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
Year Film 1940 The Grapes of Wrath 1946 It's a Wonderful Life 1954 On the Waterfront 1954 Salt of the Earth 1955 Bad Day at Black Rock 1955 Blackboard Jungle 1956 Tea and Sympathy 1957 Paths of Glory 1958 I Want to Live! 1959 On the Beach 1960 Psycho 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 The Connection 1962 The Manchurian Candidate 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 The Intruder 1963 A Child Is Waiting 1964 Fail Safe 1964 Seconds 1967 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 1967 In the Heat of the Night 1971 Billy Jack 1978 The Deer Hunter 1982 Gandhi 1982 White Dog 1985 The Color Purple 1988 Stand and Deliver 1989 Born on the Fourth of July 1989 Do the Right Thing 1993 Philadelphia 1993 Schindler's List 1997 Amistad 1998 American History X 1999 American Beauty 1999 The Cider House Rules 1999 Music of the Heart 2000 Erin Brockovich 2000 Pay It Forward 2000 Remember the Titans 2001 The Devil's Backbone 2001 I Am Sam 2003 House of Sand and Fog 2004 The Sea Inside 2004 Crash 2004 Woman Thou Art Loosed 2005 American Gun 2006 Akeelah and the Bee 2006 Babel 2006 Blood Diamond 2006 Coach Carter 2008 Wall-E 2009 Avatar 2011 Courageous 2011 God Bless America 2015 Where to Invade Next 2017 Get Out 2018 The Hate U Give 2019 Us 2021 Don't Look Up 2022 Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022 Barbarian 2022 Smile 2022 X 2022 Pearl 2023 M3GAN 2023 Barbie 2023 Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 2023 Oppenheimer 2023 The Zone of Interest
Sources Top 10 Classic Films With a Social Message - ThoughtCo.
Notable directors Spike Lee Stanley Kramer Tom Laughlin Elia Kazan Oliver Stone Abel Gance Norman Jewison Frank Capra Richard Attenborough Edward Dmytryk Jordan Peele
See also After-school special Christian film Just-world hypothesis Melodrama Oscar bait Public service announcement Social guidance film Social issues Social parasitism (offense) Social problem film Social thriller Very special episode Virtue signaling
References
Sources