THEME EXPLORATION

American innocence abroad

12 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
1941 · Orson Welles
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson
1976 · Robert Altman
Little Big Man
Little Big Man
1970 · Arthur Penn
Custer of the West
Custer of the West
1967 · Robert Siodmak
Mississippi Blues
Mississippi Blues
1984 · Bertrand Tavernier
The Plainsman
The Plainsman
1936 · Cecil B. DeMille
The Red Balloon
The Red Balloon
1956 · Albert Lamorisse
Miracle in Milan
Miracle in Milan
1951 · Vittorio De Sica
Flowers of Shanghai
Flowers of Shanghai
1998 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
L'Atalante
L'Atalante
1934 · Jean Vigo
Ponyo
Ponyo
2008 · Hayao Miyazaki
The Miracle of Marcelino
The Miracle of Marcelino
1990 · Ladislao Vajda
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Sofia Coppola USA

Apocalypse Now deconstructs American innocence through the moral corruption of soldiers confronting the darkness of war in Vietnam.

 Martin Scorsese USA

The Wolf of Wall Street and Casino examine how American ambition and idealism become corrupted when transplanted into foreign contexts and excessive environments.

 Oliver Stone USA

Born on the Fourth of July and JFK directly interrogate how American naivety and patriotism clash with geopolitical realities and institutional deception.