US history in FILM

Influence of American Cinema

The popular perception of American cities , members of particular social classes , cultures , and historical events all have been heavily influenced by film . Often , Hollywood 's depictions of these tidbits of daily life are taken as authentic interpretations when they have actually extrapolated , or exaggerated the truth . The result of this is a dual reality , one that is exact and immediate , and one that is in the mind . When one thinks of New York , hot dogs , organized crime , the Statue of Liberty , and thick accents are liable to come

to mind . When one thinks of L .A , they may think of movie stars , expensive cars , and shallow egos . These are typical characteristics assigned to these cities by a majority of Americans , many of whom may never have even visited New York or California . This contrast is the result of Hollywood interpretation of America

Hollywood depiction of Los Angeles

One of the more noted and obsessively received films depicting California life is the film Clueless . Despite many surface differences Amy Heckerling 's film Clueless can very easily be proclaimed as a contemporary version of Jane Austen 's novel Emma . The main characters are both high class snobs who pride themselves in their matchmaking abilities . Emma Woodhouse is a member of a upscale society in nineteenth century England , while Cher Horowitz lives in wealthy upscale Beverly Hills U .S .A . Both Cher and Emma are among the culturally elite in their societies . Cher 's father is a litigation lawyer in the most affluent city in America , and Cher is arguably the most popular girl in her school . This can directly be connected to Austen 's of Emma in which she describes Emma as , handsome clever , and rich , with a comfortable home and happy disposition (5 Just as Jane Austen 's novel was a depiction of upscale elitists life in London during the Victorian era , Clueless depicts the same socioeconomic class only with regards to Beverly Hills in the 90 's . The film had such a popular reception it inadvertently resulted in further establishing the archetype of the valley girl (most synonymous with snobby , wealthy Barbie-like California teenagers ) as an American stereotype . America 's historical infatuation with this stereotypical image can most prevalently be seen with the notorious popularity of women like Marilyn Monroe , Paris Hilton , Anna Nicole Smith , and Britney Speares . The ideals exploited and enforced by women like this has resulted in the driving force behind the stigma that California , specifically Los Angeles is over populated with superficial plastic individuals . This is a persona that has developed over the years and solidified with the film Clueless but it is certainly a change from the classic magical mystique of Hollywood 's heyday in the 1950 's . Over the past 50 years , the common American view of L .A . lifestyle has grown from being glamorous to superficial , and film has a large part to do with this change

Hollywood Depiction of New York City

Since the creation of American...