The Films of Peter Weir

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Any film has the potential to be a largely significant medium among society. Films have the ability to entertain, while proposing new ideas, supporting some, and/or challenging others. Many films have had a major impact on society, and are extremely popular, but does this make them important? I would say that an important film is one that raises important issues, or questions important beliefs, or reminds the audience of what is, or is not, important to society.

Peter Weir is a popular director known for the Australian films Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli. He has since directed many more popular American films, three of which I believe are important for society to view. The Mosquito Coast (1986), Dead Poets Society (1989) and The Truman Show (1998), each address important factors of the human condition – the experience of living as a human and with other humans. The Mosquito Coast addresses the weakness humans can have when they gain power; Dead Poets Society shows the tragic circumstances of realism versus idealism, while the more recent The Truman Show presents a metaphoric representation of how society can be manipulated by our own creation – the media.

Allie Fox believes in living with only the very basic of needs. He is fed up with society and its dependence on materialism. So he takes his family to the Mosquito Coast, a tropical Latin American country in the Caribbean Sea, to start fresh and seemingly incorruptible life. As he becomes more and more powerful in the small civilisation he created, however, he begins to take advantage of the loyalty of his family and the film ends inevitably with his death.

The film The Mosquito Coast delivers an important message. Power corrupts. Allie Fox wanted to lead the simpl...

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...this is because film has become such an influential part of society, and we must accept this and use it to its advantages, rather than fight it. The message of The Truman Show could easily come across as “media equals bad”, however this is not the case. The film serves an eye-opener to society, and another reminder that we must think critically about what is presented to us. It draws parallels with our society and reminds us that if we do not stay vigilant, we may not be able to make our own decisions in life.

Film could be considered to be the most significant cultural text of the decade. Each of these three films directed by Peter Weir have significance and importance, as they almost force society to look itself in the mirror and get a shock. I encourage readers to watch these films, and think about the importance of their messages.

Works Cited

The Truman Show

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