Most good movies exist to provide us with fun. However, great movies are there to entertain us, deliver a message. Some do this by making you read between the lines. Others are more direct and want to convey their message in a straightforward way.
The power of movies does not lie only in showing a single person’s opinion. It is when the message starts changing other people’s views on the matter and ultimately the society.
There have been a number of movies that were able to impact society on a grand level and here are some of them.
Philadelphia (1993)
This movie was able to revolutionize the way people felt about AIDS. Back in the 80s, when the disease was something novel and people were not entirely sure what they were facing, many wanted people with aids to be branded with tattoos and even put in quarantine. However, “Philadelphia” changed all of that as it presented the real story behind a gay man that contracted AIDS and was fired from his job due to his illness.
Blood Diamond (2006)
The story of “Blood Diamonds” follows the way these precious stones are obtained. It brought a lot of attention to the civil war in Sierra Leone, at the time, where a lot of these diamonds came from. Although it was denied that these, so-called, blood diamonds make the majority of the circulation of precious stones on earth, the amount of them lessens from 4-15% to 1% after the release of the movie.
Schindler’s List (1993)
“Schindler’s List” is not only the most expensive black and white movie ever made. It is also one of the most socially impactful ones. In fact, it took Steven Spielberg more than 10 years to make it as at first he thought he was too young to rightfully understand and tell the story of the Holocaust. Spielberg didn’t take any money from the earnings and instead used it to fund various Jewish organizations and raise awareness of the Holocaust victims. The film was able to inspire the successful creation of the Jewish Organization.
Syriana (2005)
When “Syriana” was released it helped people realize how actually dependent on oil our world is. But it also helped people to understand the dirty work done behind obtaining it. After watching the movie, thousands of audience remembers sent emails to Congress, demanding for the US to reduce its dependence and use of oil. “Syriana” was able to inspire political actions towards oil and in a way reduced its usage.
JFK (1991)
Oliver Stone’s “JFK” reopened a heated debate about government involvement in the assassination of one of the greatest American presidents. The controversy got so serious that Stone even received hundreds of death threats. But the success of the movie was able to in a way protect him. Fortunately, the movie inspired the JFL Assassination Collection Act in 1992, prompting an investigation to be made and a number of documents released publicly.
The China Syndrome (1979)
The movie “China Syndrome” tells the story of a team reporting a nuclear power plant and its faulty safety measures. It created fears and prompted the warnings that green activists were putting on these types of energy sources. The release of the movie coincided with a partial meltdown that occurred on the Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.