The thesis aims to show how the film representations of Charles Manson - Helter Skelter, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Charlie Says - depict a crisis of authority. The 1960s were a period of social upheaval on American land, culminating in 1969 when a cult led by Charles Manson carried out two brutal murders known as the Tate-LaBianca murders. The work frames selected products of popular culture through the prism of the American counterculture, presenting the crisis of the then conventional instances of authority, the figure of the parent and the establishment, which it understands as the classic instances of authority, and suggesting that in the chaos brought about by social upheaval, people tend to turn to a new authority and the religiosity that comes with it. More specifically, it speaks of the rise of the charismatic model of authority, which emphasises the exploration of the meaning of charisma, while the religious essence refers to its holistic meaning for the Leader, his followers and the relationship between the two and, ultimately, the functioning of their community. Through different emphases and perspectives and, last but not least, the position or definition of the crimes in question, it critically evaluates the attitude of the Hollywood instance and suggests a re-examination of the social role of such films.
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