| The Monroe Doctrine | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Thomas Edison |
| Starring |
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Release date |
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| Country | United States |
The Monroe Doctrine, also known asThe Venezuela Case,[1]:52 is an 1896 American propaganda film. It features an allegorical fight over national determinism between theBritish Empire, theUnited States andVenezuela. As of 2021, the film is consideredlost.[2]
John Bull arrives at a shoreline that represents Venezuela and starts attacking it with guns, overwhelming the country.[3]:27Uncle Sam arrives from the back of the image and grabs Bull by the neck. Defeating and making an example of him, Sam forces Bull to his knees and has him remove his hat for Venezuela.[4]:viii Sam has stood up for the principles of theMonroe Doctrine.[3]:27[4]
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The film was made by the Edison company as a release film for theirVitascope in 1896.[4]:viii It depicteda political dispute that stemmed from a longstanding disagreement over land sovereignty betweenBritish Guiana and Venezuela. Miners from Venezuela had begun exploiting the disputed land, and the British warned them off with threats of armed intervention. The United States, in its assumed role as the protector of Latin America from European political forces, mediated to prevent a conflict.[1]:52
Film historianCharles Musser wrote that the film was "doubtlessly inspired by a political cartoon" depicting the same conflict published earlier in the year.[1]:52 It was made in April 1896[3]:26 and premiered at the release of the Vitascope atKoster and Bial's Music Hall inNew York City on April 23, 1896; according to theNew York Herald the audience were "delighted" by the film and the American dominance shown.[4]:viii[5]:116 The film selection for the premiere had been curated by Raff & Gammon,[3]:26 and it was the first commercially successful film screening in the United States.[6][2]
In July of the same year, it became the first picture to be shown in Venezuela, where the people ofMaracaibo were reportedly "moved" that a film representing their country was made.[7]:43-44
The Monroe Doctrine is described by Musser as a "comic allegory" that was "overtly political".[4]:viii This has been noted particularly in its first context, occupying the fifth spot in the running order at the Vitascope's premiere; it came afterWalton & Slavin, a burlesque boxing match between allegorical Uncle Sam and John Bull figures, andBand Drill (a section ofMilk White Flag),[4]:viii in which American soldiers march off to war.[3]:27 Musser also compared it to the second film shown that night,Sea Waves at Dover, which shows detail of the waves atDover in England battering the shore, reflecting the allegorical imagery used in this film.[3]:27 The choice of patriotic narrative in the films may have been selected to itself allegorically fight an expected influx of devices similar to the Vitasope from European projection manufacturers,[3]:27[4]:viii or to warn the French film companies away from expanding their market into the Americas.[1]:52 Media historiansJames Chapman andNicholas J. Cull refer to it as "probably the first propaganda film".[8]:1