Social guidance film

Social guidance films constitute a genre of propaganda films attempting to influence children and adults to behave in certain ways. Social guidance films, particularly popular in the mid-20th century, were designed to address various social issues and promote positive behavior among audiences, especially young people. Often produced by government agencies or educational institutions, these films tackled topics such as peer pressure, substance abuse, and moral decision-making, using relatable narratives and characters to convey their messages. produced by the U.S. government as "attitude-building films" during World War II,[1] the genre grew to be a common source of indoctrination in elementary and high school classrooms in the United States from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. [2]The films covered topics including courtesy, grammar, social etiquette and dating, personal hygiene and grooming, health and fitness, civic and moral responsibility, sexuality, child safety, national loyalty, racial and social prejudice, juvenile delinquency, drug use, and driver safety; the genre also includes films for adults, covering topics such as marriage, business etiquette, general safety, home economics, career counseling and how to balance budgets.[2] A subset is known as hygiene films addressing mental hygiene and sexual hygiene.[3]

  1. ^ Cripps, Thomas (1993). Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era. USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 161. ISBN 0195076699.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Ken (1999). Mental Hygiene: Classroom Films 1945 - 1970. New York City: Blast Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-922233-21-7.
  3. ^ "'Mental Hygiene': The Dos and Don'ts of the Doo-Wop Age".