Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog is a movie that demonstrates the power that media has in our society and the ways it affects it. Through the movie we see how media manipulates people’s thoughts, believes and the ways they interact. Barry Levinson, the director of the movie, emphasizes the importance of active media consumption as he shows us that everything we see in news these days could be just an illusion easily created in Hollywood production. Also, it presents Machiavelli’s idea of power and keeping that power by any means, described in his piece “The Prince”.
At the beginning of the movie Levinson provides an explanation of the title with the quote: “Why does the dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog. ”The "tail" wagging the "dog" symbolizes those who control the media, and the "dog" which lets itself be waged by its own tail represents American people. What Wag the Dog doesn't show, but what we should realize, is that real life events can be staged more easily than the hoaxes in the movie.
The plot of the movie starts two weeks before reelections. The President of United States gets involved in a sex scandal, so his team reaches out to Conrad Brean, a well-known public relations expert. Conrad helps them create a bigger story that will drive public’s attention away from the scandal. In collaboration with Winfred Ames, Conrad comes to an idea to create a fake war with Albania. In order to create the story more believable he hires Stanley Moss, a Hollywood producer who creates a fake video footage of the war in Albania and decides to spread a rumor of a suitcase bomb located in Canada. The plan setbacks when Senator John Neal, who is also running in the elections, appears on the news and declares that the war is over. At that point Stanley comes up with the most “realistic proof” of the war and present the nation their hero. A soldier, a patriot named “old shoe” for his mild character, a man
Wag the Dog is a movie that demonstrates the power that media has in our society and the ways it affects it. Through the movie we see how media manipulates people’s thoughts, believes and the ways they interact. Barry Levinson, the director of the movie, emphasizes the importance of active media consumption as he shows us that everything we see in news these days could be just an illusion easily created in Hollywood production. Also, it presents Machiavelli’s idea of power and keeping that power by any means, described in his piece “The Prince”.
At the beginning of the movie Levinson provides an explanation of the title with the quote: “Why does the dog wag its tail? Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog. ”The "tail" wagging the "dog" symbolizes those who control the media, and the "dog" which lets itself be waged by its own tail represents American people. What Wag the Dog doesn't show, but what we should realize, is that real life events can be staged more easily than the hoaxes in the movie.
The plot of the movie starts two weeks before reelections. The President of United States gets involved in a sex scandal, so his team reaches out to Conrad Brean, a well-known public relations expert. Conrad helps them create a bigger story that will drive public’s attention away from the scandal. In collaboration with Winfred Ames, Conrad comes to an idea to create a fake war with Albania. In order to create the story more believable he hires Stanley Moss, a Hollywood producer who creates a fake video footage of the war in Albania and decides to spread a rumor of a suitcase bomb located in Canada. The plan setbacks when Senator John Neal, who is also running in the elections, appears on the news and declares that the war is over. At that point Stanley comes up with the most “realistic proof” of the war and present the nation their hero. A soldier, a patriot named “old shoe” for his mild character, a man