h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

any ideas for good ones? i'm trying to put together a festival type thing - any help would be much appreciated

Ones that should be made, or ones that have been made?
If the former then "Something rotten in Tatton" about the Hamiltons should, at the very least, attract an avid audience of lawyers .

Off the top of my head:

Primary Colors
Bob Roberts
Mr Smith Goes To Washington

There are a number of others but these are at the top of the list.

But if you don't want to stop at movies, then you can't go wrong with a Yes Minister marathon!

All the Presidents Men (Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford)
The Manchurian Candidate (Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh)
The Candidate (Robert Redford and Allen Garfield)
The TV Mini Series 'Kennedys'

The American President (Michael Douglas and Annette Benning)

"The Parallax View"
"Washington: Behind Closed Doors" (TV series)
"House of Cards" (TV)
"A Very British Coup" (TV)

Don't forget "Nixon" starring Antony Hopkins. Very heavy, but a real eye-opener. It actually feels like Hollywood got some history right, for a change. However, my knowledge of US history is minimal, especially that period. (I wasn't old enough to take an interest. Honest!)

I suppose Oliver Stone's JFK is worth mentioning. Also Salvador, by the same director.

Sometimes a director can touch a little *too* explicitly on political themes, at the expense of aesthetic concerns. Ken Loach's Land and Freedom would be an example of a film that (IMHO) suffers from too much didacticism. Try Ladybird, Ladybird by the same director, or better still an earlier film called Kes - a beautiful piece of work, and truly political in the deeper sense that it focusses on how people really live their lives, rather than on the shady comings and goings of corrupt members of the ruling class...

So how do we define 'political'? Do we mean in the sense of dealing with political events in the world of government; or do we mean dealing with the effects of these events in the real 'life world' (ie, 'polis') that we all live in from day to day?

I suppose some of Scorcese's earlier films - Mean Streets, Taxi Driver - could be seen as political in this latter sense. Also, perhaps, his later film The Last Temptation of Christ, because it had the temerity to portray Christ as a human being subject to human temptations - still (even today) a very subversive notion from the point of view of a lot of fundamentalist types. Plenty of other possible examples don't spring to mind at this particular moment, but may well do so in the near future. But perhaps they're not really what you're looking for...

"Water" starring Michael Caine with Billy Connolly and the much-lamented Leonard Rossiter should be in anyone's political collection

For the more humorous side, also see the very excellent Kevin Kline vehicle "Dave", and anything by Michael Moore (especially "Roger and Me").

"Wag the Dog" is quite good.

what could fundies possibly find so subversive about the idea of Christ as a plain old man - that was kind of the point of the whole exercise as I understood it? I suppose that they can be rather odd sometimes.

Whoops Apocalypse

"Are you trying to tell me that the British Public have elected a mad man as their Prime Minister? Again!!!"

I've been on a big political movie kick lately, so...

"Cradle Will Rock" - This is my current favourite. Written and directed by Tim Robbins, it has a great cast: Susan Sarandon, John and Joan Cusack, Bill Murray, Vanessa Redgrave, Hank Azaria. Absolutely great, with good music, very funny, great cinematography.

"Bulworth" - Warren Beatty plays a liberal senator or congressman (one of those American politician types) who realizes that he has completely lost sight of all the ideals for which he had gotten into politics. A great Political movie with a surprising ending.

Dr. Strangelove, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Already mentioned, but seconded by me:
Bob Roberts - Again Tim Robbins, absolutely incredible movie.
Wag the Dog
Dave

Is that the same Leonard Rossiter who was in the BBC series 'The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin'??

And 2001: A Space Odessay (sp?)
No, really, he played a Russian, in the talky bit of the film.

He did too, although I don't think I've ever heard a more English-sounding Russian in my life...

PS - Odyssey.

The very same. Always worth watching

thank you all for your invaluable input - much appreciated - for those of you who are interested the final list will be (drum roll please):

Killing Fields - about Cambodia

Cry Freedom - about Steve Biko in South Africa

Campaign - a NZ film about the first MMP election in one of the most marginal seats in the country (as it turned out)

Sleeping Dogs - NZ film that foresaw the 1981 Springbok Tour violence

Patu! - about said 1981 Springbok Tour

A Yes Minister Marathon evening (if anyone needs telling you ought to be ashamed, although there are a lot of americans here, so maybe i shouldn't be so surprised )

Wag the Dog - about media manipulation in the USA

Bob Roberts - seemed to be the best of those suggested about the American experience in general (Cradle Will Rock isn't available here yet)

We are hoping to keep the festival going next year too, because there were so many good ideas, so if people want to keep making suggestions rest assured they will be considered.

and thanks again for everyone's help