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Do you have a favorite political movie? (Original Post) cynatnite Sep 2012 OP
Bob Roberts taterguy Sep 2012 #1
Same Here AnnieBW Sep 2012 #72
Likewise. It's almost completely unknown, SheilaT Sep 2012 #106
All The President's Men tridim Sep 2012 #2
I just got the dvd of All the President's Men. I have watched it once a decade. applegrove Sep 2012 #70
"The Candidate" ewagner Sep 2012 #3
I'd go with that one too. NCarolinawoman Sep 2012 #58
Yes...and... ewagner Sep 2012 #134
True railsback Sep 2012 #65
Three Days of the Condor montanacowboy Sep 2012 #4
Excellent choice! One of my favorite movies! n/t DearHeart Sep 2012 #128
Wag the Dog. nt rrneck Sep 2012 #5
Z flyingfysh Sep 2012 #6
I should add a comment to this flyingfysh Sep 2012 #28
This is a must see flick. longship Sep 2012 #129
Hell, yes. Z. Frank Cannon Sep 2012 #138
"Manchurian Candidate", original version. (nt) Paladin Sep 2012 #7
My favorite too. smirkymonkey Sep 2012 #82
+1 cyberswede Sep 2012 #107
Air Force One! Curtland1015 Sep 2012 #8
They shoulda cast Eastwood, then. Bucky Sep 2012 #40
The Ides of March, with George Clooney. nt Zorra Sep 2012 #9
I want to see that one! Whisp Sep 2012 #14
The American President eissa Sep 2012 #10
That's why you should watch "The West Wing". Aristus Sep 2012 #20
Yep, great show and movie. eqfan592 Sep 2012 #112
Great flick! cyberswede Sep 2012 #108
One of my favorite movies. Lugnut Sep 2012 #133
Dr. Strangelove Bozita Sep 2012 #11
My absolute all time favorite! etherealtruth Sep 2012 #19
#1 on my list as well. I could watch it once a week. n/t cherokeeprogressive Sep 2012 #44
Oh yah.Shoulda been my first thought. Stryder Sep 2012 #67
Mine too. DCBob Sep 2012 #83
I concur! cyberswede Sep 2012 #111
Reds. Starry Messenger Sep 2012 #12
Primary Colors Whisp Sep 2012 #13
To the politically-minded, everything is political Cirque du So-What Sep 2012 #15
Bulworth Initech Sep 2012 #16
bbbbahhbbaabbuh...OBSENITY? alphafemale Sep 2012 #59
Yeah! + 1 no_hypocrisy Sep 2012 #94
Game Change Siwsan Sep 2012 #17
Good Night and Good Luck... Spazito Sep 2012 #18
LOVED Good Night and Good luck! (nt) eqfan592 Sep 2012 #113
Bob Roberts. It just gets truer every year. nt Poll_Blind Sep 2012 #21
Election ibegurpard Sep 2012 #22
Advise nd Consent Mponti Sep 2012 #23
I just saw that Beringia Sep 2012 #39
Trivia about Advise and Consent Mponti Sep 2012 #110
Not to be picky, but that would be Advise and Consent. WillowTree Sep 2012 #118
I, Claudius Spider Jerusalem Sep 2012 #24
My wife and I love that series lame54 Sep 2012 #26
JFK lame54 Sep 2012 #25
Failsafe lpbk2713 Sep 2012 #27
This is a great one! nt cyberswede Sep 2012 #114
That was just on TV over Labor Day weekend. WillowTree Sep 2012 #119
And Walter Matthau as the smarmy hawk. longship Sep 2012 #124
2 old movies Gabriel over the whitehouse & the best man kimbutgar Sep 2012 #29
Gabriel over the White House is a fucking awesome movie. Bucky Sep 2012 #48
Primary Colors... Drunken Irishman Sep 2012 #30
People Thought It Would Be Perceived As Anti-Clinton But It Was A Birthday Gift From John Travolta DemocratSinceBirth Sep 2012 #47
7 Days in May oldhippydude Sep 2012 #31
Yes! El Supremo Sep 2012 #77
I agree! cyberswede Sep 2012 #116
This message was self-deleted by its author cyberswede Sep 2012 #120
Many of my favorites are already listed, so I'm adding HOUSE OF CARDS MrScorpio Sep 2012 #32
Oh yeah.. that rocks and it's on Netflix Streaming these days, gotta watch it again! Mayberry Machiavelli Sep 2012 #84
The Sand Pebbles. HooptieWagon Sep 2012 #33
+100 oneshooter Sep 2012 #97
One of mine is "The Year of Living Dangerously" Warpy Sep 2012 #34
2 great movies Mponti Sep 2012 #51
Executive Action bongbong Sep 2012 #35
State of the Union Lisa D Sep 2012 #36
Mine is also Mr.Smith goes to Washington..nt Stuart G Sep 2012 #37
Advise and Consent with Charles Laughton and Henry Fonda Beringia Sep 2012 #38
Primary Colors DemocratSinceBirth Sep 2012 #41
Nixon was pretty good. I also like Fidel and in the time of the butterflies. craigmatic Sep 2012 #42
Primary Colors tallahasseedem Sep 2012 #43
Chaplin's The Great Dictator aint_no_life_nowhere Sep 2012 #45
The Parallax View tufnel Sep 2012 #46
A few jp11 Sep 2012 #49
Inherit the Wind ananda Sep 2012 #50
And while I'm thinking of Spencer Tracy ... lpbk2713 Sep 2012 #55
Both are my favorite all time Spencer Tracy movies. n/t cynatnite Sep 2012 #74
On my "Must See" list. (nt) eqfan592 Sep 2012 #115
Until I read the play, I didn't realize Hornbeck Mac1949 Sep 2012 #130
house of cards i think it was called, a BBC political drama very clever loli phabay Sep 2012 #52
"Now you might very well think that, but of course I couldn't possibly comment." CBHagman Sep 2012 #105
lol well played yup thats it havent seen it in years but it stuck with me. loli phabay Sep 2012 #123
There are quite a few listed that I like. I'll add "The Cradle Will Rock" Luminous Animal Sep 2012 #53
In the Name of the Father (n/t) WorseBeforeBetter Sep 2012 #54
Network Bjorn Against Sep 2012 #56
Jensens spiel to Howard Beal say's it all !!! orpupilofnature57 Sep 2012 #79
Love that scene. Odin2005 Sep 2012 #96
You beat me to it, Bjorn Against spiderpig Sep 2012 #90
Dave and It's a Wonderful Life. MissMarple Sep 2012 #57
I love "It's A Wonderful Life", I don't care if it's sappy. smirkymonkey Sep 2012 #86
A Very British Coup hack89 Sep 2012 #60
3, corresponding to the three primary strands of my ties to the Dem Party abumbyanyothername Sep 2012 #61
Fiction: Bullworth. Documentary: Chisolm '72: Unbought & Unbossed eom TransitJohn Sep 2012 #62
"In the Time of Butterflies" EC Sep 2012 #63
A few JustAnotherGen Sep 2012 #64
"The Distinguished Gentleman"--spot on about the flim-flam side ProgressiveEconomist Sep 2012 #66
Primary Colors. And The American President. More of a romance, I guess. nt Honeycombe8 Sep 2012 #68
Burzynski Th1onein Sep 2012 #69
In a sense, ALL movies are political. Smarmie Doofus Sep 2012 #71
The Motorcycle Diaries limpyhobbler Sep 2012 #73
Very good one, strongly recommended. Mayberry Machiavelli Sep 2012 #85
Bulworth. Edweird Sep 2012 #75
"A Clockwork Orange" Comrade Grumpy Sep 2012 #76
" Victim of the modern age , poor poor girl " orpupilofnature57 Sep 2012 #78
In the Name of the Father a film which shows it can happen anywhere. Ghost of Tom Joad Sep 2012 #80
One Mother's Son is also another a good film about the IRA smirkymonkey Sep 2012 #88
Ah, I forgot about the Battle of Algiers. Waltz with Bashir... WorseBeforeBetter Sep 2012 #122
Well, I have a few... WeekendWarrior Sep 2012 #81
PINOCCIO! Well it's not a political movie, but it is a movie that reminds me of Romney. Auntie Bush Sep 2012 #87
Dave sadbear Sep 2012 #89
Teahouse of the August Moon BlueinOhio Sep 2012 #91
"Being There" with Peter Sellers mucifer Sep 2012 #92
Great movie til the final scene graham4anything Sep 2012 #104
The Contender n/t tammywammy Sep 2012 #93
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence notundecided Sep 2012 #95
Toss up between "Face in the Crowd" and "Meet John Doe"... Blue Belle Sep 2012 #98
"Sneakers" with Robert Redford oneshooter Sep 2012 #99
BLAZE with Paul Newman bottomofthehill Sep 2012 #100
Idiocracy. nt valerief Sep 2012 #101
12 Angry Men & Grapes of Wrath both starring Henry Fonda graham4anything Sep 2012 #102
Robin Hood. Firebrand Gary Sep 2012 #103
Deep Throat jberryhill Sep 2012 #109
Thirteen Days is probably my favorite. eqfan592 Sep 2012 #117
Thirteen Days cyberswede Sep 2012 #121
Great flick and historically accurate. longship Sep 2012 #126
Spinning Boris lexx21 Sep 2012 #125
Thank You For Smoking n/t backscatter712 Sep 2012 #127
Got to be Dave. It was just brilliant Laura PourMeADrink Sep 2012 #131
War Inc., V for Vendetta, The Pianist and... Mac1949 Sep 2012 #132
Harlan County, USA Skidmore Sep 2012 #135
"Citizen Kane" TheManInTheMac Sep 2012 #136
Life of Brian eShirl Sep 2012 #137

AnnieBW

(10,350 posts)
72. Same Here
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 08:54 PM
Sep 2012

Mostly because a lot of it was filmed in Pittsburgh, and my college choir accompanied Tim Robbins during one of his songs.

 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
106. Likewise. It's almost completely unknown,
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:16 PM
Sep 2012

and is incredibly good. Let's see . . . Netflix doesn't know when they'll be getting it in. That's sad. Maybe I'll see if the local video store carries it.

applegrove

(118,022 posts)
70. I just got the dvd of All the President's Men. I have watched it once a decade.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 08:42 PM
Sep 2012

Now I can see it any time. It doesn't get old.

NCarolinawoman

(2,825 posts)
58. I'd go with that one too.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:50 PM
Sep 2012

As I remember, Robert Redford's character ("the candidate&quot wins the election, and in the last scene says something like, "Now what do we do?" In other words, he's clueless about governing.

ewagner

(18,964 posts)
134. Yes...and...
Tue Sep 11, 2012, 07:07 AM
Sep 2012

during the course of the campaing, Redford (the Candidate) compromises his values, one-by-one including his fidelity to his wife.

In the end, he is seduced by the competitive nature of the campaign itself and when he finally wins, he forgets why he was there in the first place.

too true.

flyingfysh

(1,990 posts)
28. I should add a comment to this
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:18 PM
Sep 2012

It's the shortest post I ever made.

Z is based on a true story, about a right-wing takeover in Greece, just when the left is about to win everything. Everything is in great shape, up until the last 5 minutes.

longship

(40,416 posts)
129. This is a must see flick.
Tue Sep 11, 2012, 12:14 AM
Sep 2012

The cast is stellar. An absolutely incredible telling of the Greek counter-revolution.

One of my favorite flicks of all time.

"Like a tiger!" the movie jumps out at you.

I cannot recommend Z more strongly.

Directed by Costa Gavras

Here's the IMDB entry. Z

This one is high art. All the more so since it is based on actual history. All the more chilling given today's US politics.

This the epitome of political movies and should be on every progressive's list.

Aristus

(66,096 posts)
20. That's why you should watch "The West Wing".
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:02 PM
Sep 2012

Martin Sheen is the President in this TV show (available on DVD). My favorite TV show ev-VAR!.

And "The American President" is my favorite political movie ever. Aaron Sorkin wrote both.

He is the master screenwriter currently helming "The Newsroom" on HBO.

eqfan592

(5,963 posts)
112. Yep, great show and movie.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:20 PM
Sep 2012

I don't agree with everything in the show/movie politically, but the writing was always top notch!

DCBob

(24,689 posts)
83. Mine too.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 09:25 PM
Sep 2012

Funny, disturbing, intelligent, exceptionally well acted and scripted. Fantastic movie. I must have watched it over 10 times and never get tired of it.

 

Whisp

(24,096 posts)
13. Primary Colors
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 06:29 PM
Sep 2012

I have a copy and still watch it every few months. It's just fantastic casting, very humourous and sad at the same time.

Travolta is genius and Billy Bob Thornton (I guess he was supposed to be Carville?) was a real douchebag, but had some great lines.

Kathy Bates - fantastic, always fantastic. And lots more good peeps.

Cirque du So-What

(25,812 posts)
15. To the politically-minded, everything is political
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 06:32 PM
Sep 2012

so my personal boundaries of what defines 'political' may seem a bit fuzzy to the casual observer. Offhand, I'd have to go with Matewan or The Grapes of Wrath, and I stand by my classification of these movies as 'political.'

ibegurpard

(16,685 posts)
22. Election
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:03 PM
Sep 2012

with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon about a high school student body president election.
I don't think it's much different in "grown-up" politics.

Mponti

(163 posts)
23. Advise nd Consent
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:10 PM
Sep 2012

Last edited Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:34 PM - Edit history (1)

1962 political thrill that marked Betty White's film debut as a Kansas senator and the first movie after WW2 to feature gay bar scene involving the blackmailing of a married senator. The book is also a great read

Mponti

(163 posts)
110. Trivia about Advise and Consent
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:18 PM
Sep 2012

both richard nixon and martin luther king were offered roles...but declined

WillowTree

(5,325 posts)
118. Not to be picky, but that would be Advise and Consent.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:25 PM
Sep 2012

I read the whole series of Advise and Consent books way back when. Someday I'll make the effort to find them all again so I can re-read them.

lpbk2713

(42,696 posts)
27. Failsafe
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:15 PM
Sep 2012



More about brinksmanship than political intrigue perhaps.

Fonda played a great role in this one.

WillowTree

(5,325 posts)
119. That was just on TV over Labor Day weekend.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:26 PM
Sep 2012

It still gives me chills.

Oh, and baby-faced Larry Hagman is a hoot, as well.

longship

(40,416 posts)
124. And Walter Matthau as the smarmy hawk.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:37 PM
Sep 2012

Great, slow paced film with a horrific ending.

Look for Dom Deluise in a rare, early dramatic role (at SAC headquarters).

kimbutgar

(20,882 posts)
29. 2 old movies Gabriel over the whitehouse & the best man
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:19 PM
Sep 2012

Gabriel from the 1930's about a corrupt mitt kind of politician and best man gore Vidal wrote the script. They usually show up on tcm

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
48. Gabriel over the White House is a fucking awesome movie.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:33 PM
Sep 2012

God sends an angel to possess the president an institute martial law in order to save the country from the Depression, plus bootleggers do a drive by on the White House. What's not to love?

 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
30. Primary Colors...
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:20 PM
Sep 2012

I think it's a great movie and shows the ins and outs of a primary campaign very well. I know a lot of people feel it was anti-Clinton, but I actually think it humanizes his actions. Jack Stanton was a good man, who wanted to do good ... but he was also flawed. Just like Clinton, eh? Great casting...great moments. My favorite.

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,705 posts)
47. People Thought It Would Be Perceived As Anti-Clinton But It Was A Birthday Gift From John Travolta
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:33 PM
Sep 2012

He caught the essence of Bill Clinton- a lovable rogue.

Response to cyberswede (Reply #116)

Warpy

(110,913 posts)
34. One of mine is "The Year of Living Dangerously"
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:20 PM
Sep 2012

which details the mess colonialism and the immediate aftermath of it was making in southeast Asia.

Another is "Missing," which details the CIA aided coup of Salvador Allende's administration in Chile.

Movies about politics in the US are either cynical or cloying, sometimes both, and without middle ground.

 

bongbong

(5,436 posts)
35. Executive Action
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:23 PM
Sep 2012

The movie, starring a bunch of A- and B-listers, that dramatized the JFK assassination.

Beringia

(4,314 posts)
38. Advise and Consent with Charles Laughton and Henry Fonda
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:28 PM
Sep 2012

just because that is the last one I saw, and I love Laughton.

The most exciting, All the President's Men.

Loved Primary Colors too.

 

loli phabay

(5,580 posts)
52. house of cards i think it was called, a BBC political drama very clever
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:40 PM
Sep 2012

loved the deviousness of the main character.

CBHagman

(16,968 posts)
105. "Now you might very well think that, but of course I couldn't possibly comment."
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:07 PM
Sep 2012

You're thinking of the trilogy starring the great Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart (Note the initials!), a chief whip...and so much more.

The series includes House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut. Must-see TV for political junkies.

Luminous Animal

(27,310 posts)
53. There are quite a few listed that I like. I'll add "The Cradle Will Rock"
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:42 PM
Sep 2012

I've no favorite but several that I enjoy re-watching when it fits my mood.

spiderpig

(10,419 posts)
90. You beat me to it, Bjorn Against
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 09:35 PM
Sep 2012

I always said that if I could have written a screenplay it would be Network. Nearly 40 years later it's more relevant than ever.

Personal note: My last job was a corporate position located at the intersection of Howard and Beale Streets. I never got over the freakiness of the reference.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
86. I love "It's A Wonderful Life", I don't care if it's sappy.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 09:29 PM
Sep 2012

I also love the Miss Marple episodes - nice to see a fellow fan!

abumbyanyothername

(2,711 posts)
61. 3, corresponding to the three primary strands of my ties to the Dem Party
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 07:59 PM
Sep 2012

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (anti-war)

2. To Kill a Mockingbird (civil rights)

3. Harlan County USA (labor)

Honorable Mention:

Farenheit 911
Silkwood
The Way We Were
Philadelphia
Grapes of Wrath
Twelve Angry Men
Inherit the Wind
Planet of the Apes (last summer's release)
Food Inc.
Inside Job (and the HBO version)

EC

(12,287 posts)
63. "In the Time of Butterflies"
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 08:06 PM
Sep 2012

I like movies about revolutions in South America. Shows what happens when the 1% rule the 99% without any representative government. Dictatorships can happen anywhere, all that's needed is a conclave of rich 1%er's putting an empty suit that is also a bit psychopathic in office and there you go.



On edit: I forgot "Being There" Jerzy Kosinski's book with Peter Sellers. I shows how the media can blow up a candidate to more than he is.

Th1onein

(8,514 posts)
69. Burzynski
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 08:41 PM
Sep 2012

It's a documentary, but I remember when it happened. It was BIG news in Houston at the time. They dogged this doctor and dogged this doctor and even tried to steal his patents! He fought back.

 

Smarmie Doofus

(14,498 posts)
71. In a sense, ALL movies are political.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 08:52 PM
Sep 2012

But, I like :

CHINATOWN ("Politicians, ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough".)

 

Comrade Grumpy

(13,184 posts)
76. "A Clockwork Orange"
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 09:11 PM
Sep 2012

Droogies turned into cops.

Scientific experimentation on humans for political purposes.

The use of Alex as a politcal prop at the end of the film.

All the sleazy machinations going on behind the smiling faces of the politicians.

WeekendWarrior

(1,437 posts)
81. Well, I have a few...
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 09:23 PM
Sep 2012

The Conversation (not strictly about politics, but about the effects and failures of surveillance, phone tapping, etc.)
Dave
All the President's Men
The Candidate
Parallax View
Ides of March

 

graham4anything

(11,464 posts)
104. Great movie til the final scene
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:00 PM
Sep 2012

"I like to watch TV"

however, the end of the movie sucked big time, and that scene might have cost Sellers the Oscar he so deserved.

Blue Belle

(5,912 posts)
98. Toss up between "Face in the Crowd" and "Meet John Doe"...
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 10:30 PM
Sep 2012

Meet John Doe reminds me of how the tea party gets it start as a faux grass roots movement (even though the movie was made in 1941). Face in the Crowd illustrates how personalities like Glenn Beck can gain influence over voters (even though the movie was made in 1957).

 

graham4anything

(11,464 posts)
102. 12 Angry Men & Grapes of Wrath both starring Henry Fonda
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 10:57 PM
Sep 2012

and most other Henry Fonda classics that he himself helped to finance

Where the little guy (aka the democrat) goes against the corporate system

(most people don't remember anymore what a great Liberal, pro-union, pro-worker Henry Fonda was, largely due to his daughters incidents over the years obscuring it).

I would rather watch Henry over Jimmy Stewart any day of the week

and if only Henry Fonda were President instead of Ronald Reagan

eqfan592

(5,963 posts)
117. Thirteen Days is probably my favorite.
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:24 PM
Sep 2012

It's one of those movies that if it's on, I stop and watch it no matter what.

cyberswede

(26,117 posts)
121. Thirteen Days
Mon Sep 10, 2012, 11:28 PM
Sep 2012

Bruce Greenwood is great as JFK, and the actor who plated Bobby was so good it was freaky (Steven Culp).

The way JFK stood up to the Joint Chiefs during the Cuban Missile Crisis was fantastic (not sure how historically accurate it was, but it was riveting drama).

longship

(40,416 posts)
126. Great flick and historically accurate.
Tue Sep 11, 2012, 12:02 AM
Sep 2012

Except for the sappy Kenny O'Donnel back story. Also, Costner's Boston accent was cringe-worthy. But, I agree, Greenwood and Culp were incredible as JFK and RFK.

Kevin Conway was chilling as Curtis LeMay, who actually used the crisis to attempt to bring on open nuclear hostilities between the US and USSR.

We all know the end, but this movie still chills one to the bone. It is a story that could not be told until the USSR falls and their archive of that era was opened up for the world to see.

A great flick. I was 14 years old at the time. I worked delivering newspapers every day (in Detroit) and I will never forget how scared everybody was. But nobody knew how actually close we came.

This flick tells just how close it was.

Mac1949

(389 posts)
132. War Inc., V for Vendetta, The Pianist and...
Tue Sep 11, 2012, 01:57 AM
Sep 2012

while it's not a movie, I have to mention The Prisoner series.

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
135. Harlan County, USA
Tue Sep 11, 2012, 07:10 AM
Sep 2012

Never seen a better recounting of the nexus between the political world and the worker.

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