Political Filmmakers

[Beltmann]

I’m developing a list of 50-100 film directors known for being political or socially conscious. Fiction, nonfiction, domestic, foreign, male, female, mainstream, marginal, liberal, conservative… everything is fair game. Obviously I’m going to include names like Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Jafar Panahi, Ken Loach, John Sayles, etc., but I don’t want to overlook any worthy names.

 

So, who should definitely be included on the list? Thanks in advance for any help!

[OOO]

Oliver Stone certainly makes controversial films.

 

I might even put Trey Parker & Matt Stone on for "Team America"

[mpolak21]

I’m developing a list of 50-100 film directors known for being political or socially conscious. Fiction, nonfiction, domestic, foreign, male, female, mainstream, marginal, liberal, conservative… everything is fair game. Obviously I’m going to include names like Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Jafar Panahi, Ken Loach, John Sayles, etc., but I don’t want to overlook any worthy names.

 

So, who should definitely be included on the list? Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Great idea, Beltmann. You've already listed a lot of my favorites. Hal Ashby immediately jumps to mind, probably because I watched Coming Home a few weeks ago. I have always admired Altman's use of politics in his works, and Pakula's work on All The President's Men is worth a nod.

 

--Mike

[bjorn_skurj]

Don't forget Eisenstein and Vertov, as well as Riefenstahl.

[u2roolz]

Is there a limit to how many films that they should have under their belt that is "political" or socially conscious?

 

George Clooney - Good Night And Good Luck (but not really Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind & Leatherheads), Jason Reitman, Gus Van Sant (Elephant/Milk), Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King Of Scotland, State Of Play), Neill Blomkamp, Clint Eastwood, Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton/Duplicity), Terrence Malick, Steven Soderbergh, Sam Mendes. Michael Haneke, Richard Linklater (Tape/Fast Food Nation/A Scanner Darkly), Karyn Kusama, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, Danny Boyle.

[Winston Legthigh]

Scorsese, Kubrick, Coen Bros., John Waters...

[D-Dogg]

Chris Nolan - The Dark Knight

[Beltmann]

Thanks for all the ideas! Many were already on my mind, but quite a few will help.

 

The course is for high school kids, so the entire concept of social criticism in film is fairly new for them. To provide context: For them, discussing the political underpinnings of AVATAR was revelatory. And they were most interested in discussing the ethical questions raised by films about 9/11.

 

So far they have been receptive to more unusual fare--for example, we had an engaging discussion about subtext in Scorsese’s THE BIG SHAVE--but the furthest I might try to go is Haneke, the neo-realists, and perhaps a few of the old Soviets like Vertov. I also have to be somewhat careful about content… although I’ve been given permission to show mature material (last week I showed bits from BAMBOOZLED and also stills from Noe’s IRREVERSIBLE), I don’t think I could get away with, say, NATURAL BORN KILLERS.

 

This particular list, though, is for a research project, and each student will have a different director to examine. I’m willing to put people like Jia, Wiseman, and Sembene on the list—all three were on my preliminary draw-up—but right now I’m leaning towards emphasizing gateway filmmakers like Loach, Sayles, Stone, Kazan, Pontecorvo, etc.

 

Any more thoughts would be appreciated!

 

 

 

 

Is there a limit to how many films that they should have under their belt that is "political" or socially conscious?

Ideally, there would be a body of work to discuss in terms of social criticism.

 

Chris Nolan - The Dark Knight

I'm showing that as part of our War and Peace unit (the course is organized around six themes).

[Dude]

Charlie Chaplin - The Great Dictator

John Frankenheimer - The Manchurian Candidate

Costa Gavras - Z

DW Griffith - Birth of a Nation

Jean Luc Godard - political films throughout his career

Campaign Movies - The Candidate with Redford, Bob Roberts with Robbins, maybe even some lighter fare like The American President / Primary Colors / Dave / Bulworth or something thought-provoking like Levinson's Wag the Dog? These are all one scene-worthy I suppose.

Maybe something from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington?

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Don't forget Eisenstein and Vertov, as well as Riefenstahl.

 

GREAT mentions...would never have occurred to me

[Winston Legthigh]

Noe’s IRREVERSIBLE

Wholly Flock. Noe's a mind-fuck for any age.

[W(TF)]

I guess you need to include Orson Wells. Joseph Goebels?

 

 

Woody Allen....broke a lot of molds. I'm also gonna put in a word for Werner Herzog...brilliant filmmaker.

[M. (hristine]

In keeping with (W)TF's mention of Goebbels,,,

Though it seems you are looking for filmmakers of political criticism, I find the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl particularly interesting.

[D-Dogg]

Thanks for all the ideas! Many were already on my mind, but quite a few will help.

 

The course is for high school kids, so the entire concept of social criticism in film is fairly new for them. To provide context: For them, discussing the political underpinnings of AVATAR was revelatory. And they were most interested in discussing the ethical questions raised by films about 9/11.

 

So far they have been receptive to more unusual fare--for example, we had an engaging discussion about subtext in Scorsese’s THE BIG SHAVE--but the furthest I might try to go is Haneke, the neo-realists, and perhaps a few of the old Soviets like Vertov. I also have to be somewhat careful about content… although I’ve been given permission to show mature material (last week I showed bits from BAMBOOZLED and also stills from Noe’s IRREVERSIBLE), I don’t think I could get away with, say, NATURAL BORN KILLERS.

 

This particular list, though, is for a research project, and each student will have a different director to examine. I’m willing to put people like Jia, Wiseman, and Sembene on the list—all three were on my preliminary draw-up—but right now I’m leaning towards emphasizing gateway filmmakers like Loach, Sayles, Stone, Kazan, Pontecorvo, etc.

 

Any more thoughts would be appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

Ideally, there would be a body of work to discuss in terms of social criticism.

 

 

I'm showing that as part of our War and Peace unit (the course is organized around six themes).

 

That sounds like a fun class.

 

How are you going to interpret Dark Knight around War and Peace?

[LouieB]

I guess we aren't talking about documentarians, which would be a huge list.

 

LouieB

[Beltmann]

How are you going to interpret Dark Knight around War and Peace?

In terms of the subtext, which raises questions about our response to terrorism, and the power of fear.

 

I guess we aren't talking about documentarians, which would be a huge list.

Documentary filmmakers are definitely fair game! (I plan to show a number of nonfiction films and clips.) Any ideas?

[Winston Legthigh]

Documentary filmmakers are definitely fair game! (I plan to show a number of nonfiction films and clips.) Any ideas?

American Dream.

[W(TF)]

In terms of the subtext, which raises questions about our response to terrorism, and the power of fear.

 

 

Documentary filmmakers are definitely fair game! (I plan to show a number of nonfiction films and clips.) Any ideas?

 

The Hunting Of The President was really good. A bit partisan and melodramatic at times, but they exposed the sleaze of the 90s GOP machine quite well. http://www.thehuntingofthepresident.com/trailer.html

[GtrPlyr]

American Dream.

Another Barbara Kopple film worth mentioning for this list would be "Harlan County, USA."

 

 

And a few others to add:

 

Herbert Biberman's "Salt of the Earth"

 

I second Costa-Gavras' "Z" plus a few of his 70s films.

 

Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers"

 

Andrzej Wajda's "Man of Marble" and "Man of Iron"

 

Tian Zhuangzhuang's "The Blue Kite"

 

The films of Hou Hsiao Hsien.

 

Peter Davis' "Hearts and Minds"

[calvino]

Watched By the People: The Election of Barack Obama this past week. Okay documentary, but the intuition of the (first time) director/film maker was pretty spot on. If you watch the film with the comments on, they talk about their process as the campaign dragged on and on.

[JohnO]

Philippe de Broca - King of Hearts

[LouieB]

American Dream.

Barbara Koppel is a great great political documentarian. I personally really like Harlan County USA. I think all kids should see her films.

 

LouieB

[u2roolz]

How about that recent surge of Romanian filmmakers?

 

Corneliu Porumboiu (12:08 East Of Bucharest & Police, Adjective), Cristian Mungiu (Occident & 4 Months, 3 Weeks, And 2 Days, Tales From The Golden Age), Cristi Puiu (The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu)

[sureshot]

Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers)

Andrzej Wajda (Ashes and Diamonds, Kanal, A Generation)

[LouieB]

Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers)

One of the great politic films of all times. My father took me to see it in the theater.

 

I took my daughter to see in the theater too.

 

LouieB