by Sarah Barnett
"" mad Ireland hurt you into poetry.
Now Ireland has her madness and her weather still,
For poetry makes nothing happen" "
- WH Auden, “In Memory of WB Yeats”, 1939
Poets and prophets through the ages have reflected the corruption and failings of humanity back to society. Their insights have not always been appreciated; most have suffered for their trouble. And, as WH Auden suggests in his tribute to Yeats " written on the eve of WWII " the impact of poetry on the wider world is perhaps negligible.
Twenty-first century society has its poets but it is through the comparatively lowbrow medium of cinema that modern-day social prophets find an audience for their views.
The "actorvists'
There are a growing number of filmmakers and actors for whom movie-making is becoming an ethical and a moral exercise. Some use their influence to support various causes, be it Susan Sarandon's anti-war stance or Angelina Jolie's role with the UN. But it's the transmitting of social issues into the format of film that is most interesting. From the environment and global warming to corruption in the oil business, mainstream cinema is taking on some the most important issues facing modern civilisation.
If 2005 was an important year for conscience cinema, 2006 is proving even more significant. Last year saw the release of the marvellously understated Good Night and Good Luck " a tribute to the American journalist Edward R Murrow and his refusal to compromise. This year we've had Syriana, a complex critique of America and its relationship with the oil business, and the pointed lampooning of big tobacco in Thank You for Smoking. Still to come are An Inconvenient Truth, Fast Food Nation and Who Killed the Electric Car? That films with a social message are being made is nothing new. What's fascinating is the profile of the actors keen to participate and the willingness of major film distributors to endorse this movies.
Deliberation vs diversion
While Hollywood studios continue to pump out irrelevant blockbusters and dire romantic comedies, audiences can take heart that films are not only about diversion and escapism. The long-held view expressed by British director Sam Mendes is that "in Europe [filmmaking] is an art. In America it is an industry." But it need not be so.
Dramas like Syriana demonstrate that it's possible to make a compelling and dramatic film that is also about something. Satires like Thank You for Smoking, show that comedy can deliver ideas as well as laughs. And documentaries like The Corporation and Al Gore's impressive An Inconvenient Truth can inform and inspire without resorting to Michael Moore style tactics.
A key player in the determined rise of conscience cinema is Participant Productions, a film company formed in 2004 by producer Jeff Skoll. Since its inception it has been involved in producing Murderball, North Country, Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck, An Inconvenient Truth and Fast Food Nation. With the motto, "Changing the world one story at a time", Participant Productions is deliberate in its ambition to bring deliberation and depth into popular culture. Perhaps through such work the despair of Auden at poetry's failure will be undone.
It's a worthy aspiration. Western society shows few signs of deviating from its unwavering gluttony and narcissism, happily distracted by vacuous celebrities and reality TV. For the most part our culture encourages us to turn from the perils of the real world " injustice, hunger, war and environmental degradation " reminding us of our rights to wealth, health and excessive privilege. But with rights come responsibilities. For those to whom much has been given, much will be required.
While the task of Christians is to give testimony to salvation through Jesus, we have also been endowed with social responsibilities both to the world we live in and to those around us.
