As well as the Godfather, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night Trilogy is a socially and politically engaged piece that tells a lot about society’s state of mind.
The Dark Night of the 21st Century
The Dark Night is everywhere. Batman (as well as Joker) is an important symbol of modern-day popular culture. There is even a Dark Night Slot Machine in a slot casino with all the elements from the movie, which just outright confirmed that the film would be a true classic.
The central theme in Dark Nigh Trilogy is the loss of the government’s control over violence. The movie follows a case of a terrorist attacking the country and destroying social order – Joker (Heath Ledger) – while Batman (Christian Bale) tries to catch him and prevent him from doing more harm.
Millennials, Have You Ever Teen The Godfather?
Order and balance – isn’t that what it is all about – think the Millenials. While The Dark Night speaks about the vulnerable state of Gotham and the non-governmental violence as the only available option to rescue society, we find somewhat different settings in The Godfather.
First released in 1972, The Godfather saga represents mythology coming from different times.
The social circumstances back in the day were different, as well as the social climate – as a general position of the society in a given moment.
Although many gangster movies preceded The Godfather, F. F. Coppola was the first director ever to approach the topic from a socially and politically biased point of view. He shows the Italian immigrant culture’s inside while portraying mobsters as people of a significant psychological depth and complexity for the first time in movie history.
Unlike any movie before it, The Godfather was the first portrayal of poor Italian families and communities that immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. Coppola explores the integration of Italian-American criminals into American society, presenting them as mobsters and setting a new social thought on American culture.
Times Change, so Do Generations
Each era marks a certain “mood, “a social climate present at a specific time. So while in the 70s, Coppola showed the world what a takedown of mob rule means, Nolan’s critique of late capitalism came (after the social and political map of the world had been changed) showing post-9/11 America.
The movies have always been mirroring society, criticizing governments and politics and commenting on important events. After all, they should because the purpose of art is to trigger thoughts and provoke ideas. Nolan’s work is no different, and the same goes for Coppola.
Times change, but the goal of the moviemaker stayed the same – to provide the audience with high-quality content that will make them think about the times they live in currently.
Both The Dark Night and The Godfather are compulsory readings in the modern-day. After watching all of the movies from both directors, the conclusion could sound something like this: History repeats itself, but times always surprise us with something new.
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