Running Head: SOCIAL VALUES IN MOVIES 1

Social Values in the American Film Industry

Thooraya Mused

University of California, Berkeley

College Writing R1A

SOCIAL VALUES IN MOVIES 2

Social Values in the American Film Industry

Though it is now considered a classic film, Kevin Costner’s 1990 film Dances

With Wolves features a plotline that was revolutionary for traditional Westerns. The

protagonist, played by Costner, comes into contact with a tribe of Native Americans,

earning their trust and eventually betraying his white brethren to warn the tribe that

cowboys are coming to attack (IMDB, n.d.). Up until the film’s release, Western movies

had almost exclusively presented white cowboys as heroes and Native Americans as

savages, with the occasional Kemosabe-like exception. But did Dances With Wolves

(1990) have any effect on American audiences’ views of minority populations, or did it

just reflect how audiences felt about minorities at the time?

In his speech “The Way We Are” (n.d.), American film director Sydney Pollack

discusses the influence of popular media on American values. Pollack attempts to

persuade his audience that films are not responsible for changes in the actions of

individuals, nor for the moral framework of American society. Rather, values expressed

in films are more likely a reflection of current moral standards, as filmmakers look to

please their audiences with the content audiences desire, or which mirror their lifestyles.

Using examples from his own oeuvre, Pollack effectively argues that filmmakers are

neither the cause of the decline of moral values nor should they be obligated to promote

a certain set of social standards.

Pollack notes that even films considered socially groundbreaking at the time of

release may have just reflected changes that had already occurred in society. For

instance, Pollack recognizes that Dances With Wolves might now be viewed as a

classic, but at the time it “call[ed] into question every value that existed in traditional
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Westerns” (para. 8). If Dances With Wolves had been released during the 1930s or

1940s, audiences might have considered the director of such a racially revolutionary

film misguided and irrational. Pollack argues that Costner did not make the movie to

change racial attitudes, but rather that the film is representative of the changing

attitudes towards race already occurring in society at the time. In fact, Pollack confirms

that Dances With Wolves “expresses a lot of guilty re-evaluation of what happened in

the West” (para. 8). According to him, younger generations have a more progressive

outlook towards social issues and social reform and expect a higher level of

accountability for the depiction of minority groups and historical realities.

Since film investors’ primary motivation is to make a profit, catering to the values

of their market audience makes sense from a business perspective. Pollack

acknowledges that many directors aspire to make films for “the romance, the glory, the

applause, the chance to tell stories, even to learn, but rarely for the money” (para. 15).

Some of these auteurs produce movies that are carefully crafted with a specific

message to communicate the filmmaker’s conviction. However, few filmmakers have the

luxury of being able to create films in this manner or for this reason alone. From

Pollack’s perspective, “Very few [films] become art, but all of them, whatever their

ambitions are first financed as commodities” (para. 11). In fact, filmmakers need to

make money in order to repay the financiers regardless of their artistic ambitions and

goals. In other words, Pollack notes that “American movies are a product...financiers

are not in the business of philanthropy. They’ve got to answer to stockholders” (para.

11). As much as auteurs may want to promote a particular message in a film, they will
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not receive financial backing unless the film’s financiers believe it palatable enough to

turn a profit.

Pollack further explains how assuming that a director or writer intends to effect

social change is an oversimplification of a complex interplay between the art and

business aspects of filmmaking. He makes an important point that financial

considerations are the primary focus of any film production, and today’s climate of social

reform may afford a unique opportunity for producers to combine social justice and

entertainment value. The success of Black Panther (2018) is an example of how the

movie industry has capitalized on modern social trends and racial awareness.

Having topped the box office with an impressive $631.3 million in sales since its

release, Black Panther has broken new ground by building a franchise around cast

members of a specific minority group: African Americans (“Black Panther”, n.d.). As

Pollack would point out, it would be a mistake to view the success of Black Panther as

breaking ground outside the box office. Commentators and activists have been calling

for years for more minority representation, and major studios have only now responded

by featuring minority-driven casts for wide release movies. In fact, Black Panther

represents an answer to those criticisms.

In Black Panther, Marvel found box office success by delivering on entertainment

value while also weaving in social justice themes. Fans and critics on Rotten Tomatoes

remark that the film "attacked racism while entertaining” and further praised Black

Panther as “unlike any other Marvel Cinematic Universe film prior [especially] with this

kind of budget…[and] ownership over its cultural heritage and the heavy burdens it

carries” (Rotten Tomatoes, 2018, p.3 and p. 13). In other words, the creators of Black
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Panther were able to express this progressive message without compromising on

viewership. As much as they might agree with pro-diversity cultural values, mainstream

moviegoers do not want a dreary movie about oppression or slavery. They are excited

by films with great action sequences and special effects. Although Pollack does not

discuss Black Panther in his speech, evidence indicates that he would conclude Marvel

embraced an opportunity to grow its target market by identifying the cultural mindset of

its young, loyal moviegoers.

Ultimately, Pollack maintains that films are mirrors to the values and culture of

their audiences rather than tools of social reform. He points out that those who believe

the movie industry has the power to promote social change are using “wishful thinking

about how to improve society” (para. 29). He supports his argument with convincing

examples from Dances With Wolves (1990), and his ideas help explain the success of

contemporary films like Black Panther (2018). While these movies may be revolutionary

in casting, political content and social justice values, they have not necessarily changed

any attitudes. Pollack’s speech makes clear that films are a compromise between

filmmakers’ passions and the necessities of a marketable product. While artists may at

times try to promote social change and at other times merely reflect prevailing values,

society as a whole must learn to appreciate the film industry as both a business and an

artistic enterprise.
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References

Black Panther. (2018, February 28). Black Panther. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved from

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_panther_2018/

Black Panther (2018). (n.d.). Black Panther. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved from

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=marvel2017b.htm

Costner, K., Wilson, J. (Producer), & Costner, K. (Director). (1990). Dances with wolves.

[Motion picture]. United States: IMDB.

Feige, K. & Grant, D. (Producers), & Coogler, R. (Director). (2018). Black Panther.

[Motion picture]. United States: Marvel Studios.

The Way We Are (n.d.). Movie Making and Criticism: Sydney Pollack. Lecture Notes

Online [PDF document]. Retrieved from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1469778/files/folder/Readings/U2%20Rea

dings?preview=72426245