Watergate for America, boom time for Hollywood

Robert Zemeckis struck a hopeful note on the upcoming Trump years. “It's going to be great. For years to come there will be fantastic movies with characters and stories set in this decade. It'll be wild,” he said. And the "Allied" director was talking about the 1970s.

Critics and fans believed that the 1970s were the second Golden Age of American Cinema. It coincided with the tumultuous events that changed the course of American history. The Vietnam War, Watergate, the after-effects of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Hollywood may be accused of superficiality, but producers won't shy away from meaty issue-oriented stories. "Apocalypse Now", which reminded some moviegoers of "Heart of Darkness", was set in Vietnam in 1969. "The Candidate", a comedy-drama, could be a loose version of the events that transpired during the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination. And "All the President's Men" was another motion picture about the Watergate scandal.

This was a far cry from the first Golden Age (of American Cinema), which took place in 1939. Some movie fans would be reminded of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", a David-versus-Goliath tale on corruption in Washington, D. C. Frank Capra made his audience believed that there was a Jefferson Smith out there, and he may not be the only one in the political wilderness. The director might be disillusioned (to helm another movie) after the election. Barack Obama will step down two months from now, but the effects of the Trump victory would leave Americans wondering about the immediate future. What can a Hollywood screenwriter think about?

Alexander Payne (or another filmmaker from the Midwest) will pen a satire on what might be the biggest blunder by American voters. Christopher Buckley penning another book that confirms the rightist values of America's bigwigs. (And Jason Reitman will adapt it to the big screen.) Michael Moore coming up with another explosive documentary, but viewers are already jaded with his views.

Fear is winning

“All the philosophers, thinkers and writers, who question themselves and the world, and who have the freedom of speech and freedom to express themselves, have to do it - for the ones who cannot."

- Marion Cotillard

Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands are the next ones in line, where Donald Trump's win can influence the outcome of their respective polls next year. If the far right wins the election, then the migrants could be thinking of relocating to another place. Going back to their homeland can be an option. The East-versus-West will be more pronounced before, which won't be good new to the Middle East. And the world may witness the end of the European Union.

Unlike their counterparts on the other side, artists on this side will likely put up a fight. As far as popular culture is concerned, there have been many works that tackle this theme. (Danzig, the hometown of Günter Grass, might come to mind to some readers.) Michael Haneke explored the origins of anti-Semitism in a sleepy German town during the turn of the 20th century, which started some viewers. Could such things happen without a notice? It would be possible. Trump is speaking in a conciliatory tone at a moment while the far-right figures in Europe are hoping that lightning will strike again. No one will complain of boredom.