Most of the source material for films and TV shows is influenced by real life occurrences. However, the opposite is also true, where real life incidents are inspired by instances in movies and TV shows. It goes without saying, but media can be quite influential when it wants to be. Over the years, there have been quite a few incidents where movies have been the catalyst to inspire real life changes. Of course, some of these changes were more positive than others, but here are some popular instances where fiction has inspired changes in real life:
Titanic Inspired North Koreans to Defect
20th Century StudiosParamount Home EntertainmentParamount Pictures
Of all the things for the Titanic to inspire, a North Korean to defect is definitely quite surprising. Yeonmi Park, a well-known North Korean defector, revealed in an interview that she got her first taste of freedom when she watched Titanic. She claimed that she was surprised to see people who had existed hundreds of years before them, have more freedom and better technology than they did. It helped her realize that there was a chance at a better life outside her country. Possession of films like Titanic (and others from the States and South Korea) could lead to a death sentence if caught. Park revealed that watching the movie changed the way she saw the regime and the propaganda that’s being fed to North Koreans. It planted a seed in her head that eventually led to her defecting to China, along with her family. And it seems that Park wasn’t the only one, Jeong Kwang-il was also inspired by the film before she defected to South Korea, and now smuggles films into the North, in hopes of continuing the cycle.
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The Snake Pit Helped the Reformation of Psychiatric Hospitals
20th Century Studios
The Snake Pit is a 1948 American psychological drama film that is based on Mary Jane Ward’s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. The film follows a woman who finds herself in a mental asylum, but does not know how she got there. The title of the film gives the audience an inkling of what to expect from mental health institutions, but that still doesn’t take away from the horror that is unveiled as the story progresses. Charles Schlaifer became a promoter for the film and began advocating for a change in reforms to help improve conditions in mental health institutions. Schlaifer’s mental health advocacy group helped push for the 1963 Community Mental Health Act. The movie had such an impact that during a 1952 congressional hearing; The Snake Pit was referred to on multiple occasions.
The Thin Blue Line Helped A Falsely Accused Man Find Justice
Miramax
The Thin Blue Line is a 1988 filmed criminal investigation documentary by Errol Morris that investigated the case of Randall Dale Adams. Adams was sentenced to life in prison for killing a Dallas police officer, despite the fact that witnesses gave contradictory testimonies. Videographic evidence of witness perjury, along with the popularity of the film helped Adam gain a retrial and then eventually freedom. Sections of the film were submitted to the federal and state courts as evidence. It’s quite remarkable to think about how the film helped a wrongly-accused man finally attain justice. In 2001, the film was selected by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the US National Film Registry, as it was “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
Taxi Driver Inspired the Attempted Assassination Of Ronald Reagan
Columbia Pictures
Taxi Driver is a 1976 American psychological thriller that stars Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster. Back in 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot in the arm by a man named John Hinckley Jr., who became obsessed with Jodi Foster after watching the movie. He wanted to impress the actress by assassinating the President. He became so obsessed with the film, that he even started dressing and acting like De Niro’s character, Travis Bickle. Reagan managed to survive the attempt; however, his press secretary, James Brandy, sustained an injury that would take his life, 33 years later. The incident even had an impact on Foster, who stated that it made her more careful when selecting future roles. Hinckley was found not guilty due to insanity, and ended up spending three decades in a psychiatric institution, eventually being released in 2016.
Blackfish Stopped Orca Breeding Programs
Magnolia Pictures
Blackfish is a 2013 documentary by Gabriela Cowperthwaite that highlights the unethicality of orca captivity. The documentary created quite a ripple, sinking quite a few marine park companies. SeaWorld being one such marine park, which not only suffered a loss in attendance, but also in stocks. Southwest Airlines ended its partnership with SeaWorld after facing severe backlash. It eventually led to the passing of legislation that prevented companies from using or mistreating captive orcas. Another bill that the documentary inspired was the Orca Welfare and Safety Act, which banned orca captivity for entertainment purposes in California. In the end, SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program and discontinued using orcas for entertainment. The company tried to not give Blackfish credit for the change but ended up paying $65 million to investors for misleading them about the impact of the documentary.
The Birth of a Nation Brought on the Revival of The KKK
Epoch Producing Co.
D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation is regarded as a landmark in cinematic history, but that doesn’t change how horribly bigoted the film is. It’s received quite a lot of criticism for being racist. To make matters worse, Griffith’s film also brought about the revival of the Ku Klux Klan. William J. Simmons, the man responsible for the revival, drunkenly watched the film over and over and over again, thanks to the free pass he received from the theater manager. In addition, the film standardized many of the group’s hallmarks. The pointed headwear, white robes, and cross burnings were not methodized behaviors followed by the original group, but were adopted by Simmons and the other revivalists who watched Griffith’s film.
