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The Words That Built America

Name: The Words That Built America
Director: Alexandra Pelosi
Released: 2017
Duration: 49 min

Representation Score

5.3/10

Fair

2017

TV-G

Director

Alexandra Pelosi

Runtime

49 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film serves as a rhetorical survey of American foundational documents, prioritizing the preservation of historical narratives over the deconstruction of systemic power dynamics. It succeeds in diversifying the voices that interpret history through a broad casting of commentators from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. However, the documentary remains conservative in its thematic architecture. It upholds established Western institutions and traditionalist values rather than challenging traditional hierarchies or promoting moral relativism. Ultimately, the work is inclusive in its selection of speakers but limited by its focus on the linguistic tools that have historically upheld the American social contract.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Words That Built America have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The documentary does not include any visible LGBTQ+ narratives or characters. It focuses solely on historical political rhetoric and features public figures reciting these texts.

How does The Words That Built America portray gender?

Fair

The film includes a female director and several women in intellectual authority roles providing commentary. However, it does not actively seek to break down the patriarchal structures inherent in the historical documents.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Words That Built America?

Good

The film achieves meaningful representation by casting commentators from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. This breaks the monolithic, Anglo-Saxon perspective on American history.

How does The Words That Built America represent religion and culture?

Limited

The narrative celebrates Western democratic institutions and traditionalist values. It emphasizes the importance of the historical status quo rather than offering a critique against institutions.

Does The Words That Built America include disability representation?

Limited

There is no significant or intentional focus on disability representation. The film does not feature individuals with disabilities as central drivers of the narrative.

Present on Screen

Meaningful racial and ethnic diversity through a wide array of commentators.
Disrupts monolithic perspectives by including diverse voices to interpret national identity.
Features women in positions of intellectual authority and a female directorial perspective.

Limited or Absent

Lacks visible LGBTQ+ narratives or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth gender identities.
Does not actively deconstruct patriarchal structures found in historical texts.
Provides no significant or intentional focus on disability representation.

Official Synopsis

In recognition of the 4th of July, several celebrities and politicians of differing ideologies join to read the historic documents which laid the foundation for the United States of America.

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