How Casting and Cinematography Bias Audiences

             From the beginning, Hollywood has had a fascination with creating films based upon political history. The focus in these stories is most often placed on the central political figures of the actual events; Army generals, senators, or presidents, such as in the movie Nixon. In contrast, the films J.F.K. and All the President's Men focus on lesser known players seeking the truth behind two major political conspiracies. Directors Oliver Stone (J.F.K.) and Alan Pakula (All the President's Men) offer a behind the scenes perspective regarding two of the most publicized political scandals of recent United States history. Both films focus on characters to whom the audience can relate, and draw sympathy for the characters and interest in the story by choosing popular leading male actors who are both physically attractive and charismatic, while using symbolism and cinematography to sway the audience in favor of the protagonist.
             The films J.F.K. and All the President's Men are based upon major historical political events. J.F.K. is a film that is centered around New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's quest to disprove the Warren Commission's "single bullet theory." The film uses Garrison's character as an icon to represent any American who ever questioned the validity of the Warren Commission's claims. In the same manner, not all of the events that occur in the film are factual, but many are simply meant to represent a broader idea. For example, when Stone wished to portray Kennedy's popularity with the African-American population, he did so through a single black woman's proclamation, "He did so much for our country, for colored people" (J.F.K.). As stated by Robert Rosenstone, "The Hollywood historical film will always include images that are at once invented and yet may still be considered true; true in that they symbolize, condense, or summarize larger amounts of data" (Rosenstone, 128).