MovieChat Forums > Wag the Dog (1998) Discussion > 7 Years Later: Less Satire, More Reality

7 Years Later: Less Satire, More Reality

posted 20 years ago by Naneaux
12 replies | jump to latest

I think that in the 7 years since its release, this film has lost much of its "political satire" identity and rather remarkably, it has taken on the tone of an instructional guide on how to dupe the American public. The technique of "Distract 'Em From the Disaster With Another Disaster" is a page out of every politician's playbook, including Clinton and Dubya, and we know contemporary visual technology can produce any image out of human imagination. I watched this movie the week after the 2004 Elections and got creeped out more than once, because so much of the movie seemed to mirror our current situation. In '97, it was prescient. In '04, it's just the way things are done. Now, more than ever, if you see it on TV, it has to be true. Most Americans will not challenge what they see with hard questions and they don't have the attention span for the hard answers. Be afraid for your soul, America, be very afraid.

[–] maryellen728 20 years ago

I could not agree more. If fact you may want to study the rise of Adolph Hitler considering that Prescott Bush was instrumental in his rise to power. I'm writing a book about the NAZI-Bush collaboration during WWII and Prescott Bush's impeachment. Give me a shout.
Mary Ellen Gottlieb

[–] askywalker 20 years ago

... and lets not forget Conrad's speech to the CIA about preparing for a new type of war, which screams volumes on several different levels.

[–] greyollie-1 20 years ago

Humourous Intro

- Watching "Wag the Dog" in 2005, I am convinced the screenwriters had a time machine. The jumped forward 7 years, watched the news for a week or so and then went back to 1997 to write the film script :)

Seriously

- With all the embedding, etc of Iraq 2003, how can anyone believe anything on TV or in the tabloid media?

Just think on this:

Early in the 1997 film De Niro's character confronts William H Macy as CIA Chief:

"You are all set to fight a two ocean war - against who? Togo and ,,, In future it will be a bunch of extremists, maybe without the knowledge of their own government"

Fast forward to 2001

New York city 11 Sept 2001: 19 Saudi Arabians kill more than 3,000 American and other civilians on American soil. The Saudi Government has denied all knwoledge of the attack.

The foresight of the screenwriters is staggeringly accurate.

Makes you wonder about the rest of the film compared to media coverage of Iraq, or wherever, in 2003-05.

This is, without doubt, the scariest film ever made in Hollywood.

And I am not anti-American: enough Australians were fooled by the "weapons of mass destruction" Australian Government statements (before Australian troops joined US and UK troops in invading Iraq in 2003) to re-elect in 2004 the Government that lied to them in 2003 - and gave the Government control of both Houses of our Federal Parliament for the first time in 25 years!

Australia has the biggest sheep flock in the world, we are the world's largest wool producer. Sadly, millions of our sheep have the vote.

Greyollie
Australia

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] robbevl 20 years ago

idiots?
what about this whole anthrax-thing of which you suddenly heard nothing about anymore? Also, think about the Homeland Security Advisory System, which has only in 2004 gone from Orange to Yellow, and is still Yellow now. For four years, the terrorist threat has been "High/Elevated".
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=29

It is quite obvious that the government wants people to be in constant fear and paranoia, because people fearing for their life don't think about other things very much, and it's easier to hide screw-ups this way (like Iraq - btw funny that some people still think that Iraq has ANY connection what so ever with 911 isn't it?).

"All Americans should continue to be vigilant, take notice of their surroundings, and report suspicions items or activities to local authorities immediately. Everybody should establish an emergency preparedness kit as well as a communications plan for themselves and their family, and stay informed about what to do during an emergency situation."

If this isn't paranoia invoking, what is?
(taken from that website i quoted earlier, and this text is only for Yellow risk, it has been Orange for three years)

I think this movie is pretty relevant, it's satire of course, but relevant.

[–] Anniston 20 years ago

The first time, at age 21, when I saw "Wag The Dog," I could not help thinking that the movie had trumped any current events courses I had taken. Politicians have been controlling the media as long as priests have had indescresions and brides have "run away".

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[–] Anniston 20 years ago

....From ritual torture to democratic elections..... that is why my six year old son calls our great president Mr. Bush. God Bless Democracy. God love our nation or no longer reside....

[–] mayday0013 20 years ago

Well if you did your research you'd know that the allegations involve Bush's dealings which occured after Hitler came to power. The facts are flimsy at best, but I can't really comment on his involvement because there are no truly powerful evidences to one side or another. Maybe he was a Nazi. However, also keep in mind that at the same time, his son George H.W. Bush was a soldier for the American Forces...I have a hard time beliving he'd play both sides. Again, I can't say for sure, some people are twisted. Prescott Bush was never impeached as a U.S. Senator. You also have to look at the fact that fascism was not as feared as it is today. When fascism rose there was no way of knowing what the result would be since it looked like ordinary conservatism. It came at a time when it was seen as the antidote to Communism.
As for the movie being more reality, yeah its true. We live in very unstable times where the enemy isn't behind a nuclear launch panel but could be anyone. But rememeber that this movie was made after the first World Trade Centre attack and after Rwanda and Bosnia, so its not as if current events are unprecidented. Sure the movie points out the chances of bias in the media and they are evident...but its not exclusive to the mainstream media. The movie was satirizing this and warning viewers to make sure they look into things before they jump to conclusions. Just because a few sources say its so...look at both sides before you believe it as absolute truth!

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