What are some good selections for a leftie film festival?
Mon, 2004-10-04 01:09
#1
What are some good selections for a leftie film festival?
Mon, 2004-10-04 01:09
#2
I want to have a left-wing film fest at my campus this year, and im trying to come up with a short list of good films to show... Does anyone know any good ones?
Here's the ones i can remember off the top of my head:
-The Take (the new klein/lewis vehicle)
-Matewan
-Bread & Roses
-Discordia
it'll be for a university audience, hopefully one that doesnt necessarily go to political film fests, so please keep that in mind. also, theres not much point in suggesting fahrenheit 9/11, as my [url=http://www.umsu.ca]student union[/url] recently played it during our orientation week event. [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]
Mon, 2004-10-04 01:18
#3
Supersize Me
Bus 174
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Those are three that I've seen in the last few months, and they were all quite good.
Oh, also:
Waiting For Martin
The Corporation
I want to see those two but haven't yet, so I couldn't tell you whether they're any good. I've heard good things about both of them, though.
Mon, 2004-10-04 01:28
#4
I've seem the revolution will not be televised, as well as the corporation, both were quite good. hadn't thought of waiting for martin (guess those rabble ads arent working as well as we'd hoped [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img] )
I've heard good things about Bus 174 - thats the one about the guy in brazil who took a city bus hostage, right?
Anywho, thanks for the ideas.
Anyone else?
Mon, 2004-10-04 03:08
#5
"Z" by Costa Gavras. He is alive.
Mon, 2004-10-04 03:31
#6
Scott Piatkowski
Bob Roberts
Missing
The Milagro Beanfield War
Mon, 2004-10-04 10:22
#7
land and freedom
the weather underground
the life and times of harvey milk
roger & me
the war game
THX-1138
[url=http://www.changesurfer.com/Acad/Films.html]and maybe some more ideas here.[/url]
[ 06 October 2004: Message edited by: Willowdale Wizard ]
Mon, 2004-10-04 10:37
#8
Great source, WW. Thanks.
Just reading the title "Z" makes my heart race again. That is a movie with rhythm -- terrifying but beautiful.
Has anyone mentioned The Battle of Algiers?
Mon, 2004-10-04 10:40
#9
How about 'How to get ahead in Advertising' by Bruce Robinson?
Mon, 2004-10-04 10:52
#10
4 Days in September?
Just watched it for the first time last night. BBC plays the best programming at about 3AM... [img]frown.gif" border="0[/img]
Wed, 2004-10-06 17:06
#11
Fog of War
Trials of Henry Kissinger
Spin (by brian singer) older but good
I am also trying to think of something a little lighter to show lefties have a sense of humor. Supersize me and moore should be good.
Probably the yes men would be good- but that just came out.
And a little bit from left field I also recently watched some Nicholas Philibert documentaries. They are not leftish political films but they are
compassionate and thoughtful documentaries concerning people.(In the Land of the Deaf, To be and to have)
Wed, 2004-10-06 17:21
#12
and a couple of older movies
Salvador and Romero
plus for shorts in between movies how about the educational volumes (sex and drugs, social engineering, etc) culled from films shown to "educate" young adults in the classroom
[url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/socialeng101.php?highlight=social]social engineering[/url]
Wed, 2004-10-06 17:28
#13
I just noticed that this is going to be at the UofM. I don't suppose this is open to ex-students?
Thu, 2004-10-07 09:20
#14
Another movie just mentioned by clockwork in another thread:
"Yes Men"
It sounds excellent! (Oh sorry, didn't notice that angrymonkey already posted it. [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img] )
[ 07 October 2004: Message edited by: Michelle ]
Thu, 2004-10-07 10:43
#15
The End of Suburbia: recent film about the rise of petroleum dependency in North America, the growing evidence that petroleum depletion is imminent, a sobering look at the implications this will have (particularly on suburbia), and examination of the attitude of denial which continues to dominate in the media. See: [url=http://www.endofsuburbia.com/]http://www.endofsuburbia.com/[/url] for more about it.
Bacon: Hugo Latulippe's film about various horrors that have accompanied the mйga-porcheries (industiral hog farm) phenomenon in Quebec (pollution, GMO corn production, animal abuse and doping, etc.). Not for the squeamish.
Uranium: uranium mining exposed. Main focus is on the devastating impacts on native communities. I'm not sure if there is any uranium mining in Manitoba... in surrounding regions (Sask., Northern Ontario, and Nunavut) it is an important issue. Directed by Magnus Isaacson (same guy who directed Pressure Point - the film about SalAmi's pivotal protest against the MAI in 1998). See: [url=http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/ur.html]http://www.bullfrogfilms.co... for further info.
Thu, 2004-10-07 11:07
#16
The above selections are good, but you don't have enough fiction or cultural films. How about Margarethe von Trotta's Rosa Luxemburg? [url=http://www.goethe.de/uk/mon/archiv/enfilmr.htm]http://www.goethe.de/uk/m...
The recent film Frida, despite its shortcomings, is also a good way to launch a discussion about the relation between art and radical politics.
Thu, 2004-10-07 14:15
#17
Erstwhile
[i]A Burning Season[/i] - the story of environmentalist and trade unionist Chico Mendes in Brazil. Stars Raul Julia.
[i]A Very British Coup[/i], somewhat dated and it's actually a 6-hour miniseries, but depending on the format of the festival it could work. Basically, what if a hard-Left Labour government got elected in Britain? Lots of Brit character actors in this one. Might be a bit slow for a festival, though.
[i]Brassed Off[/i] - A colliery band in England and how they deal with the closing of their pit. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll buy brass band music...Ewan McGregor, Tara Fitzgerald and Pete Postlethwaite star.
EDIT: Hell, I suppose [i]The Full Monty[/i] could be seen as political, too. Not as overtly political as [i]Brassed Off[/i] but it deals with many of the same issues.
E.
[ 07 October 2004: Message edited by: Erstwhile ]
Sat, 2004-10-09 14:16
#18
you folks are super. thanks for the ideas. it'll take me a while to check out all these flicks and see what fits.
angrymonkey: i havent done any hard planning yet as to times or dates or what-not, but i would love to see some non- or ex-students (faculty, too!) come out. im thinking this will probably take place in maybe november or january, depending on how much planning this entails (having never done something like this before [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img] )
sidenote: if anyone from the UofM sounds interested in getting involved in planning or whatever, let me know at [email][email protected][/email]
Wed, 2007-04-11 07:55
#19
Cueball
I just saw Bus 174. This is truly and extraordinary film document.
Wed, 2007-04-11 08:36
#20
N.Beltov
While it is extremely difficult to find, Jacques Tati's [i]Playtime[/i], his masterwork, better even than [i]Monsieur Hulot's Holiday[/i] or other films by him, is a work of comic and social genius. Viewing the film is like nibbling, slowly, on the most delicious slice of cheesecake ever. Tati compares favourably with that other comic genius of silent film, Charlie Chaplin.
Tati's films aren't really true [i]silent[/i] films, but they are very close to that. I saw [i]Playtime[/i] at the local alternative theatre and they had rented the film (60 mm, whatever). I have never seen a copy available on VHS or DVD.
Of course, Chaplin will do in a pinch. Now there was a socialist who didn't back down an inch from the McCarthy-ite zealots. His films, like Tati's, will live forever.
Wed, 2007-04-11 09:07
#21
quote:
Originally posted by N.Beltov:
[b]While it is extremely difficult to find, Jacques Tati's [i]Playtime[/i], his masterwork, better even than [i]Monsieur Hulot's Holiday[/i] or other films by him, is a work of comic and social genius.[/b]
Search for "playtime tati" on emule, and a few hours later, anyone can start nibbling.
Just saying - I of course would not resort to such methods of acquiring films.
Wed, 2007-04-11 09:18
#22
N.Beltov
Interesting. Not that [b]I[/b] would, you know, resort to such methods, etc..
Wed, 2007-04-11 16:27
#23
That's a hard one as movies tend to focus on bourgeois technology and values.
I think [b][i]In the Heat of the Night[/i][/b] with Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger (1967) would be a good one.
[i][b]Guess who's coming to dinner[/b][/i] (1967) could be another.
[i][b]The China Syndrome[/b][/i] (1979)
These films and many many more are featured on [url=http://www.imdb.com.]http://www.imdb.com.[/url] You might start by picking actors who have tended to be associated with progressive causes (like Sydney Poitier and Jane Fonda) and cross-referencing with movies they have done.
There is a wealth of information about movies there.
Wed, 2007-04-11 16:43
#24
[b]Children of Men[/b]
[b]Bob Roberts[/b]
Maybe not an obvious choice for a lefty film fest, but how about kicking it off with [b]Citizen Kane?[/b] The protagonist pursues The American Dream at all costs and becomes wealthy beyond his wildest dreams, but in the end, his life is spiritually empty.
Wed, 2007-04-11 16:44
#25
Red Dawn. [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]
Wed, 2007-04-11 16:46
#26
Me and a few of my friends LOVEd that show. I can't remember if we rented it a bunch of times or if one of the guys owned it, but whatever the case may be we watched it ALOT.
Wed, 2007-04-11 16:56
#27
It's a great "Drive In" flick without question.
[url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036217/]The North Star[/url] written by Lillian Hellman is an oddity, a Hollywood WW II propaganda piece about Soviet resistance to Nazi aggression. Once the cold war started they actually tacked on an anti-communist ending. The film is a classic of sorts - life on the collective farm meets Busby Berkley - well not quite but you get my drift.
Wed, 2007-04-11 16:58
#28
quote:
Originally posted by Khimia:
[b]Red Dawn. [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [/b]
I prefer the [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOjfC1tva-s]musical[/url] version.
Wed, 2007-04-11 17:07
#29
Now That's Entertainment!
Wed, 2007-04-11 22:03
#30
Is it just me or is [url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0047443/]Salt of the Earth[/url] not mentioned in this thread? Excellent movie. Also, if you can find a copy of [url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0067277/]Johnny Got His Gun[/url] it is quite worth it. [url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0383694/]Vera Drake[/url] was a look at the working class realities of 1950s England. [url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0278102/]Trembling Before G-D[/url] may be a good choice to show for solidarity's sake and to show the challenges for people in many situations.
Wed, 2007-04-11 22:23
#31
- "Why we fight" - is an excellent documentary about the military-industrial complex.
- "Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story" - A must see for anyone interested in our Greatest Canadian. (pm me if you want a free copy).
A great Hollywood film is:
"North Country" - a story about the
hardships and disgusting atmosphere the first women miners in a small Minnesota town faced.
and for the anarchists:
"V for Vendetta"
ETA: Just noticed this is for the U of M. You definitely have to include the film about Percy Schmeiser, which the U of M tried to ban or censor out of existance. It's a great film to educate and agitate against the U of M's subservience to the Monsanto mafia:
[url=http://www.seedsofchangefilm.org/?p=about]Seeds of Change[/url]
Disclosure alert: I went to the U of W, so any opportunity to make the U of M's right wing administration uncomfortable has my full support!
[ 11 April 2007: Message edited by: a lonely worker ]
Thu, 2007-04-12 14:26
#32
It is hard (at least for me) not to view "V for Vendetta" as anything but a call to arms.