Message picture
A message picture (or message movie) is a motion picture that, in addition to or instead of being for entertainment, intends to communicate a certain message or ideal about society.
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A message picture (or message movie)[1] is a motion picture that, in addition to or instead of being for entertainment, intends to communicate a certain message or ideal about society.
Characteristics
[edit]Message pictures usually present the message they want to deliver in the form of a morality play, and are usually serious (often somber) works. However, not all message pictures are entirely serious, and there are also films spoofing the genre (Sullivan's Travels, for example).[2]
History
[edit]Dore Schary was famous for his message pictures at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the late 1940s and early to mid-1950s. Among these were Tea and Sympathy, Bad Day at Black Rock, and Blackboard Jungle.[3] Other famous message pictures by other parties include Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night[4] (the former directed by Stanley Kramer, who was also well known for numerous message films).[5]
In Indian cinema, B.R. Chopra was known for message pictures. Examples include Kanoon (against capital punishment), Naya Daur (importance of labour), Waqt (importance of time and destiny), Nikaah (against triple talaq (divorce) among Muslims), etc.[6]
Examples
[edit] | This list (which may have dates, numbers, etc.) may be better in a sortable table format. (March 2026) |
Pre-1970
[edit]- The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
- On the Waterfront (1954)
- Salt of the Earth (1954)
- Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
- Blackboard Jungle (1955)
- Tea and Sympathy (1956)
- Paths of Glory (1957)
- I Want to Live! (1958)
- On the Beach (1959)
- Psycho (1960)
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
- The Connection (1961)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- The Intruder (1962)
- A Child Is Waiting (1963)
- Fail Safe (1964)
- Seconds (1966)
- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
- In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Post-1970
[edit]- Billy Jack (1971)
- The Deer Hunter (1978)
- Gandhi (1982)
- White Dog (1982)
- The Color Purple (1985)
- Stand and Deliver (1988)
- Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- Do the Right Thing (1989)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Schindler's List (1993)
- Amistad (1997)
- American History X (1998)
- American Beauty (1999)
- The Cider House Rules (1999)
- Music of the Heart (1999)
- Erin Brockovich (2000)
- Pay It Forward (2000)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- The Devil's Backbone (2001)
- I Am Sam (2001)
- House of Sand and Fog (2003)
- The Sea Inside (2004)
- Crash (2004)
- Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004)
- American Gun (2005)
- Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
- Babel (2006)
- Blood Diamond (2006)
- Coach Carter (2006)
- Wall-E (2008)
- Avatar (2009)
- Courageous (2011)
- God Bless America (2011)
- Where to Invade Next (2015)
- Get Out (2017)
- The Hate U Give (2018)
- Us (2019)
- Don't Look Up (2021)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
- Barbarian (2022)
- Smile (2022)
- X (2022)
- Pearl (2022)
- M3GAN (2023)
- Barbie (2023)
- Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
- Oppenheimer (2023)
- The Zone of Interest (2023)
Sources:[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][better source needed][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
Notable directors
[edit]- Spike Lee[29]
- Stanley Kramer[30]
- Tom Laughlin[31]
- Elia Kazan[32]
- Oliver Stone[33]
- Abel Gance[34]
- Norman Jewison[35]
- Frank Capra[36]
- Richard Attenborough[37]
- Edward Dmytryk[38]
- Jordan Peele[24]
See also
[edit]- After-school special
- Christian film
- Just-world hypothesis
- Melodrama
- Oscar bait
- Public service announcement
- Social guidance film
- Social issues
- Social parasitism (offense)
- Social problem film
- Social thriller
- Very special episode
- Virtue signaling
References
[edit]- ^ Frost & Carr 2018, p. 3.
- ^ "Sullivan's Travels". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ Smith, J.Y. (July 8, 1980). "Film Producer Dore Schary, 74, Dies". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ "In the Heat of the Night". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ Bergan, Ronald (2001-02-21). "Obituary: Stanley Kramer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ Bali, Karan (2015-04-22). "BR Chopra". upperstall.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ Top 10 Classic Films With a Social Message - ThoughtCo.White, Deborah (2019-03-28). "Top 10 Classic Films With a Social Message". ThoughtCo. People Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ Cosme, Shante (May 12, 2012). "The 10 Most Heavy-Handed Message Movies". Complex. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ Kovalchik, Kara (December 17, 2013). "6 Things You Might Not Have Known About Billy Jack". Mental Floss. Retrieved 2026-03-09.6 Things You Might Not Have Known About Billy Jack|Mental Floss
- ^ Frisch, Addison (2023-08-28). "POWERFUL MESSAGE BEHIND HIT MOVIE "BARBIE"". The Seminole Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ Long, Kelle (December 27, 2017). "Get Out's Cinematographer Reveals the Methods Behind Jordan Peele's Brilliant Madness". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ Randall, Melissa; Jiménez, Paula Rey; Jiménez, Melissa Randall and Paula Rey (2023-06-21). "The Everything, Everywhere, All at Once Meaning and Themes". NYFA. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Weeks, Andrew (2023-07-27). "Oppenheimer: A masterful film with a haunting message". The Herald Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Krishnan, Gaurav (2023-03-03). "Why Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is More Relevant Than Ever". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Dominguez, Andrew; Minchin, Amanda (2023-02-13). "10 Horror Movies That Deliver Important Messages About Society". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ Shaw, Angel (February 28, 2024). "2023's Top Movie Data Proves That Barbie Happened At Just The Right Time". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ Roman, Julian (2023-06-29). "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Review: A Clever Girl Power Message with Vivid Animation". Movieweb. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ Adams, Sam (December 15, 2023). "Why The Zone of Interest Is Filmed Like "Big Brother in a Nazi House"". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ Adams, Sam (October 5, 2018). "The Hate U Give Is a Black Lives Matter Movie Designed for Anyone Willing to Listen". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
- ^ The Best Message Movies of All Time - Flickchart
Sources
[edit]Frost, Jennifer; Carr, Steven Alan (March 12, 2018). Teaching History with Message Movies. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN 978-1-4422-7839-4.
