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The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
ideology in the society get stronger with the ideology reflected in cinema (Guchan, 1993:64-
65).
Therefore, films are analyzed ideologically and cinema is assessed as a system of
narration which fulfills the functions of spreading dominant ideology and sustaining itself as a
branch of industrial application working under ideological determinations. Ideological
criticism and films are approached from a broad perspective and the films are regarded as
field of cultural practice and as a means of interpretation and motivation with aesthetic, socio
economic, historical dimensions. This study is a discourse analysis study which was
undertaken to display how different perspectives and ideologies were cinematically mounted
in the films Rhapsody in August and Pearl Harbor. Thus, the study aims to reveal the
differences in the reflection of the same historical event on the curtains in the cinemas of the
two different countries. However, before that definitions and explanations about theoretical
approaches and ideological nature of cinema were given place.
2.Theoretical Approaches toward Ideology
In its broadest sense, ideology shapes subjects starting from the bases of own their
experiences and is an organizational social power which equips them with specific social
value and beliefs (Eagleton, 2005:307). Ideology is a very controversial issue and there are
many approaches to it. According to De Tracy, it is the science of accurate thinking, to
Napoleon, it is weird ideas of some eccentric man, according to Marx it is wrong conscious,
according to Lenin it is the world view of a class, according to Gramsci it is the plaster which
keeps community together, and according to Althusser it is a material practice. New
definitions every philosopher makes bring about new dimensions in ideology.
The concept ideology was first used by Antonie Destutt De Tracy. De Tracy used the
concept ideology to mean science of idea to be used to provide everybody with opportunities
to think correctly and it became one of the most efficient means to justify French revolution.
With French revolution, when Napoleon who had close ties with ideologists came to power
supported ideologists considering that the dissemination of science of idea will correct wrong
ideas of people (Mardin,1982: 22 23).
Marx’s approach to ideology, who is the founder of scientific sociology, is related
with confusion and mystification. Ideology which was later called as “false consciousness” by
Engels handles a false world view. Marx used the concept of ideology as a critical concept to
put off the systematic mystification process because when mystery is resolved it loses its
effect. Marx identifies ideology with class system. Marx believes that distortion in ideology
stems from the fact that this concept reflects the interests and views of the ruling class. Ruling
class is reluctant to regard itself as repressive and is concerned to convince the ones whom
they suppress. That is, class system is upside down. Marx expresses this as camera obsucura
that is upside down picture in human eye or in the lenses of camera. Thirdly, according to
Marx ideology is a manifestation of power and completely composes dominant ideas of the
era and ideology is provisional, it only survives as the class system which gives birth to it
survives (Heywood,2007).
Althusser (2008) explains ideology as a system which provides the existence of
individuals in society and it is relation between individual and the world. Besides, it is also
possible to establish a connection between reality reflected in ideology and objective reality.
Althusser defines ideology as a design of real existence conditions of individuals and the
virtual relations between them. According to Althusser, ideological device of state (religious,
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