I have to admit, immediately after the 2006 election, I was worried that the ’08 Congressional races would be significantly more boring than the cycle we just saw. I certainly never would have predicted there would be this many Senate races in play, for instance — and the number of House races to watch keeps on growing by the week. I can’t wait for 2008, because it’s going to be a wild ride.
On another note, in addition to our usual open thread banter this week, why don’t we take a breather and discuss movies. This being the Swing State Project, the question to ask, of course, is: what is your favorite political movie of all time?
I’m looking forward to reading your responses — and grabbing the popcorn.
UPDATE (David): Rep. Jo Ann Davis (VA-01) has died after a battle with cancer.
Filmed in Algeria but based on actual events in Greece. Starring Yves Montand,Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant
Director Costa Gavras
A GREAT political thriller. One of the first really “cool” movies that I ever saw. it just looked different from anything that I had seen until that point.
It was filmed almost six decades ago and is in black and white, but Born Yesterday is still a brilliant examination of political corruption, the role of women and a host of other issues and it’s funny. Judy Holiday, Broderick Crawford and William Holden form a tremendous cast.
is when I became optimistic about this cycle. When the entire Republican party decided to send MORE troops to Iraq, instead of less, and when all the background chatter indicated there was no real strategic rationale for such a move at all other than CYA… that’s when Republicans in Congress doomed themselves to a very good Democratic cycle. (Unpredictable future events notwithstanding, of course.)
Yeah Z is fantastic. One of the best foreign language films ever made. That and The Manchurian Candidate were the two movies that came first to mind.
Others I’d throw into the mix are No Man’s Land, Battle of Algiers, Death and the Maiden, The Politician’s Wife (BBC miniseries that’ll shortly be remade by Hollywood), House of Cards, The King of Hearts, and solely on the basis of the script The Designated Mourner.
Classic, ’nuff said.
If Kucinich and Castor vote against overturning the president’s SCHIP veto in naive hope that something more perfect will come along, then it’s really time that they get primaried out for someone a little more grounded in reality. I’m curious as to if any of Kucinich’s primary challengers have a real shot, especially now, and also if anyone has been floated as a challenger against Castor. They are both in very Democratic districts with little chance of a Republican upset, so there’s no real risk of a divisive primary hurting us in the general.
So many great movies… “Dave,” “The American President,” “Doctor Strangelove”…
The best, though, is Robert Redford’s “The Candidate,” made in 1972. It was about a young and idealistic Senate candidate in California who hasn’t got any chance of winning against a popular conservative incumbent. Basically, it’s perfect for SSP readers.
And had the perfect ending. When I saw it the first time, I initially wanted more, but within a few moments I realized it ended exactly the way it should.
Plus, great lines, like:
“You’re the Democratic nominee!”
“You make it sound like a death sentence.”
Or:
“So vote once, vote tuh-wice, for Bill McKay… you middle-class honkies.”
(And special thanks to IMDB for helping me get those quotes right.)
This miniseries shows the chaos and absurdity of the campaign from the inside. It is also accurate to the point that you can match the characters to people you’ve worked with, campaign after campaign.
If you like to follow campaigns, there are several movies that can be fun. If you like to work on campaigns, only one movie, to my knowledge, really gets it right.
Maybe if Howard Dean had watched this, instead of “Bulworth”, he would have known what he was in for.
and thanks for starting it since I’m trying to start up a movie night with my local law school Dems.
I’ll second The Candidate, which is wonderful and honest (as a good example, the incumbent is neither pure evil nor cartoonishly overconfident), but I am going to start off the series with The War Room. not that I support Senator Clinton (I don’t) but this is such an intimate view of a really fascinating campaign. also, I wish I had seen it before 2004, so that the scene where Stephanopoulos goes over the exit polls (“we’re leading in Oklahoma… we’re tied in Texas”) could have convinced me not to take them too seriously.
again, great idea. I hope more people post!
I believe Dan Quayle actually cited it as his inspiration for getting into politics – even though it’s an extremely cynical movie. Would be like citing Primary Colors as your inspiration – another great political movie. I thought Travolta did a brilliant job, as did the guy who played the aide (the main character). The novel is not half-bad, either, even if it was written by a jerk-ass Joe Klein who lied through his teeth to try to retain his “anonymity.” But you don’t need to read the book, just the movie is enough.
It isn’t entirely accurate, but a must for anyone interested in labor history.
For a few months longer, I would have watched them.
of course, “All the President’s Men” is amazing.
But overall, the best is “Nashville.”
I of course think of movies about campaigns and electoral politics. Most of my faves have already been mentioned here – The Candidate, Manchurian Candidate, Primary Colors. I also really like Election, with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, which is about a high school student body election.
For comedies, Dave is also a favorite (gotta love the name, of course). The Distinguished Gentleman is not great but has some memorable lines and scenes (including Eddie Murphy speaking Yiddish).
Being There is perhaps a little bit of a stretch to fit this category, but it’s certainly about presidential politicking. It’s also one of the most brilliant and emotionally devastating movies ever made.
I enjoy the ‘The West Wing’, obviously. But that’s not a movie, is it?
“Dave” is good. Entertaining. I also enjoyed “The American Preisdent”. But I wanna watch it again, because it’s been a while. I thought “Primary Colors” was really entertaining, too. Pretty good story.
I didn’t really enjoy that Robin Willams movie, “Man of the Year”. It was sold as a story about politics, but was about a voting machine that wasn’t able to count votes properly. I just kinda pissed me off.
I’m probably missing a few that I really liked, though.
The Candidate, including:
“You Lose”
Written on the inside of a matchbook cover by Robert Redford’s campaign manager. Redford has asked him how the hell he’s going to run this campaign, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, etc. The campaign manager, in essence, is telling him that it doesn’t matter – You Lose.
Also:
“What has Bill McKay done for California? Not much… but his father was Governor.”
“Nashville” probably decries more intolerance in the first 5 minutes than most people do in their whole lives. (Yes, I am also taking into consideration the film “Intolerance”.)
It’s definitely a top-ten film for any reasonable general list, and certainly so in the political category.
Are you folks going to see any of these movies that have been suggested, or are we just listing them? “Dave” is fun and all but….
Wow, I forgot about “Being There.” It even comments on a president’s impotence. Totally belongs on any political list! (not to mention that it’s my estimation that Jack Warden is a republican and repug advisors think Chauncey Gardner would win because of his innane prognosis of the American economy.) Election is really good too.
Anyone else think Hal Phillip Walker from “Nashville” had some decent ideas, excepting, of course, his idea to change the national anthem?
Christmas has always smelled liked oranges, at least to me.
The story is a little unrealistic, I mean a senator who isn’t trying to betray his constituents to earn a buck, that’ll happen. Still, a great movie.
I most think about aren’t very SSP-ish – that is, not so much electoral politics – and I always name the same ones. Matewan, Moolaade, The Grand Illusion. Oh, and I recently saw Sophie Scholl, which was pretty amazing.
Does anyone know anything about whether or not Eric Cantor is planning on entering the Republican primary against Davis and Gilmore? I was reading an article by Novak:
“Rep. Eric Cantor, chief deputy whip and a rising Republican star in the House, has not ruled out an uphill run for the Senate from Virginia next year. Democrat Mark Warner, who was governor in 2002-05, is heavily favored for the Senate seat of retiring Republican John Warner (no relation).”
The link is here: http://www.realclear…
and the War Room.
if I called call Election a political movie, I’d go with that one. But its not really a political movie.
…is one of my favorites. Tim Robbins wrote and directed it and stars as a right-wing folksinging Senate candidate in Pennsylvania. Hilarious, creepy, oddly accurate in its prediction of the right-wing demagoguery that would come to power just a few years later (it takes place in 1990; Rick Santorum won his PA Senate seat in 1994).
He has a leadership position in the House and he’d be running against his collegue in Tom Davis.
is VA-01, not VA-11.
with Henry Fonda. I love the how it shows some of the backroom wheeling and dealing that candidates had to do before there were tons of primaries in order to secure the presidential nomination. And the way John Henry Faulk plays a racist Southern governor is hilarious.
The other is 7 Days in May with Kirk Douglas.
VA-11 is of course Tom Davis.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? has some great campaign moments – we need some of that re-form!
That’s not on dvd yet is it? I don’t think so – which is a shame. I remember seeing part of it on tv once and being really impressed. It’s from a play by Gore Vidal.
I forgot about “Seven Days In May”! It would’ve been on my list above.
Great movie, and political in a totally different way than “The Candidate” or any others. It’s got the “Oh my God, this could happen!” feel of “Doctor Strangelove,” but without the ridiculous comedy.
http://www.dclabor.o…
Some great flicks listed – many by Ken Loach. Check out Carla’s Song or Land and Freedom.
Both are up there with Z and Matewan.
Being from Virginia, I wanted to highlight “A Perfect Candidate” about Ollie North’s campaign for Senate. The access that the crew had to the innards of the campaign is similar to that of the those who filmed The War Room.
BTW, the seat being contested was held by Chuck Robb who lost it to George Allen 6 years after this film was shot. Its the seat we reclaimed with the incredible victory of Sen. Jim Webb last year.
The Mouse That Roared.