Message picture

A message picture (or message movie) is a motion picture which, in addition to or instead of being for entertainment purposes, intends to communicate a certain message or ideal about society.

Characteristics

Message pictures usually present the message that they want to deliver in the form of a morality play, and are typically serious (often somber) works. However, not all message pictures are entirely serious and there are also films spoofing the genre, such as Sullivan's Travels.

History

Dore Schary was famous for his message pictures at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the late 1940s and early to mid-1950s. Among these were Tea and Sympathy, Bad Day at Black Rock, and Blackboard Jungle. Other famous message pictures by other parties include Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night (the former directed by Stanley Kramer, who was also well known for numerous message films).

In Indian cinema, B.R. Chopra was known for message pictures. Examples include Kanoon (against capital punishment), Naya Daur (importance of labour), Waqt (importance of time and destiny), Nikaah (against triple talaq (divorce) among Muslims), etc.

Examples

YearFilm
1940The Grapes of Wrath
1946It's a Wonderful Life
1954On the Waterfront
1954Salt of the Earth
1955Bad Day at Black Rock
1955Blackboard Jungle
1956Tea and Sympathy
1957Paths of Glory
1958I Want to Live!
1959On the Beach
1960Psycho
1961Judgment at Nuremberg
1961The Connection
1962The Manchurian Candidate
1962To Kill a Mockingbird
1962The Intruder
1963A Child Is Waiting
1964Fail Safe
1964Seconds
1967Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
1967In the Heat of the Night
1971Billy Jack
1978The Deer Hunter
1982Gandhi
1982White Dog
1985The Color Purple
1988Stand and Deliver
1989Born on the Fourth of July
1989Do the Right Thing
1993Philadelphia
1993Schindler's List
1997Amistad
1998American History X
1999American Beauty
1999The Cider House Rules
1999Music of the Heart
2000Erin Brockovich
2000Pay It Forward
2000Remember the Titans
2001The Devil's Backbone
2001I Am Sam
2003House of Sand and Fog
2004The Sea Inside
2004Crash
2004Woman Thou Art Loosed
2005American Gun
2006Akeelah and the Bee
2006Babel
2006Blood Diamond
2006Coach Carter
2008Wall-E
2009Avatar
2011Courageous
2011God Bless America
2015Where to Invade Next
2017Get Out
2018The Hate U Give
2019Us
2021Don't Look Up
2022Everything Everywhere All at Once
2022Barbarian
2022Smile
2022X
2022Pearl
2023M3GAN
2023Barbie
2023Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
2023Oppenheimer
2023The Zone of Interest

Sources

Notable directors

See also

References

  1. ↑ Frost & Carr 2018, p. 3.
  2. ↑ "Sullivan's Travels". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  3. ↑ Smith, J.Y. (July 8, 1980). "Film Producer Dore Schary, 74, Dies". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  4. ↑ "In the Heat of the Night". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  5. ↑ Bergan, Ronald (2001-02-21). "Obituary: Stanley Kramer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. ↑ Bali, Karan (2015-04-22). "BR Chopra". upperstall.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ Kovalchik, Kara (December 17, 2013). "6 Things You Might Not Have Known About Billy Jack". Mental Floss. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  8. ↑ Long, Kelle (December 27, 2017). "Get Out's Cinematographer Reveals the Methods Behind Jordan Peele's Brilliant Madness". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  9. ↑ Adams, Sam (October 5, 2018). "The Hate U Give Is a Black Lives Matter Movie Designed for Anyone Willing to Listen". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  10. ↑ Randall, Melissa; Jiménez, Paula Rey; Jiménez, Melissa Randall and Paula Rey (2023-06-21). "The Everything, Everywhere, All at Once Meaning and Themes". NYFA. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  11. ↑ Shaw, Angel (February 28, 2024). "2023's Top Movie Data Proves That Barbie Happened A Just The Right Time". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  12. ↑ Frisch, Addison (2023-08-28). "POWERFUL MESSAGE BEHIND HIT MOVIE "BARBIE"". The Seminole Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  13. ↑ Roman, Julian (2023-06-29). "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Review: A Clever Girl Power Message with Vivid Animation". Movieweb. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  14. ↑ Krishnan, Gaurav (2023-03-03). "Why Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is More Relevant Than Ever". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  15. ↑ Weeks, Andrew (2023-07-27). "Oppenheimer: A masterful film with a haunting message". The Herald Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  16. ↑ Adams, Sam (December 15, 2023). "Why The Zone of Interest Is Filmed Like "Big Brother in a Nazi House"". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  17. ↑ Top 10 Classic Films With a Social Message - ThoughtCo.White, Deborah (2019-03-28). "Top 10 Classic Films With a Social Message". ThoughtCo. People Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  18. ↑ Cosme, Shante (May 12, 2012). "The 10 Most Heavy-Handed Message Movies". Complex. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  19. ↑ Dominguez, Andrew; Minchin, Amanda (2023-02-13). "10 Horror Movies That Deliver Important Messages About Society". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  20. 1 2 Brown, Aleisha (2023-04-23). "10 Best Socially Conscious Horror Movies of the 21st Century". Collider. Retrieved 2024-02-28.

Sources

Frost, Jennifer; Carr, Steven Alan (March 12, 2018). Teaching History with Message Movies. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN 978-1-4422-7839-4.