I agree with Benjamin’s idea of how mechanical reproduction can change the role of art in society. In today’s time, I see the same trends that he saw. There are movies which celebrate nationalism and villainize a nation’s enemy. A good example of this is some Bollywood movies about the border conflict with Pakistan. There are movies made based on real life events like Indo-Pakistani War. The movie depicts Indian soldiers fighting and sacrificing their life for their motherland. There are love stories between Hindu and Muslim, where the Hindu man goes through many hardships to get to his lover in Pakistan. Movies like these have intensely powerful dialogues and are highly emotional. After these movies, there are times where the tension between Hindu and Muslim became worse and caused riots. Though making movies is a creative process and there is so much to learn from it, the impact it makes on the viewers is also something to consider. Movies that tell one side of the story have a political message. In this sense, art does play a crucial role in shaping our society. Movies are still utilized in this way, like Walter Benjamin described in his time.
A Poster for the 1997 Bollywood movie “Border”
I like how you used a real-life film to bring up your point on how the role of art in the mid-1930s still affects us today. I agree on how art plays a bigger role in our lives since it determines the viewers’ perception.
I still remember watching this movie when I was younger, and I agree with you on the fact that art can be used as a tool of change as I read once somewhere “Art is often a vehicle for social change“.
Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts.
Don’t you think that technology is not meant to be pure. Technology wants to create a pack that think and behave the same.I think that creating any sort of movies is meant to spread ideologies in the world while people are busy watching movies …and any sort of reproductive art .