make a hero there whole. Benedict Arnold lead his troops into dangerous settings such as “morasses, thick woods, and over mountains,” but he never backed down and was determined to succeed (Sheinkin 78). Throughout all of the barriers, Benedict Arnold prevailed even when the Dead River was not so dead. After rainfall for several days, Benedict Arnold and his fellow soldiers arrived to a huge flood; “the endless rain was slowly bringing the river to life” (Sheinkin 67). Although a major problem, Arnold courage pushed through the water. A threatening “hurricane [was] sweeping inland,” but Benedict Arnold continued to fight for his country like a true hero (Sheinkin 67). Courage in Benedict Arnold’s life is great even when the situation is critical and alarming as being a
Human life is precious in the sense that it is all about survival. There are qualities found in humans that make survival possible. In the book Hiroshima, by John Hersey, readers experience the core of humanity found in the six survivors during the days, months, and years following the atomic bomb. Through inspiration, perseverance, and a sense of community, the Japanese people demonstrated the strength of the human spirit.
The concept of a hero has been around for many generations, and the meaning of a hero is defined in ways people grasp its idea. A hero can be a person who has a superpower and is willing to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others or can be an ordinary everyday person who just wants to help people out of his or her own heart. Linda Seger’s article, “Creating the Myth,” tackles the idea of a “Hero 's Myth,” and shows the ten steps of how heroes are transformed from an ordinary person to the Savior. On the other hand, Robert B. Ray piece titled, “The Thematic Paradigm,” emphasizes that in modern films, it is either having an “Outlaw Hero or an Official Hero,” which he uses three stages to demonstrates how they are different each other in the way they perform in the society. Further, the article, “Out of Character: Wonder Woman’s Strength Is Her Compassion - What Happened?” by Stevie St. John, explains how Wonder Woman was viewed as a compassionate woman in the 1940s and 1950s, and in the 2000s she changes into a more violent person. In this essay, I argue that a hero is subjective, and is defined by the villain or event that they had to adapt to suddenly.
The term “hero” has many different interpretations for different individuals. In his speech “Heroes”, Tim O’Brien tells his audience how he views a hero and redefines the often dramatized term. He defines a hero as one who knows what a person needs and is willing to give that to them without question. O’Brien accomplishes sharing his argument of what a hero is through the use of appealing to Kairos, diction and syntax.
Throughout humankind, many heroes have impacted world’s history. Some are true stories while some have become legends. These storied are retold over and over due to the hero, which shows a common
When one thinks of heroes, names such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Mother Theresa often come to mind. These people had done a lot of favors, courage, helps, and more of things for the people who needed them. The true definition of hero is a man of distinguished valor. Bravery, courage, intrepidity, boldness, daring, and prowess in war are a hero’s characteristics. However a hero is understood to be different to everyone. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa. A person can be a hero for saving the life of one or of millions.
Before John Hersey’s novel, Hiroshima, Americans viewed Japanese as cruel and heartless people. This warped perspective caused the majority of American citizens to feel complacent about the use of the atomic bomb against civilians. Americans, in many ways, were blinded by their own ignorance to notice the severity of the destruction suffered by not only the city of Hiroshima but, more importantly, the people who lived there. The six testimonies in Hiroshima illustrate the strength and optimistic attitude of the Japanese people. In this essay, I will discuss the feelings towards the ethics surrounding the use of the atomic bomb, next I will look at two testimonies and how their lives
During the late 1940s and the early 1950s, the thought of communism instilled fear within many Americans because it was portrayed in such a way that confined diversity and corroded political culture while the United States was supposed to be the land of the free. This fear of communism was nicknamed the “Red Scare” and was fed by Joseph McCarthy’s accusations of hidden communist in the country. The Manchurian Candidate was a black-and-white American film released in 1962 that depicted the Cold War and the affects of that paranoia had on the nation. It was released at the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the spread of communism. This film was about Raymond Shaw, the son of a right-wing political family, who was brainwashed to act as an assassin
During the late 1940s and the early 1950s, the thought of communism instilled fear within many Americans because it was portrayed in such a way that confined diversity and corroded political culture. This fear of communism was nicknamed the “Red Scare” and was fed by Joseph McCarthy’s accusations of hidden communist in the country. The Manchurian Candidate was a black-and-white American film released in 1962 that depicted the Cold War and the effects that paranoia had on the nation. It was released at the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the spread of communism. This film was about Raymond Shaw, the son of a right-wing political family, who was brainwashed to act as an assassin for his mother in a communist conspiracy theory. Major Bennet (Ben) Marco was another main character that played an important role in discovering the truth of Shaw’s brainwashing. Raymond Shaw faced the conflict of acting upon his free will while still being subconsciously manipulated by someone else. Throughout the film, Shaw was shown committing actions that he does not recall whatsoever later due to his programming which was triggered by the Queen of Diamonds playing card. Through the use of film techniques, The Manchurian Candidate creates a scenario which resembles the manifestation of America’s “Red Scare” paranoia in that the film portrays Raymond Shaw as an individual who lacks human agency due to his brainwashing because of a communist conspiracy.
In an effort to capture the effects of paranoia of the Red Scare in 1950s America, The Manchurian Candidate is filmed with the intentional techniques of character-following shots, plays on lighting, and mise-en-scene. These film techniques are utilized to make the argument that paranoia can be used to control others with the use of force as one tries to make sense of the chaos around themselves. Throughout the film, audiences fall into a sort of confusion when trying to determine the characters on the side of good or evil. Just as the audience gets trapped in the confusion of the film, the American people fell into pandemonium during the Cold War and were forced upon by the government to be on the side of freedom and democracy or be forced
What is a hero? A hero might not be the flying ,fictitious and fabricated forteller of good that humanity has decided upon. Everyone is the protagonist of their own story therefor a hero could be anyone from any place or time; no matter how strange their circumstances. According to merriam-webster dictionary heroism is an act of great courage. Meaning heroism is facing a great fear while being fully aware of the danger.
A hero is someone who is selfless and is courageous. They also are usually an ordinary person who later does something very heroic and great. They also don’t act like self centered when they get recognized for it. In the editorial “What is a Hero” by Art Green, he shares a story about a man who almost died saving others in battle. In this he says, “ In this case, Benavidez says that it was not he that was the hero; it was the faceless men who paid the ultimate sacrifice.” This evidence shows that Benavidez and heroes don’t “bask in the glory” and this impacts him because he knows that people died for their country and he also did two so he can’t take all the credit for saving the men. Roger Rosenblatt, author of the editorial “Man in the water”
The films The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Seven Days in May (1964) and Fail Safe (1964) were the emergence of a new political film genre recognized as political thrillers. The films individually focused on specific political issues that were going on in real American society like The Manchurian Candidate focused on McCarthyism and communism, Seven Days in May focused on inside betrayal in the White House, and Fail Safe focused on issues with Russia. What made these films create a new genre was that collectively they had a twist that the audience wouldn’t expect to see. For example the Manchurian Candidate add a complexity to each and every character that for the length of the film they’re deemed to be troubled like the brainwashed veteran from the Korean War Major Bennett Marco portrayed by Frank Sinatra to assassinate when commanded to do so. The shocking conclusion of the film is that in the end it was his mother (portrayed by Angela Lansbury) who was commanding him to do so since she herself was a communist and did a very well job at manipulating not only her son but blaming other people for being communists in order to keep her own cover something that wasn’t incorporated into films quite yet until this film. The twists, complexity, and manipulation by the characters are what made this a political thriller and the first and foremost established as one in 1962. The thrill continues in Seven Days in May, but the story line shifts completely, it’s something fictional but
“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom,” said Bob Dylan. Throughout history, many figures have shown personal and civic responsibility. Everyone from fictional characters, such as Senator Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (directed by Frank Capra) and Atticus in To Kill A Mockingbird (written by Harper Lee), to real-world humans, such as Elie Wiesel and his actions described in his memoir, Night, has the capacity to show responsibility. In situations where doing the responsible and correct thing is difficult, there will always be someone willing to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done.
Who is the hero of this film and why do you see it that way?