A Study of Promotion of Paganism in Superhero Movies through Stereotype Making of Colors (With an Emphasis on Batman Series of 1989-2012)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Art Research Department, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Sistan and Baluchestan University

2 Master's degree in Art Research, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Sistan and Baluchestan University, Zahedan, Iran

Abstract

 
The Hollywood has always represented the western philosophy and thought and has endeavored to promote their materialistic approaches through paganism. To this purpose, one of the best Hollywood tools is the production of superhero movies because the popularity of these types of movies facilitates the delivery of the message to the audience.
Color stereotyping is one of the main methods used to this end. Focusing on the appearance of Hollywood superheroes, we find out that most of these characters wear red, blue and yellow clothes. These superheroes claim to defend the human rights and social freedom and are ready to wipe the earth of sins and corruption through any violent action. They stand against those enemies with religious thoughts who are displayed wearing green, brown and purple colors. This way of stereotyping colors can facilitate the process of transferring messages and the audience mind may relate these colors with what they see in reality and thus, the Hollywood studio owners achieve the aimed results. In fact, watching these clichés and checking in into their subconscious minds, the audience come to this prejudgment that anyone wearing green clothes is enemy while those in red are the saviors.
This research conducted aiming to shed light on the atmosphere for cinema activists, will first cover paganism and the history of superheroes through a descriptive method followed by analyzing the process of color stereotype making by Hollywood superhero movies and the way in which characterization, dialogue and script is trying to demonstrate its anti-religious, superheroes as protectors of human rights, and the enemies of this western superheroes as some extremists whom, with their religious beliefs and for the sake of God, are ready to do anything against humans.
 
 

Keywords


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