‘Have You Seen Any Good Films Lately?’ Geopolitics, International Relations and Film

This article explores the intersection between geopolitics, international relations and film. The first section examines how popular geopolitics and related areas of International Relations have engaged with film and Hollywood. Thereafter, it considers the interrelationship between Hollywood, the Bush administration and the post-9/11 era in an attempt to better understand some of the contours of the military-industrial-media-entertainment complex. At times of crisis, Hollywood has often been more than willing and able to produce and market films designed to ‘raise’ national morale and spirit. Finally, the article considers the challenge of researching audience reactions and the potential of a variety of sources, including interviews and online commentary to facilitate such discussions further.