The movie “Argo” depicts the events of the Iran hostage crisis, in which the CIA and Hollywood worked together to save six Americans. Tony Mendez, a CIA agent, goes undercover in Iran to retrieve the diplomats who sought refuge with a Canadian family. The film “Argo” effectively portrays the strained relationship between the United States and Iran through the use of memory, reason, emotion, and faith.
Utilizing memories, the director depicted the tension between the United States and Iran in a film based on a true event from 1979. During this event, Iranian revolutionaries invaded the American embassy in Iran and took hostages. However, six Americans were able to escape to the Canadian Ambassador’s residence. The CIA was then responsible for extracting them from the country. To accomplish this, Tony Mendez, an ex-filtration expert, came up with a daring plan. He created a fake Canadian film project that would supposedly shoot in Iran and used it as a cover to smuggle out the Americans by pretending they were part of the production crew. With help from trusted Hollywood contacts, Mendez developed this deception and traveled to Iran posing as an associate producer. Time was running out though, as Iranian security forces were getting closer to discovering the truth. This caused doubts about whether everyone involved and those at the White House believed that this operation would be successful.
Ben Affleck intentionally chose to create this film based on a real-life memory. His intention is to inspire the audience, especially the younger generation, to have courage and be proud Americans. Affleck wants our generation to understand that taking risks can lead to success. In the movie, Tony Mendez took a great risk by bringing back six Americans from Iran against the advice of a CIA officer. Mendez firmly believes that if you take on a responsibility, you should do everything in your power to fulfill it. He understands that without taking risks, one cannot experience the rewards they may lead to. Through this movie, Affleck smartly shows us that sometimes, taking risks is necessary.
Affleck’s depiction of the tension between the U.S and Iran in his film is achieved through reasoning. Reason plays a significant role in highlighting the intensity of the hostage crisis faced by Americans during Carter’s presidency. The Iranians seized the American Embassy primarily because Shah sought medical treatment in America, leading them to suspect ulterior motives for America to take over Iran. Once control was taken and Americans were captured, their release was dependent on the return of Shah. This served as Tony Mendez’s motivation to devise a plan for rescuing six American diplomats. Affleck cleverly named his movie “Argo” after this plan, which involved creating a fake movie. By incorporating the true reason behind this incident, Affleck aims to educate future generations about this historical event and its connection to the Iranian Revolution.
In the movie, Ben Affleck depicted the tension between the United States and Iran during the Iran Hostage Crisis by evoking emotion and faith. The main focus was on the “6 American diplomats” who sought shelter at the Canadian Ambassador’s residence after escaping from the embassy. They were deeply disturbed by the Iranians’ anger and felt powerless until Tony appeared to save them. One of the diplomats, Mary, repeatedly expressed her fear, especially when they had to pretend to be filming a fictional movie while navigating through the bazaar. Affleck highlighted the notion that Americans are willing to do whatever it takes, even sacrificing their lives, for their country and people. Tony Mendez exemplifies this type of person who instills trust in others. Faith also plays a significant role in the film as it is what motivated these 6 Americans to have confidence in the Canadian Ambassador and stay with him. Similarly, if they did not have enough faith in Tony, he likely would not have succeeded in rescuing them. Moreover, the film underscores how Iranians lacked faith in America and believed that there was no connection between both nations.
In summary, Ben Affleck effectively addresses the tension between the U.S and Iran in 1979 in his role as director. He cleverly utilizes memory, reasoning, emotion, and faith to impart lessons about history, courage, and risk-taking to the general public, particularly the younger generation. While the movie focuses on the Iran Hostage Crisis, its primary purpose is to teach individuals the importance of not retreating from challenges.
