The venerable but embattled national magazine The New Republic recently published a special summer issue reporting a survey of several dozen expert film critics. The magazine’s editor had asked critics to name the ten “most significant political films of all time”.
The editors emphasized that they did not want the “best”, “most enjoyable” or “favorite” films. They should be the “most significant”. “Of all time.”
And that, of course, is the challenge. Most of us might define “significant” as “influential,” “consequential,” or “notable,” but subjectivity is involved. But defining “political” is even more difficult. Some people might consider just our American system of elections and our three branches of government. Others, understandably, might see social and economic differences as an important part of politics.
The magazine realized that any proposed list would cause some controversy. The editors welcomed readers to submit their rival choices. Readers can download their list from the Internet.
Most of the 70 film critics surveyed by The New Republic were white journalists, men from cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and especially New York. Film historian Peter Biskind, The New Yorker’s David Denby and NPR’s David Edelstein were included. Armond White of National Review was probably one of the few conservatives among them. The editors then weighed all the nominations and released a list of 100 films.
About 30 of the films were made in other countries. The top five foreign films were: “The Battle of Algiers” (1966); “The triumph of the will” (1935); “Battleship Potemkin” (1925); “Shoah” (1985) and “The Conformist” (1970).
The 10 “most significant” American films nominated by this distinguished jury were: “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962); “Dr. Strangelove” (1964); “All the President’s Men” (1976); “Birth of a Nation” (1915); “Do the Right Thing” (1989); “A face among the crowd” (1957); “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939); “Harlan County USA” (1976); “Choice” (1999); and “Malcolm X” (1992).
“The Manchurian Candidate” captured the paranoia of the 1950s, poked fun at domestic politicians and urged viewers to be wary of conspiracy theories and ideological messages. It’s a great classic even if it’s complicated.
“Dr. Strangelove” was an urgent warning about the need for responsible processes to deal with weapons of mass destruction: atomic and hydrogen bombs. The slapstick humor, poking fun at our military planners and national security leaders, dramatized the very real danger of an accidental nuclear war.
“All the President’s Men” celebrates the two young Washington Post reporters who relentlessly tracked down the leads that ultimately helped unravel President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandals.
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart, is the most popular and most patriotic American film in our country’s history. The film celebrates newly appointed Senator Jefferson Smith, who stands up to a corrupt political machine in his home state and a corrupt United States Senate. Smith’s success embodies the American ideal of the ordinary citizen making a difference. Yet the film’s challenging concern is that the American experiment needs many more politicians like Senator Jefferson Smith if it is to live up to our dreams of constitutional democracy.
These four choices were obvious and deserved. The following are more debatable.
“Birth of a Nation,” a three-hour silent film made in 1915, was the most racist and shameful film in our country’s history. Set after the Civil War, it portrayed African Americans negatively and celebrated and justified the Ku Klux Klan as an organization necessary to protect white southerners. The film was a huge box office hit and the first film to be shown at the White House. At the time, the Klan used the film to recruit members, just as the U.S. Navy would later use “Top Gun” to recruit pilots.
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“A Face in the Crowd” is a lesser-known but important film that tells the story of a changeless drifter who unexpectedly becomes a radio and television star. As a singer-guitarist and populist celebrity, he advises and promotes a conservative candidate for the presidency of the United States. Although it eventually implodes, the film’s narrative is a disturbing warning to be wary of popular celebrities and reality TV stars jumping into the realm of politics.
Director Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” is a beautifully shot story of a long, hot summer day in a mixed and racially challenged neighborhood in Brooklyn. Spike Lee raises tough questions about the right way to address urban racial tensions: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s protests and economic boycotts. or the more radical approach of Malcom X. This film won awards and generated debate, as Lee had hoped.
“Malcolm X” is Spike Lee’s second film, based on Alex Haley’s book, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. Malcolm X, who was born Malcom Little in Michigan but later moved to Boston, spent six years in prison, where he converted to the Nation of Islam. He became a religious and political crusader who, transcending his early calls for racial separatism, called for racial harmony and spiritual collaboration between disparate religions and between races. He was assassinated by religious fanatics in 1965. King was assassinated three years later.
“Harlan County USA” is a documentary about a year-long miners’ strike in eastern Kentucky. It was a low-budget film directed and produced by Barbara Koppel, the only woman awarded on this list of 10 Significant American Political Films. It’s graphic, disturbing and perhaps the best film about strikes.
The film celebrates the courage and resilience of the miners, and especially the miners’ wives. It leaves no doubt that Duke Power Co. is the bad guy Despite the brutality and horrors of working conditions, it carries a message of hope about the fight for justice and workers’ rights.
“Choice” is the most debatable of these top 10 “most significant” film nominees. It was a box office flop, but has become a satirically dark field classic about the role ambition plays in politics. The film introduces us to Tracy Flick, played by Reese Witherspoon, who is a smart, cheerful and relentlessly ambitious 16-year-old who wants to become the student body president of her high school. She volunteers for everything, has all the right answers in class, but is annoying and a threat to some people, including the student government advisor. Does Tracy push herself too hard and let her ambition show too much?
The film mocks not only the ambitious Tracy Flick, but also high school politics, an easy target. But it’s also a mean-spirited demonization of Tracy Flick, a mocking stereotype of ambitious female politicians who might choose to run for office. We’re not sure most critics got it.
The real villain of “Election” is Mr. McAllister, a three-time teacher of the year, social studies teacher, who does everything he can, including hiding two ballots, to sabotage his success. His behavior as a teacher is atrocious.
The film highlights a central paradox of American elections: a successful candidate must be driven and ambitious, but must also go to great lengths to hide his ambition. This film suggests how deeply rooted anti-feminist sentiment is in our cultural fabric. If Tracy Flick could not manage her ambition carefully, it was because women, even more than men, must not appear too ambitious.
The movie is fun, but in our opinion, it doesn’t rank among the most significant political movies “of all time.” At least it’s not ranked that high.
Kudos to The New Republic for sparking this provocative debate. Readers should download the list from the Internet and study the critics’ top list and challenge it. We disagree with some of the rankings. We would have ranked “All the King’s Men” much higher than them. And we nominate the following overlooked films that deserve to be on their longer list: “High Noon,” “12 Angry Men,” “Catch-22,” “Seven Days in May,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” Gettysburg, “Casablanca,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “On The Waterfront.”
What are your most significant political films of all time?
Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy are news columnists who write about Colorado and national politics.
