The pure political cinema: the fiction as inspiration - reflection of political spectacularization

Abstract

The relationship between fiction and politics is palpable in hundreds of film titles, from the birth of cinema to the present day. Democratic spectacularization, or politainment, is vital in political communication, inspired by fiction, and vice versa. As can be seen when producers create social networks accounts for politicians –characters of their series- who make actual but calculated commentary on real politics. Cinema becomes an inspiration and, at the same time, a reflection of reality. Given the type of political films of Christensen and Haas (2005) and specifically, the type of pure political film, we taped five American films, stuck to the environment of their time and clairvoyants of the spectacularization that would come later. They are The Candidate (1972), Power (1986), Wag the dog (1997), Primary Colors (1998) and The idus of March, of five different decades. All deal with the use and handling of appearances and spectacle as a way to gain power or consolidate it. They confirm that politics is conditioned by the media, spectacle and public skepticism.