World War II essentially eradicated the film industry in Europe. In the United States, however, pseudo neutrality propelled the film industry to new heights. The war postponed the historic Paramount case (which would dissolve the trust corporations that ran the industry) but even more importantly, the war established film as a major propaganda machine, both in Nazi Germany and the Allied countries.
This cartoon, one of my favorites from my childhood, is a perfect example of how all levels of motion picture entertainment were focused on the patriotic messages: in this case, "Taxes to beat the Axis!"
Now we find ourselves in a new era: the information age.
People wonder where has our patriotism gone? Where is the attitude that made Americans proud - not of their cheeseburgers, obesity, and reality television - but proud of where we came from (the melting pot), what we fought for (freedom and equality for all), and character that knew that standing up for right was more important than comfort and security? John F. Kennedy called Americans to put country before self: whats best for all before selfish desires. So why the big change?
Skepticism. The information age has effectively ended the era of propaganda. Any fool with a smartphone can find a thousand articles in just seconds that either confirm a bigoted opinion or completely tear down a well intended attempt to call people to a higher mode of living. Propaganda doesn't work when in just three clicks someone can find an ulterior motive to that which was proclaimed.
I suppose that unveils my opinion on the 8th most impactful year in film history: In the narrow gap between 1993 and 2000, the internet became the primary means of telecommunication, rising from 1% of all telecommunication world wide to a dominating 51% in just 7 years. In just 7 years more, the internet did it again, rising from 51% to more than 97% of all telecommunications world wide. The mid 1990s, when internet first became widely available to ordinary households, revolutionized the industry. Now the industry is shaped by the internet, distributed on the internet, and in some cases even inspired by the internet (see The Fifth Estate, inspired by one of the most controversial media pieces in years).
