Since the invention of film by the Lumineer brothers in the 19th century, film paved the way as a new artistic expression, one that could influence multiple crowds of people. However, one key difference to modern history films and older films is accuracy. Now if one releases a film, people do countless checks to make sure the material is accurate and appropriate; if they don't they usually receive some form of backlash.
Back in the early 20th century, films weren't always accurate or politically correct/progressive by any mean. Black face was commonly seen through film, and even more blatant racist films like "Birth of a Nation," were shown during Wilsons term at the white house.
"Birth of a Nation" depicts KKK members as heroic soldiers as they attack and kill many african americans on screen. The fact that the president showed it at the white house demonstrates the amount of blunt racism at the time.
Films about native americans were often very bias, depicting white men as the heroes, and native americans as "savages." These negative portrayals of native americas often add to unwanted stereotypes that perpetuate negative connotations.
Even though films like "Jackie" don't directly correlate to bias or racist films like "Birth of a Nation," it is still a reminder about the importance of film and how it depicts history. Americans are viewing cinema as more and more accurate and we have to be careful with what power this may bring us and to use it properly.
Image : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Birth_of_a_Nation_theatrical_poster.jpg/311px-Birth_of_a_Nation_theatrical_poster.jpg
Nice connection between how film has affected Americans in the past vs. how it may affect us and is affecting us as citizens of the nation today. Also, I know you are very into film yourself, so nice to see how you took one of your interests and applied it to the assignment.
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