This is an article which points out several distinct traits in a movie that make it conservative as opposed to liberal...
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aprice/2011/07/19/what-constitutes-a-conservative-film/
From the article:
To bottom-line it, conservatives believe in the individual over the collective but temper their belief in individuality by requiring people to act according to a code of conduct based on traditional morality. Liberals believe in the collective over the individual and, where they allow individuality, they disdain traditional morality or personal responsibility. Thus, uniquely conservative values tend to be centered around:
But don’t look for just one aspect in isolation. To be a conservative film, a film must have conservative values deeply ingrained throughout the film. The positive characters must act according to those values and they must be rewarded for it. The film can’t mock conservative values or treat them as social outliers, and it can’t reinforce the leftist propagandized view of the world, e.g. minorities can’t succeed without the government, religion is a tool of oppression, capitalists are evil, etc.
And the key to deciding if a film does this is to look at how the film defines good and bad, i.e. what gets rewarded, what gets punished, and what does the film say about how we are supposed to solve our problems.For example, a film about a character taking responsibility for their own life is probably conservative, especially if they are breaking out of a history of dependence on government to regain their lost human dignity. That’s a pretty powerful conservative message. But if the form of “responsibility” they choose is to become a thief, and the film rewards that behavior, then it’s not a conservative film.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aprice/2011/07/19/what-constitutes-a-conservative-film/
From the article:
To bottom-line it, conservatives believe in the individual over the collective but temper their belief in individuality by requiring people to act according to a code of conduct based on traditional morality. Liberals believe in the collective over the individual and, where they allow individuality, they disdain traditional morality or personal responsibility. Thus, uniquely conservative values tend to be centered around:
(1) faith in individual rights over collective rights,
(2) an acceptance of cause and effect, and a willingness to let people bear the good and bad consequences of their actions,
(2) an acceptance of cause and effect, and a willingness to let people bear the good and bad consequences of their actions,
(3) an unwillingness to excuse misbehavior as something beyond the control of the individual, i.e. society made me do it,
(4) the idea that respect and dignity are earned, not a right, and must be maintained through appropriate behavior,
(5) a belief that truth is absolute, not relative,
(6) an acceptance of human nature as it is and not as something that can be changed by government tinkering, and
(7) support for rule of law over nebulous concepts of supposed “fairness.”
Hence, a film that advocates individual rights over collective rights will generally be conservative (e.g.1984 or 1975’s Rollerball…. yes, Rollerball), as will films where characters learn they have to earn the respect of others (Drumline??) or where they accept individual responsibilities (The Blind Side).(4) the idea that respect and dignity are earned, not a right, and must be maintained through appropriate behavior,
(5) a belief that truth is absolute, not relative,
(6) an acceptance of human nature as it is and not as something that can be changed by government tinkering, and
(7) support for rule of law over nebulous concepts of supposed “fairness.”
But don’t look for just one aspect in isolation. To be a conservative film, a film must have conservative values deeply ingrained throughout the film. The positive characters must act according to those values and they must be rewarded for it. The film can’t mock conservative values or treat them as social outliers, and it can’t reinforce the leftist propagandized view of the world, e.g. minorities can’t succeed without the government, religion is a tool of oppression, capitalists are evil, etc.
And the key to deciding if a film does this is to look at how the film defines good and bad, i.e. what gets rewarded, what gets punished, and what does the film say about how we are supposed to solve our problems.For example, a film about a character taking responsibility for their own life is probably conservative, especially if they are breaking out of a history of dependence on government to regain their lost human dignity. That’s a pretty powerful conservative message. But if the form of “responsibility” they choose is to become a thief, and the film rewards that behavior, then it’s not a conservative film.
