US politics goes to the movies
As in all political campaigns, many worthy early frontrunner candidates dropped off this list, but as we enter the final stretch of this year s
’ gobsmacking US presidential campaign, here are 14 films to guide you through the tricky maze of US politics over the past eight decades and show you how the more things change, the more they seem to so depressingly stay the same.
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
Frank Capra s story of
’ sentimental but heartfelt belief in the promises of American democracy is still a classic tale of idealism and what happens when a good man gets sucked into the Washington swamp.
CITIZEN KANE (1941)
A self-made media mogul whose ambitions know no bounds and who in this, still for many the best film made, is ultimately unsuccessful in his bid to gain the highest office in the land. If only it could never happen in real life.
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
John Frankenheimer s brilliant
’ dissection of the madness of the far Left and far Right in the anxious nuclear age stands the test of time as a prophetic vision of the US under the influence of foreign puppet masters.
ALL THE PRESIDENT S MEN (1976)
’
The film that created a generation of journalists is still one of the best on-screen examinations of the depths of government corruption and its consequences. It s the ultimate
’ story of the determination of small men to doggedly pursue justice and bring down those whose power seems to make them untouchable.
TANNER 88 (1988)
‘
Robert Altman s freewheeling,
’
fast-talking comic genius was a perfect fit for this criminally underseen and underrated mockumentary miniseries about a hapless nice guy candidate who decides to give his campaign his best shot only to find that people out there actually like him. Written by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau and mixing fictional characters with real-life interaction with candidates on the campaign trail, it s a
’
masterwork by an American maverick that perfectly conveys the mighty mess of post-World War 2 US democracy.
JFK (1991)
Forget about whether any of Oliver Stone s conspiracy
’
theories about the assassination of JFK have any evidence to back them up and you re still
’
left with a brilliant examination of all the nefarious powerplays at work in terrified Red-scare, Cold War America with its over-the-top characters and their high-stakes commitment to defend their misguided ideas about democracy by any means necessary.
BOB ROBERTS (1992)
Tim Robbins directed and starred in this ahead-of-its-time piece of mockumentary nuttiness about a simpleminded conservative folk singer who decides to run for office. It s
’ blackly humorous and still uncomfortably prescient for a film made in the days before reality television produced a real, living president.
WAG THE DOG (1997)
Barry Levinson s sharp, funny
’ star-studded satire of the power of media to influence politics is and even more pertinent in the era of fake news.
PRIMARY COLOURS (1998)
Mike Nicol s adaptation of the
’ thinly veiled novel about the slick charms of the Clintons is an all-too-familiar story of idealism that turns to disillusionment in the face of ruthless ambition and the demands of realpolitik.
ELECTION (1999)
Alexander Payne s high school
’ election satire is a superbly
smart attack on the bureaucratic madness that plagues the American electoral system. It s
’
not just a hugely enjoyable and cynical attack on voting, it s also
’
a terribly true demolition of the inequalities and fissures at the heart of the American dream.
IN THE LOOP (2009)
Armando Iannucci took his singular brand of foul-mouthed, fast-paced, dry British satire to
Washington for his madcap but razor-sharp dissection of the dangerous idiocy and lack of irony that was allowed such free rein during the Blair and Bush eras.
THE IDES OF MARCH (2011)
George Clooney s slickly
’ thrilling look at the perennial American political theme of the souring of idealism and the threats posed by the revelation of dark secrets still feels all too chillingly real and relevant, even though similar situations seem not to have had quite the desired effect on the career of the current US president.
LINCOLN (2012)
Steven Spielberg s look at the
’ behind-the-scenes machinations of the passing of the 13th amendment to abolish slavery is as much a carefully observed historical portrait of its legendary protagonist, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, as it is a revelation of the way in which the machinations of the US government have remained the same for hundreds of years.
ALL THE WAY (2016)
Brian Cranston stars as legendary Senate bulldog and master politician Lyndon B Johnson in this examination of what happened when a man of iron will came up against the realities of the presidency during the tumultuous year of 1964 and the titanic struggle to pass the Civil Rights Act.