2008–2013 Political Biopics: Adapting Leaders for a Time of Crisis

Abstract

In an atmosphere of global crisis, the number of political biopics has grown very significantly, with specific characteristics that are in line with the times. This article analyses a group of films released between 2008 and 2013 (the most critical years of the economic recession) which had an international impact. This study notes the formal features of this “new political biopic” genre and highlights two of its main qualities. First, the use of narrative patterns defines the public and private spheres of the leaders in a very contemporary way; and, second, there is a commitment to a set of leadership traits with which the monarchs and politicians of these films are characterised.

KEYWORDS:

• political biopics
• global recession
• narratives of crisis
• real-life adaptations

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. These are the only biopics about kings and rulers internationally released between 2008 and 2013 that had box-office takings above $25 million (http://www.boxofficemojo.com). They all received international nominations and awards and were acclaimed by film critics, some of them notoriously (http://www.imdb.com; and Rotten Tomatoes Critic’s Tomatometer https://www.rottentomatoes.com).

2. We are aware that every film, considered as a cultural text, permanently interacts with its social and political context, and it not only reflects the present time but also intervenes in a certain way in the constitutive and configurative process of society, which is in constant change and movement. Nevertheless, for reasons of extension and point of view, we will focus here on the reflective capacity of cinema as a mirror of society, and we will adhere to this perspective.

3. Bingham and most authors cited in this article are approaching the myth as the “expression of a culture or society's goals, fears, ambitions and dreams”, in connection with traditional universal values, as they are similar in very different cultures. This notion stems from Carl Jung and contains a psychological imprint, with an accent on the collective identity of societies (see Indick 2004, 93–95). On the other hand, the conception of myth in narrative and literary contexts is also present in these authors, connecting with “deeper truths, expressing collective attitudes to fundamental matters of life, death, divinity, and existence” (Baldick 2001, 163).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marta Frago

Marta Frago (corresponding author) is Professor in the Department of Film, TV & Digital Media, School of Communication, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.

Eva Alfonso

Eva Alfonso is Visiting Professor at the School of Communication, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. Email: [email protected].