Media Relations in "Enemy at the Gates"

Lera 2022-01-26 08:09:35

Looking at "Enemy at the Gates", I have a little feeling about the media issues in it. The specific and abstract referential relationships are as follows: Daninov represents the media, Vasily represents the object of the media, and Khrushchev represents the control of the media. The official will of the warriors represents the audience.
1. The relationship between the object and the media: The object is eager to be mediated, and the media is eager to succeed with the help of the object. Before being mediated, Vasily wanted to be a public figure. This is a general human characteristic, as can be seen from his first report. At the same time, Daninov also hoped to succeed by publishing a specific case like Vasily. , so he has to keep an eye on Vasily.
2. The relationship between the object and the media: The front is a positive relationship, and there is also a negative relationship, that is, the media's too much attention to the object will lead to the contradiction between the object and the media. After being mediated, Valisi is no longer a personal person. As a hero, what he does is crucial to affect every audience, such as Shasha. From the initial joy to the later anger, this also brought a lot of pressure to Vasily, making him want to get rid of Daninov and want to be a simple person. When a conflict arises, the object is bound to be in a disadvantaged position, and the media can either establish a hero or overthrow him, such as Daninov sued Vasily to his superiors.
3. The relationship between the media and the official: the media wants to please the official, and the official uses the media to control the audience. When Khrushchev first arrived in Stalingrad, he was furious with the officers and eagerly wanted to know how to boost morale. Daninov's way of setting an example and giving hope to the soldiers was affirmed by him.
4. The relationship between the object and the official: If the media is the tool or form of the official control of the audience, then the correspondence is the content of the official control of the audience. For Khrushchev, Vasily must kill Major Konig as soon as possible, otherwise morale will be affected, so there is a scene where he speaks harshly to Danilov when he drinks.
Finally, the audience is in an embarrassing position, and it is difficult for them to have the right to choose. What news they can get is the result of joint filtering by the official and the media, or the media often “magnify” an event without limit ( blow-up by Michelangelo Antonioni in 1966). They are often in a state of being deceived, and blindly follow the media and the heroes they create, which leads to tragedies, such as Sasha's worship of Vasily, Daninov's use of Sasha...

View more about Enemy at the Gates reviews

Extended Reading

Enemy at the Gates quotes

  • Vassili Zaitsev: On this day, September 20th 1942, a young shepherd boy from the Urals arrived in the city of Stalingrad on the banks of the Volga. His name is Vassilij Zaitzev. Like thousands before him he came to answer comrade Stalin's call. Armed only with a rifle, he quickly made the fascist invader realise that from now on he would be punished for every step he took in the motherland, that from here on the only way was back.

  • Vassili Zaitsev: Shouldn't we try and make the point that I'm not the only one fighting?

    Commisar Danilov: That's an excellent idea. We can take it even further though. Your battle for the production of coal is as worthy as mine. There's no 'k' in coal. Just one 'l'. Tell me if I'm going too fast.

    Vassili Zaitsev: No, you're not going too fast. Is there any other improvements?

    Mother Filipov: Why don't you get some rest? These letters can wait until tomorrow.

    Vassili Zaitsev: We should carry on. We're not tired. Thank you, Mrs. Filipov. These people took the trouble to write to us. Tomorrow we might not be around to write back.