Action Movie in Election Day: Eraser (1996), Arnold Chwarzenegger and Other Politics Medias

Abstract

This article aims to explore methodological frontiers between movie theory and political ommunication studies. When identifying traces of how politics, art and entertainment interact, it is possible to understand how movie celebrities can act as politicians, and vice versa. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a world famous actor who has twice won the Californian gubernatorial election. The principal purpose of this article is not to discuss political spectacle or analyse Schwarzenegger’s approach to government. The idea is to understand how a film in which Schwarzenegger starred over a decade ago (Eraser, 1996) has influenced his campaign image construction. The article’s methodological basis is a collective text by the Editors of Cahiers du Cinéma, based on John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). Its methodology allows us to observe important characteristics of Schwarzenegger’s role in the Eraser movie, which are then compared to the 2002 election scenario.