Farris - W

In the movie W, George W. Bush, as played by actor Josh Brolin, is portrayed as a very simple minded man whose only goal in life is to impress his father. The scene in the movie that seems to sum up his entire character is the scene in which Bush Jr. is being initiated into the Delta Kappa fraternity. The lead frat member who is organizing the hazing activities asks the initiates to name members already in the fraternity, and Bush Jr. is the only one who knows their names, as well as their nicknames. It is then revealed that his father was once an “Delta Kappster” himself, making Bush Jr. a legacy and all the more desirable. This really sets the stage for the entire movie, showing that Bush Jr. cannot get anywhere in life without the assistance of his father’s connections. Bush Sr. has to bail his son out of jail, as well as pull strings to get him into college, proving that Bush Jr. is helpless and weak. This idea of helplessness is further emphasized throughout the movie. Bush Jr. cannot seem to make any political decisions for himself, and allows himself to be influenced heavily by Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. The entire movie basically revolves around Bush Jr. trying to earn the approval of his father and prove to be a better president than he was, which he fails at when the invasion of Iraq, which his entire presidency revolved around, turned up empty handed.

As far as mise-en-scene goes, the entire fraternity initiation scene takes place in almost darkness. This darkness represents the evil and corruptness of the members of the fraternity, who admit in the scene that their families rule the world because of money and connections.