Hollywood Post-9/11 Alien Films: Recontextualization of George. W. Bush's Discourse

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran

Abstract

The widely shocking attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11 was interpreted differently by various institutions worldwide, ranging from America's legitimate motive to begin a 'war on terror' to defend her 'very freedom', to a pretext for Bush administration to pursue G. H. W. Bush's temptation for 'a new world order'. Various institutions, therefore, made use of their potentials to support a parallel ideology, including Hollywood as a most powerful center for producing, conveying, and supporting such an ideology worldwide. This study intends to reveal Hollywood film making companies' recontextualization of G. W. Bush's discourse used in his first speech broadcast on CNN after the attacks. A close examination of Bush's speech discloses a narrative sequence of five steps which were accordingly incorporated in alien films produced during the decade following 9111. Recontextualization of Bush's five-section speech could psychologically remind and legitimize the war.

Keywords