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Wilson

Name: Wilson
Director: Henry King
Released: 1944
Duration: 154 min

Representation Score

0.3/10

Minimal

1944

Director

Henry King

Runtime

154 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Wilson is a typical historical biopic that upholds Western political traditions. By focusing on a high-status male figure, the film reinforces existing social and power structures. The narrative emphasizes the stability of the family unit and the state. It adheres to traditional mid-20th-century values without challenging them. Overall, the film provides a cohesive, institutionalized account of American leadership that maintains conventional expectations of authority and identity.

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Category Breakdown

Does Wilson have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on the traditional political life of Woodrow Wilson and does not include any non-cisgender identities or critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Wilson portray gender?

Limited

The film reinforces traditional gender roles. While Ellen Wilson is central to the emotional storyline, she is confined to supportive and domestic roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Wilson?

Minimal

The cast is predominantly white and Anglo-Saxon, focusing on the political and academic elite. The depiction of World War I lacks representation of non-white individuals.

How does Wilson represent religion and culture?

Minimal

The film upholds traditional American values of patriotism and moral conviction. It supports Western institutions without challenging capitalism or Western dominance.

Does Wilson include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no representation of physical, sensory, or neurodivergent disabilities within the main character arcs.

Present on Screen

Offers a comprehensive, traditional historical account of Woodrow Wilson's political rise and presidency.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of non-white ability to act or diverse ethnic perspectives in the global narrative.
Reinforces rigid gender hierarchies by limiting female characters to supportive and domestic roles.
Does not include any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or neurodivergent and physical disabilities.
Maintains a Western-centric perspective that does not critique established political or cultural dominance.

Official Synopsis

The political career of Woodrow Wilson is chronicled, beginning with his decision to leave his post at Princeton to run for Governor of New Jersey, and his subsequent ascent to the Presidency of the United States. During his terms in office, Wilson must deal with the death of his first wife, the onslaught of German hostilities leading to American involvement in the Great War, and his own country's reticence to join the League of Nations. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 2006.

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