MC Wednesday Inventory #7: Your Top Five Most Politically Challenging Films

[dreamdead]

So we're a little late with this week as I work through my own cold. The topic here can be interpreted however you will, but essentially asks what are the five films that most challenge you with their political commentary, whether overt or buried in subtext. These might not even necessarily be films that you actually love and politically agree with so much as films that admire despite the sketchiness of the politics that they assert.

[Ezee E]

Salo is the first that comes to mind. I'll have to ponder over the rest. Good topic.

[Spinal]

I'm going to start here:

Dead Man Walking
Manderlay
A Perfect Candidate
Punishment Park
Zero Dark Thirty

[Ezee E]

Good picks on Manderlay and Dead Man Walking.

[Pop Trash]

Do the Right Thing
JFK
Team America: World Police
Palindromes
Inside Job

[Skitch]

This one is tough.

[B-side]

No explanations needed for this one, I don't think:

Anatomy of Hell (Catherine Breillat, 2004)
Manderlay (Lars von Trier, 2005)
Black Girl (Ousmane Sembene, 1966)
Blackboards (Samira Makhmalbaf, 2000)
Magdalena Viraga (Nina Menkes, 1987)

[dreamdead]

1. I am Cuba
2. The Battle of Algiers
3. Punishment Park
4. Xala
5. I Live in Fear

HM: Weekend (Haigh); Still Life;

I'm not the biggest fan of Earth. Are there others in the 1930s Russian films beyond that and Eisenstein that's phenomenal?

[Pop Trash]

This one is tough.

I'm still not sure if I did this right.

[Raiders]

I am certain there may be some I could rank above these, but typically these lists are done with initial gut responses...

W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism
The Cranes are Flying
This is Not a Film
Apocalypse Now
Blue Collar

[Skitch]

I'm still not sure if I did this right.
I think you did. I guess I'll throw some out there and see if they stick.

Baraka
Dark Days
Sicko
Munich
Three Kings

[dreamdead]

I think you did. I guess I'll throw some out there and see if they stick.

Baraka


Interesting selection. Any thoughts on why picked this one?

[Skitch]

Interesting selection. Any thoughts on why picked this one?

The visions of tribes in the amazon...then cut to busy intersections in Japan (I assume) where people are moving like ants...it brings to perspective how tiny and insignificant our political posturing is in the grand scheme of continued existence and the on going growth of mankind. We busy ourselves with day to day minutia, forgetting how lucky we are to not have to fight for our next meal or very survival every day.

Does that make any sense?

[Li Lili]

Well can I play ?
It was hard to choose...

S21 (Rithy Panh)
Intervention Divine (Elia Suleiman)
The Red Detachment of Women (Xin Jie)
Garage Olimpo (Marco Bechis)
The Big Durian (Amir Muhammad)

[MarcusBrody]

1. The Battle of Algiers
2. The Incredibles
3. Dr. Strangelove
4. Munich (credit to Skitch, I didn't think of this one until I was reading down through his list, but it's a good choice for me)
5. From Russia with Love (really most of the James Bond series)