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Post by spiderwort on Jun 19, 2018 19:25:17 GMT
Every kind of politician from those who "only" take bribes to dictators who commit murders. Any and all who put themselves ahead of the people they represent or govern. Any country, any time.
Three to start:
ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949), based upon the life of Huey Long, governor of Louisiana
RICHARD III (1955), from Shakespeare's play about British King Richard III
DOWNFALL (DER UNDERTANG) (2004), about Hitler's final days
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Post by bravomailer on Jun 19, 2018 19:30:14 GMT
A Face in the Crowd
Citizen Kane (Gettys)
All the President's Men
White Lightning (corrupt police chief wonderfully played by Ned Beatty)
American Hustle
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Post by mattgarth on Jun 19, 2018 19:46:03 GMT
Crisis (Jose Ferrer)
Advise and Consent (George Grizzard)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Claude Rains)
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Post by bravomailer on Jun 19, 2018 19:56:49 GMT
A Face in the Crowd Citizen Kane (Gettys) All the President's Men White Lightning (corrupt police chief wonderfully played by Ned Beatty) American Hustle Bravo, I don't think of A FACE IN THE CROWD as being about politicians, per se, although I do remember some political shenanigans of some kind in it (it's been a while since I've seen it). And the media and politics certainly seem to go together, especially today, don't they? That film was so ahead of its time in that regard! Didn't see AMERICAN HUSTLE or WHITE LIGHTENING so can't comment on those, but I love Ned Beatty.
And a clarification about CITIZEN KANE: it's a fictionalized portrayal of William Randolph Hearst, not the Getty family (if I understood you correctly). It was Hearst who blackballed the film and kept it from being more successful than it might have been. Political corruption right there!
I thought Rhodes ran for office in A Face in the Crowd, but on reading a quick summary it looks like he only hobnobs with pols. Jeremy Renner's character in American Hustle is a mayor involved in an investment scam. There was a long thread about White Lightning on the old site, with many positive comments. It's not a great film but it gives a feel for a small town and its powerholders. |
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Post by snsurone on Jun 19, 2018 22:07:43 GMT
A Face in the Crowd Citizen Kane (Gettys) All the President's Men White Lightning (corrupt police chief wonderfully played by Ned Beatty) American Hustle Bravo, I don't think of A FACE IN THE CROWD as being about politicians, per se, although I do remember some political shenanigans of some kind in it (it's been a while since I've seen it). And the media and politics certainly seem to go together, especially today, don't they? That film was so ahead of its time in that regard! Didn't see AMERICAN HUSTLE or WHITE LIGHTENING so can't comment on those, but I love Ned Beatty.
And a clarification about CITIZEN KANE: it's a fictionalized portrayal of William Randolph Hearst, not the Getty family (if I understood you correctly). It was Hearst who refused to allow his newspapers to post any ads for the film, which probably kept it from being more successful than it might have been.
Spidey, the movie had nothing to do with the Getty family. Gettys (or maybe it's spelled "Geddys") was the party boss who exposed Kane's affair with Susan Alexander, thus ruining Kane's political campaign. |
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Post by OldAussie on Jun 19, 2018 22:33:08 GMT
City Hall - Pacino
The Adventurers - Badel - My all time no.1 guilty pleasure
Spartacus - Olivier
Last King of Scotland - Whitaker
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Post by vegalyra on Jun 19, 2018 23:14:02 GMT
General Idi Amin Dada (documentary) - great to watch back to back with the previously mentioned Last King of Scotland
All of the numerous films about Hitler
The Killing Fields
Salvador
All the President's Men
The Great Dictator
The Interview
Missing
The Dictator
State of Play
Chinatown
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Post by mikef6 on Jun 19, 2018 23:38:12 GMT
The Great McGinty / Preston Sturges (1940)
Macbeth / Orson Welles (1948). An even more murderous usurper and tyrant from Shakespeare.
Executive Power / David L. Corley (1997). The President commits murder.
Absolute Power / Clint Eastwood (1999). Similar plot to Executive Power.
Inglourious Basterds / Quentin Tarantino (2009). Didn’t like the movie but Hitler was in it.
The Ides Of March / George Clooney (2011). A corrupt Presidential candidate and his even more corrupt campaign manager.
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Post by bravomailer on Jun 20, 2018 0:11:09 GMT
The Don has many judges and politicians in his pocket, like so many nickels. But they send their regrets for not attending his daughter's wedding.  |
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Post by politicidal on Jun 20, 2018 0:21:06 GMT
The lecherous uncle of them all!
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Post by _ on Jun 20, 2018 0:25:00 GMT
The Trump Administration (2016) is far fetched, but very scary.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Jun 20, 2018 0:31:20 GMT
The "good fascist" movies:
SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN 1970 -- Peter Cushing is a benevolent military dictator (with Nazi-type decorations around so there is no doubt what the intention was). His high command is assassinated and replaced by a sinister thug who closes the borders and starts torturing people who try to flee. He even captures a Western pilot on a spy machine.
THE DEVILS 1971 -- Oliver Reed --a flawed but well meaning and charismatic religious leader who seeks to protect his city from sickness and war but is destroyed by a combination of forces inside and out. There are clues in the movie (like the odd depiction of Richelieu) which makes one suspect that Russell isn't just attacking organized religion but eluding to WW 2 politics.
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Post by london777 on Jun 20, 2018 2:43:35 GMT
Leviathan(2014) dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev Corrupt mayor protected and encouraged by a greedy church  The Contender (2000) written/dir: Rod Lurie Joan Allen is VP candidate but has to deal with all the usual smear tactics. One of Gary Oldman's best roles.  The Candidate (1972) dir: Michael Ritchie Robert Redford is a candidate for the Senate  No Love for Johnnie (1961) Peter Finch superb as a once idealistic Member of Parliament whose private life is falling apart. Every time a UK MP has a personal crisis/scandal the hacks mention this picture as an authentic account.  House of Cards (UK TV mini-series, 1990) A satire on the Thatcher administration starring Ian Richardson in an iconic role.  Wag the Dog (1997) dir: Barry Levinson A political advisor (Robert De Niro) and a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) "produce" a hot war to distract the nation from a presidential sex scandal. Considered an extreme fantasy when released. Today, not so much.  In the Loop (2009) dir: Armando Iannucci More realistic telling of a similar story. A rare example of a top US military figure, played by James Gandolfini, being humane and thoughtful. (They are usually blustering hotheads like General Ripper in "Strangelove"). Though Gandolfini does toe the line at the end to save his career.  Fame Is the Spur (1947) dir: Roy Boulting A liberal politician (Michael Redgrave) becomes cynical and reactionary as he climbs the ladder to Prime Minister. A British classic which has not, IMHO, worn well.  The Chiltern Hundreds (1949) dir: John Paddy Carstairs Ealing style farce about the machinations behind a bye-election. The writer, William Douglas-Home, knew what he was writing about. His brother later became Prime Minister.  The Manchurian Candidate (1962) dir: John Frankenheimer Musical in which Frank Sinatra is surprised to find he has been elected President of Manchuria because his LPs are so popular there. He exchanges the corrupt world of Hollywood for the simple life of a goat-herder.  Primary Colors (1998) dir: Mike Nichols Spoof on the Clintons rise to prominence starring John Travolta and Emma Thompson. I like it, but it does not seem to be well regarded in the US, maybe for partisan reasons.  Bob Roberts (1992) written, directed and starring Tim Robbins. He is a redneck folk singer, controlled by the sinister Alan Rickman, who becomes a Presidential candidate, using every dirty trick in the book. 
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Post by london777 on Jun 20, 2018 3:26:21 GMT
Our Friends in the North (UK TV mini-series, 1996) Outstanding saga covering the lives of a group of friends in the north-east of England from 1964 to 1995. Two of the characters are Members of Parliament and a third attempts to become one. It covers a lot more than political issues, but the reason I love it is the conviction that politics is the key. Made stars of Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, and Mark Strong, who have all gone on to starring roles in big-budget Hollywood films. One main strand is a retelling of the Poulson Scandal, which rocked UK politics in 1972. Watch it if you can. Region 1 DVDs can be found cheaply. Downside are the Geordie accents which make the dialog hard to follow sometimes.  The Death of Stalin (2017) dir: Armando Iannucci Satire about Stalin's last days and the struggle for power and survival after his death. I have yet to see this one.  Stalin (1992) (TV movie) dir: Ivan Passer A serious effort, but needed to be a series. By concentrating on his private life the important political events are not explained sufficiently. Robert Duvall good as our hero.  The Assassination of Trotsky (1972) dir: Joseph Losey I am a great fan of Losey but found this unwatchable. If I can find a better print I will try again. Richard Burton miscast as Trotsky. %2001.jpg) In Bananas (1971) written, directed and starring Woody Allen, Woody runs away to Latin America, becomes a revolutionary and eventually President. 
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Post by BATouttaheck on Jun 20, 2018 3:37:25 GMT
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Post by kijii on Jun 20, 2018 4:40:56 GMT
In Quo Vadis (1951), Nero, played by Peter Ustinov, was a man with no moral center at all.  |
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Post by teleadm on Jun 20, 2018 13:00:21 GMT
 Julius Caesar 1953, and all other versions of the Shakespeare play. |
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Post by Dramatic Look Gopher on Jun 20, 2018 19:03:51 GMT
A Don Knotts comedy from 1971 called How To Frame A Figg.
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Post by bravomailer on Jun 20, 2018 21:24:37 GMT
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Post by london777 on Jun 20, 2018 21:53:47 GMT
Although he is in no way an "auteur", Stephen Frears is one of my favorite directors. He seems to deliberately work in as many different genres as possible, though I do not think he has attempted a western yet. Three efforts of his that deal with politics are: The Deal (TV movie) 2003 Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) and Gordon Brown (David Morrissey), the two main contenders to lead the Labour Party, expected to be in power shortly, negotiate a secret deal to share power. Years later, Blair reneged on his undertaking and the ensuing hostility between the two was a factor in Labour's fall from power. The Queen (2006) which covers how Tony Blair (Michael Sheen again - brilliant) and his "master of the dark arts" Alastair Campbell, manipulated the death of Princess Diana to win a propaganda coup for Blair's government. Incidentally, the character of the foul-mouthed and bullying Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi in the movie "In the Loop", which I mentioned in a previous post, was closely modeled on Campbell. This is typical:  A Very English Scandal (TV Mini-Series) (2018) Hugh Grant returns to top form as Jeremy Thorpe, the gifted but unstable leader of the UK's "third" party, the Liberals, who was accused of commissioning a hit on his male lover.  |
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