Sometimes it can be hard to really understand what discrimination, poverty or suffering are like when it doesn’t affect you personally.
“Social cinema” refers to a series of trends that developed especially in Europe in the 60s, which aimed to penetrate the community’s political fabric.
Movies about Social Issues
Movies have shifted since 1965 from outright digs towards social biases and discrimination to more subtly expressive films that hint at condemnation of society’s actions.
At the time Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was filmed, society was in such a state of polarization when it came to racial equality that the producers and film studio had to be kept in the dark as to what the film truly revolved around, lest they cut its production. However, the cast felt strongly that the issue of racial inequality should be brought to the public’s attention. The film was a firm reprimand for audiences in 1967, which clearly dug at the racial discrimination present all over the country at the time of its release
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
produced and directed by Stanley Kramer
Cinema helps in informing and persuading people while molding their opinions. The visual display of a social issue is very impactful. It remains etched in one’s memory for a longer time. The idea of inspecting an issue through the medium of movies fascinates people and they are manipulated to change their perspective. This indirectly helps in spreading social awareness.