Message picture
A message picture (or message movie)motion picture that, in addition to or instead of being for entertainment, intends to communicate a certain message or ideal about society.
Characteristics
Message pictures usually present the message they want to deliver in the form of a morality play, and are usually serious (often somber) works. However, not all message pictures are entirely serious, and there are also films spoofing the genre (Sullivan's Travels, for example).[2]
History
Dore Schary was famous for his message pictures at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the late 1940s and early to mid-1950s. Among these were Tea and Sympathy, Bad Day at Black Rock, and Blackboard Jungle.[3] Other famous message pictures by other parties include Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night[4] (the former directed by Stanley Kramer, who was also well known for numerous message films).[5]
In
triple talaq (divorce) among Muslims), etc.[6]
Examples
Pre-1970
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
- On the Waterfront (1954)
- Salt of the Earth (1954)
- Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
- Blackboard Jungle (1955)
- Tea and Sympathy (1956)
- Paths of Glory (1957)
- I Want to Live! (1958)
- On the Beach (1959)
- Psycho (1960)
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
- The Connection (1961)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- The Intruder (1962)
- A Child Is Waiting (1963)
- Fail Safe (1964)
- Seconds (1966)
- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
- In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Post-1970
- Billy Jack (1971)
- The Deer Hunter (1978)
- Gandhi (1982)
- White Dog (1982)
- The Color Purple (1985)
- Stand and Deliver (1988)
- Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- Do the Right Thing (1989)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Schindler's List (1993)
- Amistad (1997)
- American History X (1998)
- American Beauty (1999)
- The Cider House Rules (1999)
- Music of the Heart (1999)
- Erin Brockovich (2000)
- Pay It Forward (2000)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- The Devil's Backbone (2001)
- I Am Sam (2001)
- House of Sand and Fog (2003)
- The Sea Inside (2004)
- Crash (2004)
- Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004)
- American Gun (2005)
- Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
- Babel (2006)
- Blood Diamond (2006)
- Coach Carter (2006)
- Wall-E(2008)
- Avatar (2009)
- Courageous (2011)
- God Bless America (2011)
- Where to Invade Next (2015)
- Get Out (2017)
- Us (2019)
- Don't Look Up (2021)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
- Barbarian (2022)
- Smile (2022)
- X (2022)
- Pearl (2022)
- M3GAN (2023)
- Barbie (2023)
- Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken(2023)
- Oppenheimer (2023)
- The Zone of Interest (2023)
Sources:[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
Notable directors
- Spike Lee[28]
- Stanley Kramer[29]
- Tom Laughlin[30]
- Elia Kazan[31]
- Oliver Stone[32]
- Abel Gance[33]
- Norman Jewison[34]
- Frank Capra[35]
- Richard Attenborough[36]
- Edward Dmytryk[37]
- Jordan Peele[24]
See also
- Oscar bait
- Social issues
- Social problem film
- Very special episode
- Virtue signaling
- After-school special
- Christian film
- Melodrama
- Social thriller
- Public service announcement
References
- ^ Teaching History with Message Movie - Google Books
- ^ "Sullivan's Travels". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ Film Producer Dore Schary, 74, Dies - The Washington Post
- ^ "In the Heat of the Night". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ BR Chopra – Upperstall.com
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ Top 10 Classic Films With a Social Message - ThoughtCo.
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The 10 Most Heavy-Handed Message Movies|Complex
- ^ 6 Things You Might Not Have Known About Billy Jack|Mental Floss
- ^ "Powerful Message Behind Hit Movie "Barbie"".
- ^ "Get Out's Cinematographer Reveals the Methods Behind Jordan Peele's Brilliant Madness". Motion Picture Association. 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Randall, Melissa; Jiménez, Paula Rey; Jiménez, Melissa Randall and Paula Rey (2023-06-21). "The Everything, Everywhere, All at Once Meaning and Themes". NYFA. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Weeks, Andrew (2023-07-27). "Oppenheimer: A masterful film with a haunting message". The Herald Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Krishnan, Gaurav (2023-03-03). "Why Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is More Relevant Than Ever". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Dominguez, Andrew; Minchin, Amanda (2023-02-13). "10 Horror Movies That Deliver Important Messages About Society". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ 2023's Top Movie Data Proves That Barbie Happened At Just The Right Time - ScreenRant
- ^ Roman, Julian (2023-06-29). "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Review: A Clever Girl Power Message with Vivid Animation". Movieweb. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ The Zone of Interest: A Holocaust movie with a message for our moment - Slate Magazine
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
