Roland Emmerich's The Patriot (2000) contains many inaccuracies but appeals to the way patriotic American would like such a history to be depicted. In The Patriot, British Colonel Tavington commands his army to lock innocent townspeople into a church and then proceeds to set fire to the church. This scene dehumanizes the British soldiers by exaggerating the atrocities performed by them, indirectly justifying the violent war scenes that will follow. The film has shaped many American moviegoers' views of the Revolutionary War, encouraging them to accept as truth this and other inaccurate scenes.

In the same way that the media manipulates society's perception of past events, society can also be convinced by the media's erroneous portrayals of current events. Hal Ashby's Being There (1979) offers an extended commentary on both modern society's trust of the media and our tendency to quickly pass judgment on others. Society's blind reliance on the media and the power of stereotypes to shape social opinion inspired Jerzy Kosinski to pen the script for both this film and the novel which inspired it.

Jerzy Kosinski selects a mentally handicapped character, Chauncey Gardiner, to criticize society's tendency towards quick and easy judgments. Filmmakers have tended to use disabled characters in one of the five ways outlined by Patricia Puccinelli in Yardsticks (1995). According to Puccinelli, Chauncey would be both a "catalyst, used to bring about events" and a "window pane, used to provide a clear, unprejudiced point of view" (11). Chauncey's role as a catalyst can be seen as his seemingly innocuous presence in the Rand household brings about the events of the film. For example, his ignorance concerning life outside the house in which he was raised result in his being hit by the Rands' car soon after he first steps beyond the gardens he has long tended. This accident catalyzes a series of events that push him into the public eye, allowing Kosinski to more easily critique that public's faults. Rather than exploring Chauncey's character in full, Kosinski uses Chauncey to interrogate popular stereotypes. The non-reflective Chauncey also serves as a "window pane." one through which we encounter society's many problems and are allowed the freedom to make our own decisions about the media and stereotypes, without the influence of an overbearing narrator.

The film The Green Mile (1999), directed by Frank Darabont and based on the novel by Stephen King, takes the opposite approach. In Being There, Chauncey's inability facilitates the filmmaker's critique of society. The Green Mile, by contrast, uses the abilities of a handicapped character to critique the masses. The main character of the film, John Coffey, a tall, physically fit, intellectually disabled African-American with no known background, receives the sentence of capital punishment. This death sentence stems from a false accusation involving the rape and murder of two young girls. During his time on death row, the cognitively disabled Coffey forms relationships with other inmates and the guards, imparting unexpected wisdom to them. He also performs miracles, such as resurrecting a mouse and curing the warden's wife of brain cancer, but seems unaware of why he has these abilities. Coffey can be classified both as what Puccinelli calls a "yardstick, a measure of other characters", and what she classifies as a "wise fool, a speaker of truths" (11). As a wise fool, Coffey speaks truth about a sinful world. As a yardstick, he serves as a high standard for measuring the relative morality and compassion of the other characters. Coffey's roles as a yardstick and a wise fool serve to illustrate the suffering caused by an immoral social order.

In Being There, the media presents Chauncey as an expert economist and politician on national television. Despite its inaccuracy, this image that the media constructs goes unquestioned by society. The President's use of Chauncey's words in a televised public address launches Chauncey into the eyes of the media. Television audiences accept what the President says on television as truth, neglecting to question Chauncey's expertise. When Chauncey appears on the Gary Burns show, he repeats the very same ideas voiced during his encounter with the President. While Chauncey simply reiterates the basic logic behind the gardening tasks to which he was raised, the audience takes his words to speak metaphorically to the current political and economic climate. The audience does this because of the media's ironic portrayal of Chauncey as an intellectual who can offer needed insight during a time of trouble.

The media's incorrect depiction of Chauncey in the newspapers goes unquestioned by its readers. Scenes show members of a news staff searching for Chauncey's background information, but, though unsuccessful, they decide not to miss out on the opportunity to capitalize on this new celebrity. Chauncey appears on the front page of a prominent newspaper with his famous words quoted by the President. Though the media offers no explanation of Chauncey's past and the article lacks details concerning his qualifications, the audience readily accepts his status as an authority figure.

The media's inaccurate representation of Chauncey extends even into literature. Chauncey appears as a philosopher because of the images presented by the newspapers and on television, resulting in publishers offering thousands of dollars for Chauncey to write a book. This offer provides dramatic irony as the media's image of Chauncey assumes a mental skill he does not possess. The media's highly inaccurate depiction of Chauncey's abilities lacks supporting evidence, yet is accepted at face value.

The film also attacks the human tendency to stereotype, as Chauncey's appearance and attitude cause characters to incorrectly classify him as a witty businessman. Chauncey's garments, supplied to him by his late wealthy employer, deceive other characters into perceiving Chauncey as a rich businessman. The combination of these garments with Chauncey's obliging attitude results in the millionaire, economist, and confidant of the President, Benjamin Rand, mistaking Chauncy as a man of intelligence and business expertise. Chauncey does nothing to combat this judgment, responding to all questions politely and without knowledge of the possible implications of his words. Chauncey's acceptance by such a prominent man contributes to his social success with other characters. The President, for example, greatly trusts and values the advice Rand offers. This trust, along with Chauncey's surprising composure while meeting the President, convince the President of Chauncey's astuteness. Upon meeting the President, most people would exhibit nervousness, but Chauncey does not appear nervous to meet such a powerful figure. As a mentally disabled individual, Chauncey lacks the understanding and social skills to perceive the accepted social behavior that a meeting with the President entails. Chauncey oversteps social boundaries by shaking the President's hand with both of his hands in a familiar way, and then calling him by his first name. Chauncey's calm and collected demeanor convince the President that Chauncey has enough power and wisdom to feel at ease in this situation. As humans, we pass judgment on others with only passing knowledge of their appearance, temperament, and connections to others. Although Chauncey has little knowledge because of his mental disability, he has the appropriate appearance, attitudes, and connections to earn others' favorable judgment. Presumably, an attentive audience will recognize the stereotypes given to Chauncey as inaccurate, and reconsider the stereotypes they themselves are apt to make.

Works Cited

Being There. Screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski. Dir. Hal Ashley. Perf. Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden. 1979. DVD. Warner Home Video, 2001.

Owens, Mackubin. "History and the Movies: The Patriot and Glory." Ashbrook Center. Jul 2000. 9 Dec 2006 http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/oped/owens/00/patriot.html

Puccinelli, Patricia. Yardsticks. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 1995.

The Green Mile. Dir. Frank Darabont. Perf. Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan. 1999. DVD. Warner Home Video, 2000.