Blog #2

I believe the title of Wag the Dog is a very original and effective one. Not only is it visually interesting and makes a person want to see what the movie is about, but unlike many movie titles that simply use one word that describes the film, this one gives the viewer something to think about.

The expression means that something less powerful is controlling something that is more powerful, that should, and normally does, have control. This relates to the film because in the movie, the media is controlling the government and CIA; two things that should always have control over the media.

As part of the expression, the characters that are in control are portrayed as very smart people. In one scene, De Niro’s character completely discredits a senior CIA agent by outsmarting him and turning everything he says against him. The media was in complete control of the outcome of the presidential election in the film. This is clear because every time that the producer and spin doctor stop faking information, the president loses favourability. All it took to change the minds of people from turning against the president was the spin doctor talking about a B3 bomber that he made up in a matter of seconds. The biggest example however remains the fact that these few people created a fake war that millions of people believed and the government couldn’t do anything about it. These reasons are why this film is the perfect example of the expression.