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| [a not-so-subtle threat to American society...] |
In looking back at last week's main topic of discussion, I was still intrigued by Black Legion as a demonstration of potential political problems that could happen--that were, in fact, happening--in the United States. The Birdwell article in particular points us to the fears that America was buying into about potentially terrifying governments overseas infiltrating our way of living during moments of economic instability in particular. I found this movie intriguing because it showed the power of this frightened way of thinking; Frank feels trapped by this system that he learns is dangerous and wrong, as it takes over his personal life and the lives of his wife and son as well. Because of this heightened sense of panic gripping the country from the inside, one would expect an equally strong response to the film from public audiences. Indeed, Black Legion was nominated for an Oscar in 1938 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027367/awards) for Best Writing of an Original Story. This "original" story nomination is interesting because of its push to recognize the movie as a story that may be based on other events, but one that is created by a writer for an audience reaction. I think this nomination focuses on the public opinion that knowledge about these sorts of groups and how to best dismantle them (or stay away in general) is better than staying in the dark about what could become the scary future for 'typical, hard-working Americans'.
And where does this leave our immigrants who are targeted in the film?
