My Top 10 Political Films

This list was gleaned from the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Films Of All Time, an informal poll among friends and fellow movie lovers, and my own preferences. I claim no special insight or influence, I’m just a woman who loves movies and enjoys discussing and dissecting them. Here is my list of 10 of the best political films ever in no particular order:

Dr. Strangelove (1964): While this is often cited as the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick’s classic has a serious undertone in its satirical look at the Cold War. The story concerns General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), an off-kilter military man with an unhealthy obsession with “precious bodily fluids,” who sends a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets react poorly, of course, threatening with a so-called “Doomsday Device.” As the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) negotiates with his Soviet counterpart, the world hangs by a thread. Sellers (who plays 3 parts, including the president and a British military officer) does a stellar turn as the title character, a mad scientist in the mold of Werner von Braun. George C. Scott is brilliant as General Buck Turgidson, who advises the POTUS with statistics about “acceptable losses,” a scary look at how some top military brass were said to have thought back then (and even still). Hilarious dialogue (“You can’t fight here! This is the war room!”) and the image of Slim Pickens’s Colonel Kong riding the bomb down to its target made this film a part of our cultural vocabulary. Many younger folks haven’t seen this because it’s in black & white (come on kids, you’re more sophisticated than that), but it should be in the library of every cinephile of any age.

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939): This film appears on almost every list of this kind and with good reason. Part of that is an Oscar-nominated performance by James Stewart, highlighted by his impassioned speech before Congress. He plays Jefferson Smith, a small town hero chosen to serve as an interim senator. All gung-ho, Smith heads to Washington with optimism only to be confronted with the reality of the corruption he finds. In one of American cinema’s most iconic scenes, Smith filibusters the Senate in an attempt to reveal its corrupt nature. It is considered to be an unreal depiction of the Hill but it may not be as far off the mark as it used to be. Plus, it features one of the greatest performances of Stewart’s career. Get over the black & white cinematography and get into Jimmy Stewart’s performance.

The American President (1995): This dramedy about a widowed U.S. president and a lobbyist who fall in love shows that we love our screen presidents to be handsome and charming. Well, Hollywood is all about fantasy, right? We also love a good romance, even though the idea of the president and a lobbyist in bed together for anything other than making money to their mutual benefit is the height of fantasy. But Michael Douglas and Annette Benning make a lovely couple and it doesn’t hurt that the script by Aaron Sorkin is clever and witty. Oh, and Rob Reiner directing? Perfection.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962): The original version, thank you very much. John Frankenheimer’s tale of a former Korean War POW who was brainwashed by Communists into becoming a political assassin is a tense thriller. Brilliant performances by Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury and Frank Sinatra (yes, that Frank Sinatra!) make this a real must-see. Anyone who only knows Lansbury from her voice role as Mrs. Potts is in for a real surprise here! The plot may seem a bit outdated but replace “communist” with the political villain de jour and you’ll get it. The remake tried but just didn’t recapture the sense of menace. You will never look at a deck of cards the same way again.

All The King’s Men (1949): Adapted from Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this tale of Louisiana governor Hugo Long’s career is a true classic (though the names have been changed). Oscar winner Broderick Crawford is Willie Stark, a backwoods lawyer who rides a wave of populism to get into the governor’s mansion. Of course, he immediately turns his back on his ideals, becoming just another crooked politician. Once ensconced, Stark deals with enemies, becomes quite familiar with corruption and infidelity and generally goes to the dark side. Trying to help him along the way are a reporter (John Ireland) and Stark’s campaign assistant (Mercedes McCambridge). She, of course, wants Stark to leave his wife in order to marry her. Eventually, Stark’s karma comes back to bite him and he pays for his corruption even as it looks like he might escape his gloomy future. All The King’s Men was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three, including Best Picture. The film was remade in 2006 with Sean Penn playing Stark, and the less I say about that, the better. Watch the original.

The Candidate (1972): In a brilliant satire (released during Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign), Robert Redford is Bill McKay, a liberal attorney who takes on an incumbent Republican senator for his seat. Campaign operative Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) signs on to get McKay elected but only on the condition that McKay is allowed to speak his mind. Which he does – by preaching truth and honesty. This makes him surprisingly popular in the polls, the public loving his refreshing candor. But, as always, the candidate finds himself losing sight of his original idealism and becoming seduced by the power and the powers-that-be. The Candidate was a critical and box office hit, and earned Jeremy Lerner (a former political speechwriter) the Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Milk (2008): Sean Penn stars in the story of Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official. The film uses archival footage, working it into the narrative to provide atmosphere as it tells Milk’s story from his 40th birthday until his death. Gus van Sant does a lovely job, not trying to make Harvey Milk into anything but the human being he was and guiding Josh Brolin in a difficult part as killer Dan White. Sean Penn was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black picked up a statue for his original screenplay. Every modern political activist should see this film if only to see how we can keep our humanity while fighting for that of others.

JFK (1991): New Orleans DA Jim Garrison is depicted by Kevin Costner in one of the few films I actually like him in (sorry, Costner fans). Garrison knew there was more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story and he was determined to prove it. To that end, he talks to witnesses, doggedly chasing down the story. The film chronicles his investigation and the trial of Clay Shaw, chasing various key figures in the assassination down rabbit holes into even more labyrinths. The cast is stellar, including Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci and Kevin Bacon. The enjoyment of this film depends a lot on one’s own theories about the Kennedy assassination and is one of those love-it-or-hate it kind of movies. It’s obvious that I am the former (the fact that we lived in Nawlins during this time and my mother knew Garrison might bias me a little). JFK won 2 Oscars: one for cinematography and one for editing. Both Jones and director Oliver Stone were nominated but didn’t win.

All The President’s Men (1976): One of the best films about the juncture of politics and journalism, this is the tale of reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who uncovered the details of the Watergate scandal. This film is still shown to journalism students and rightly so. It tells the story very clearly and concisely, following the reporters as they “follow the money” at the direction of their informant, Deep Throat. When the real identity of Deep Throat came out in 2005, it created a brief upsurge in interest for the film in the public. But those of us who are fond of it never forgot it. The cast is brilliant, including one of my all-time favorites, Jason Robards, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee. Screenwriter William Goldman was also awarded a statue for his adapted screenplay. This one is an absolute must for any fan of politics or journalism, or both.

V For Vendetta (2005): The only film on my list to be adapted from a graphic novel, this story of a shadowy freedom fighter known only as “V” is one of the few such adaptations to succeed, in my opinion (yes, I am aware of the change of cause and it works even so). Even though we never see his face, Hugo Weaving is masterful as the mysterious V and Natalie Portman has just the right amount of vulnerability mixed with iron strength and, in actually shaving her head, showed an admirable dedication to her craft. I also loved Stephen Fry’s turn as Evey’s former boss; such an understated bit of acting. Creator Alan Moore was not happy with the film and gave all his profits to the artist who drew the graphic novel, also denying any credits for the original story. That’s really too bad because, even though it’s freedom instead of anarchy, the underlying message is the same: burn for your truth and you will catch others alight, too.

What are your favorite political films? Let us know in the comments.