Historical Context Of The Movie

The movie is set in the 1950’s at the height of the McCarthyism movement. The movie highlights the principal differences between western capitalist ideology and communism. Tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union in the immediate post-war period contributed to the ‘Red Scare’, which was a fear of communism and the radical left. Such fears were confirmed by the rising influence of the Peoples Republic of China in world affairs. The McCarthyesque figure of the senator in the film clearly draws inspiration from the McCarthy hearings that vilified many politicians and other notable people.

The release of the movie was the same year as the Cuban Missile Crisis which was a tipping point in the Cold War. This is of particular importance because the pretence of the movie is the notion of betrayal and communism infiltrating America. The placing of nuclear weapons in Cuba by the Soviet government is reflected in the movie by the communist nations symbolically using American soldiers as human weaponry.

The Americans are brainwashed to believe they are at a garden club.

The film mirrors the cultural anxiety and fear that presented itself in American society during the time which it was released. However, despite this the film has a double- edge to it as it plays on the “extremes” of both ideals. The movie presents other social anxieties in post war America such as the crisis of masculinity, this is reflected in the movie by Raymond’s mother and Jocie who symbolise the femme fatale.

The 60’s experienced a ‘new wave of directors’ and the decline of the movie viewers as the television came to provide a more instant form of entertainment. The year 1962 is especially significant because the coloured broadcast was on television. Such advances meant that the industry was impacted in more ways than one. The 1960’s was a critical point in cinema history as the breakdown of the studio system and production code. As a consequence of strikes by the Screen Actors Guild studios brought to an end long term contracts for actors giving them more autonomy. MGM like other studios experienced a decline in its audience for the movies they released, this was a result of the television as a new completion towards the cinema industry. This as well as the movies hard hitting realities in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination may explain why it was removed from distribution.