filmlover Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I'm starting this thread with a hope that we can list and discuss favorite political movies without us getting into shouting matches about the current elections. So, please, try to be politically correct. I'll start with some of my favorites (not in any particular order): 1. Dave 2. The American President 3. All the President's Men 4. Seven Days in May 5. The Parallax View 6. JFK 7. The Candidate And if I were to include TV series: 1. The West Wing 2. The Newsroom 3. The Governor & J.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfUniversalHorror Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 *Mr. Smith Goes To Washington* (surprised that wasn't on your list) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpompper Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I particularly appreciate "The Candidate." Yes, I'd include "The West Wing" TV series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I'll go along with that list, with "Mr. Smith" added. Also, throw in *The Best Man* and the recent *Ides of March .* Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 And I'm surprised Capra's State of the Union isn't also on the list, especially considering how it so insightfully depicts all the little back deals a candidate must make in order to raise campaign funds...and THIS was YEARS before our "hallowed" Supreme Court made their latest boneheaded little ruling in this regard! (...okay, rant over!) LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 I didn't want to list all of the best films because I wanted others to chip in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Yeah, I kind of figured that, filmlover. However, whenever this topic is broached, I'm always somewhat amazed that the Capra film I mentioned seems little remembered. It, as you may have surmised, has always been one of my personal favorites of this genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Favorite political movie: *Wilson*, one of the great movies of all time, with a real old-fashioned many-balloted convention. As a New Yorker, I have a soft spot for *Sunrise at Campobello*, particularly the final scene, when FDR stands at the podium to nominate Al Smith, while the best NYC song ever --"The Sidewalks of New York" -- is playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 For the fun of it : "The Dark Horse" Somehow I think it's not far from the truth even today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 > {quote:title=filmlover wrote:}{quote}I'm starting this thread with a hope that we can list and discuss favorite political movies without us getting into shouting matches about the current elections. So, please, try to be politically correct. > > I'll start with some of my favorites (not in any particular order): > > 1. Dave > 2. The American President > 3. All the President's Men > 4. Seven Days in May > 5. The Parallax View > 6. JFK > 7. The Candidate > > And if I were to include TV series: > 1. The West Wing > 2. The Newsroom > 3. The Governor & J.J. "The Governor & J.J"! Now that's one that has fallen off the face of the planet. At least there are a couple of youtube links to the intro. 1987 Showtime summer replacement show "Hard Knocks" has just flat disappeared in thin air - not a political show at all but starred a current political pundit, Bill Maher, in just about one of the worst TV shows I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I believe the best political movies were the narrow-guage films of the Prokino movement. It is sad to say we can only glimpse bits of them now as the government destroyed all which they found. *Kino-Eye* (1924) is very much a political movie. You may watch a small part of it at: http://youtu.be/gQSY6ynv4gU The portion of this which begins at 0:50 explains why I take little interest in politics or governments: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Since no one has mentioned it, I would like to add The Manchurian Candidate. And if I could add in a TV movie, just for the heck of it, I would add Game Change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM108 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 The only strictly political movies I can remember that stand out are All The King's Men, Gabriel Over The White House and The Dark Horse. Never cared much for Mr. Smith, which was way too cornball and far-fetched for my taste, even though Rains and Arnold were their usual great self. There was another pretty good one where a prosecutor tried to frame an innocent man in order to further his political career, but I can't think of the name. It was shown on TCM within the past few months, came out in the 50's in B&W and I believe it was set in the American South. There are many great courtroom and social dramas with heavy political overtones, but I'd put them into a separate category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpompper Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I've never been a fan of "Mr. Smith" either, Andy. I do think we're in the minority, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, by a mile. Then, THE BEST MAN, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, and MEET JOHN DOE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 AndyM108 wrote: There was another pretty good one where a prosecutor tried to frame an innocent man in order to further his political career, but I can't think of the name. It was shown on TCM within the past few months, came out in the 50's in B&W and I believe it was set in the American South. There are many great courtroom and social dramas with heavy political overtones, but I'd put them into a separate category. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andy, I believe you're talking about 1961's A Fever in the Blood here, and yeah, I caught it for the first time a month or so back on TCM too, and yep, I also thought it was very well done. (...disagree with ya though about Mr.Smith) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casablancalover2 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 _Movies_ Meet John Doe Mr Smith Goes to Washington Seven Days in May The Manchurian Candidate Advise and Consent All the President's Men Dave Bob Roberts Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room _Television_ The West Wing The Newsroom Benson h5. and I will be putting Fair Game on my Netflix queue. I certainly followed that story in real time.. Edited by: casablancalover2 on Sep 28, 2012 6:20 PM for she forgot some important ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casablancalover2 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Doh! How could I forget Advise and Consent? I must amend my post. Thank you. And while it is not American politics, I really enjoyed Invictus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 What about The Best Man (1964) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dothery Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Advise and Consent will always be my favorite. I loved Gene Tierney with Walter Pidgeon in that. They seemed so companionable. Charles Laughton was his masterful self. Don Murray was great. Altogether a wonderful picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Two additional favorites: *The Last Hurrah*, though between the lines, it's as much about the film industry as about politics; *Every Day's a Holiday*, a great, lesser-known Mae West movie, which features Louis Armstrong leading a political parade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Does *Magic Town* (1947) qualify as a political movie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libradoll Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 I'd like to suggest 'The Manchurian Candidate'. the earlier version of course Frank Sinatra (1962) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dothery Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Your list is great. May I comment on "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington?" I have Frank Capra's autobiography, and surprisingly, he said after the movie came out he was persona non grata anywhere near Congress. They were offended, miffed, furious at their depiction in the picture. Eventually they came around to where he was invited, but it was much later. To think, they said, of the president of the Senate winking at a visitor in the gallery! Capra was stunned at its reception. Everybody else loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 "W" (keeping it simple) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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