Overcoming cultural limitations

The Tin Star is an Anthony Mann.

This film is about a man who teaches a young man to stay alive in a dangerous job.
He also shows him how groups are easily manipulated. Violence often begins this way. That's why he prefers to keep a certain distance.

Like most movie heroes, he travels alone, but he is lucky, he finds a family on the way.
The woman and the boy are not well accepted in the town. They're mexican. As he binds to this family he overcomes his own cultural limitations.

American cinema contributed to deal with social prejudices

This week the film is a Douglas Sirk, All that Heaven Allows.

It's not easy for a young widow live in a small town. Small towns are very conservative, there are social rules to be respected, different groups don't mingle. Friends try to find her a mate but the man available is not interesting. Others take advantage of her condition. And worse, her house will soon be empty with the children at the university. 

This young man is the son of a gardener. He knows everything about trees, that's how their conversation begins. He is a free spirit, opens windows, brings light to her life. He believes anything is possible when we love. 
For the children he is only "the gardener", they can't see his unique qualities. And their mother is only that, "their mother", even if they are going to leave home soon.

Loneliness is cold like that winter when her son brings a television home to keep her company. Reflected on the screen her face looks sadder. Her daughter finally understood what they have done to her, how terribly selfish they have been.

American cinema contributed to deal with social prejudices. Ironically since the eighties we've seen this cultural openness regress to a fascination by the rich and famous. The world was finally in its right order, divided by winners and losers. This partly explains Donald Trump' votes.

Peter Sellers in Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove

The President calls Dimitri:

 Mandrake tries to call the President:

Kubrick knew humans were not ready to handle new technologies. Here he plays with madness, stupidity, ignorance of people in high places. 

Ordinary normal people, you know, those rare healthy and wise people, were not in charge, and even when they were, like the President himself, they couldn´t prevent the disaster. 

Something wrong will happen: