1. Y200 Politics and Film November 15, 2011

2. Illegal Immigration While money, trade and investment flows relatively freely in the international system, labor flows are restricted The demand for inexpensive labor in the rich countries of the North combined with the demand for employment in the poor countries of the South results in the movement of people (mostly illegal)

3. Vulnerability of Illegal Immigrants Subject to arrest and deportation at any time Some are escaping persecution at home and to return may mean death Need to earn income means they are often willing to accept payment less than the minimum wage Such workers may be exploited in other ways by their employers (e.g. sexually)

4. Trade in Body Parts Growing demand for organs for transplanting leads to some illegal organ harvesting in both rich and poor countries In the US, organ sales are illegal under the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 In the UK, the relevant law is the Human Tissue Act of 2004 Organ sales are legal in Iran: kidney = $1200

5. Transplants and Medical Tourism In China, a kidney transplant operation costs around $70,000 In India, it costs as little as $5,000 Many US insurance companies are encouraging people to travel abroad for major surgeries

6. Globalization Both illegal immigration and the domestic and international organ trades are associated with globalization (the freer international flow of goods, money, and people in the world economy) Neither are well regulated either domestically or internationally

7. Interesting Films about Hollywood A Star is Born (1954)A Star is Born Sunset Boulevard (1950)Sunset Boulevard The Day of the Locust (1975)The Day of the Locust The Front (1976)The Front The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)The Purple Rose of Cairo Guilty by Suspicion (1991)Guilty by Suspicion Gloria Swanson

8. Recent Films about Hollywood Postcards from the Edge (1990)Postcards from the Edge Barton Fink (1991)Barton Fink Ed Wood (1994)Ed Wood Get Shorty (1995)Get Shorty Wag the Dog (1997)Wag the Dog Gods and Monsters (1998)Gods and Monsters Bowfinger (1999)Bowfinger

9. Important Documentaries about Hollywood Naked Hollywood (1991)Naked Hollywood Visions of Light (1992)Visions of Light The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies (1995)The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies The Celluloid Closet (1995)The Celluloid Closet Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996)Special Effects: Anything Can Happen Hollywoodism (1998)Hollywoodism

10. Books about Hollywood Julia Phillips, You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again Robert Evans, The Boy Stays in the Picture Ian Grey, Sex, Stupidity and Greed Lynda Obst, Hello, He Lied Peter Bart, The Gross Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters, Hit and Run (about Jon Peters and Peter Guber at Sony)

11. The Power of Hollywood Hollywood can reinforce or undermine prevailing myths and hegemonial ideologies (but it usually reinforces them). Hollywood can anoint or suppress new creative voices in society. By granting so much power to a private entity, the United States has made its culture highly dependent on market forces.

12. Political Constraints Legacies of Hollywood History –past censorship the Hayes Commission (1930s) the Production Code –McCarthyism and the “Red Scare” –corporate censorship -- “Citizen Kane” Hollywood ambitions for political influence Continuing criticisms of bias in film-making

13. Culture in the Marketplace Contemporary Hollywood is mostly self- regulated to avoid censorship Hollywood provides content that appeals to both the strengths and weaknesses of mass audiences: –it is anti-elitist, democratic, pro human rights –in the quest for viewers, it erodes norms about depicting violence and pornography and it undermines community and civility

14. Hope for the Future? Growing importance of independent studios in supplying the demand for new films. New film festivals like Sundance that make it easier for independents to hook with big studios for distribution deals. Internet-based video and film operations that provide new ways to discover talent.