Plan B Entertainment, Brad Pitt’s production company, is planning to remake the 1997 disaster movie Dante’s Peak. Pitt was deeply moved by his experiences working with victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and is passionate about disaster relief. He has asked you to lead his corporate responsibility team. Your task is as follows: First, evaluate the movie’s depiction of human and social responses to disaster: which responses are realistic and which are not? Second, determine whether or not the movie is socially responsible: what are potential positive or negative social effects of depicting disasters in this way? Finally, recommend ways that the remake could be more socially responsible than the original 1997 version. Cite 3 or more peer-reviewed academic books or articles (including material from the readings and lectures) to support your arguments.
To begin, you will need to watch the movie Dante's Peak. Take notes, while referring to the "disaster myths" discussed in this module's lecture and readings. You can watch a low-quality version of this movie for free on any number of video sharing websites. Alternatively, you may choose to rent it for about $3 on iTunes or Amazon.