To see the difference in movies today and (the better) movies of the 50's, compare the Reiner/Cruise/Moore/Nicholson movie "A Few Good Men" with the Dmytryk directed movie of 1954, "The Caine Mutiny," starring Humphrey Bogart. In the first, Tom Cruise thunders "I want the TRUTH!" as he reduces Jack Nicholson's character to a greasy spot on the floor. Nicholson is dragged out, disgraced and embittered, and Cruise tells him, "I'm not your son. I'm an officer in the United States Navy, and you're under arrest you [s.o.b.]!" Cruise is on a moral mission throughout; and his dilemma is in becoming a great trial lawyer like his father. The real victim, the dead Private Santiago, is a mere stepping stone to Cruise's noble career advancement. The acquitted (but discharged) defendants salute Cruise as they leave the courtroom. It is Cruise who emerges as the hero. A tragic hero, as all he really wanted to do was work out plea bargains and get back to the softball field. In The Caine Mutiny, the lawyers, played by Jose Ferrer and the underrated E.G. Marshall, quietly and methodically take the witnesses apart, with no ridiculous displays of emotion. Here is E.G. taking apart the defendant, Steve Maryk, who believe the captain mentally ill, on trial for mutiny: Just a few questions. Were your grades in high school average? - Lower than average. - And in college? [unclear] Are you trained in psychiatry? - No. Where did you get the idea that Queeg was mentally ill? - Out of books ... I can't remember the titles. Define schizophrenia. - I can't. What's a manic-depressive? - I don't know. What's the difference between "paranoid" and "paranoia"? In truth, you don't know anything about mental illness. - I didn't say I did. You knew enough to commit mutiny. [Ooooh, tha't's a lick.] Whereas Tom Cruise rides off heroically into the sunset, Jose Ferrer, who wins his case too, shows up drunk at the celebration party and throws his drink into Fred McMurray's face. It spoils the party, but everyone knows Ferrer is right to feel badly about having humiliated Captain Queeg in the courtroom. Braveheart does the same annoying thing. I demand change!
I don't quite understand what you're driving at since movies have always been "preachy". I'm sure you are familiar with the Disney movies all of which had some message about what some may deem 'morality'. For example, during the Great Depression he came up with his movie "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". While people were suffering from deep poverty created by the Republicans, his movie said that you should never fret about low wages and long hours and just move along singing, hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go ... If this was not consolation enough, you should just, Gotta smile while you're hurting And whistle while you work it Whistle while you work it Gotta smile while you're hurting Just whistle while you work la la la la la la ..... Years later, if you live in deep poverty then just, Look for the bare necessities The simple bare necessities Forget about your worries and your strife I mean the bare necessities Old Mother Nature's recipes That brings the bare necessities of life Disney is preaching that one should accept poverty and misery while he enjoyed making millions from government subsidies and receipts from movie goers. You have to wonder, what kind of moralism is that??? I can give you dozens of other examples which were similar. Hollywood has always and will always be preachy. Nothing new under the sun.
Most of the predecessors to movies (novels and plays) were also preachy. It's human nature to be preachy (for some of us), and that is reflected in our communications. That said, I don't think Disney was being preachy for any other reason than that it sells. During the Depression, people wanted that kind of thing.
When we want to see a good movie we break out "Lonesome Dove." I suppose Hollybrood might get still some money out of that, but not much.
correction if you please: only the manufacturers who paid people starvation wages did so as it significantly reduced union activism and other forms of anti-capitalist social discord