Working-class movies
A list of anti-establishment films from the '90s
I was a blogger before there was a word for it. “Sun Lies” was my online venue of media criticism, named for the guy who regularly picketed the Baltimore Sun. The poor schlub was probably overcharged for a classified ad—who knows?—but his daily, sign-carrying protest was inspiring.
On Sun Lies (published in 90s) I’d dissect the Sun’s coverage of just about everything except the weather and airplane crashes (this was before airline pilots were jabbed with experimental “vaccines”), looking for its dependable pro-corporate bias.
Being a film buff, though, and with an excellent video store in Baltimore (Video Americain, long gone) that stocked an eclectic range of movies, I saw a lot of great films. So I put together a list and posted it. At the time, I categorized the moves as “left wing,” something that means something else today, I’m afraid. Let’s just say they’re films that are anti-establishment, pro-worker, humanistic and, above all, honest.
Here it is, unedited (except for the pictures) from thirty-some years ago.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), directed by Lewis Milestone. One of the all-time great anti-war films; rings true after nearly 70 years.
American Dream (1989), directed by Barbara Kopple. Incredible, Academy Award-winning documentary about a strike at a Hormel meat packing plant in Minnesota. The profitable firm cuts wages and breaks the union for the hell of it; a steady gaze into the dark heart of Corporate America. Movie and video critic Leonard Maltin says, "This is the stuff of high drama."
Animal Farm (1955), directed by John Halas, Joy Batchelor. Animated movie of the Orwell classic. Not for kiddies.
Bob Roberts (1992), directed by Tim Robbins. Hilarious sendup of right-wing politicians as director Robbins (who also wrote the screenplay) plays a conservative, folk-song singing senatorial candidate who's a master manipulator. Look for cameos by John Cusack, Gore Vidal, David Strathairn, others.
Bound for Glory (1976), directed by Hal Ashby; Woody Guthrie and the Depression; photography by Haskell Wexler (who won an Oscar).
The China Syndrome (1979), directed by James Bridges. Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas investigate a cover-up at a California nuclear plant; released around the same time when Three Mile Island, just upwind from Baltimore, blew. A four-star thriller.
Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski. A chilling study of power in a Raymond Chandler-esque setting. Peak performances by Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston.
Cousin Bobby (1991), directed by Jonathan Demme. Documentary about the director's radical cousin, a priest living in Harlem who lives his dedication to left-wing ideals. Not preachy, good flick.
Defense of the Realm (1985), directed by David Drury. An investigative journalist (Gabriel Byrne) writes a story, a British MP resigns--but that's just the start of this political thriller.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), directed by Stanley Kubrick. The American military never looked more absurd. Black comedy with great performances by Peter Sellers (in three roles), George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, Sterling Hayden.
Executive Action (1973), directed by David Miller. Underrated film with Burt Lancaster about the Kennedy assassination; sort of a precursor to JFK (the movie). Not for fans of the single-bullet theory.
A Face in the Crowd (1957), directed by Elia Kazan. Andy Griffith's first film almost sunk his career; dynamite screenplay by Budd Schulberg about a homespun hobo (Griffith) who rises to TV stardom and then flirts with fascism. Great supporting cast includes Patricia Neal, Lee Remick, Walter Matthau.
The Front (1976), directed by Martin Ritt. Woody Allen plays a schnook enlisted by blacklisted writers during the McCarthy era; a comedy with a serious theme.
Germinal (1993), directed by Claude Berri. Impoverished coal miners on strike in late 19th-century France; a bit plodding and overlong, but another fascinating performance by Gerard Depardieu.
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), directed by James Foley. Real estate salesmen as vicious sharks; a grim look at what capitalism does to people, from the David Mamet play. Stunning ensemble performances by Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey.
Go Tell the Spartans (1978), directed by Ted Post. Realistic Vietnam War film with the always compelling Burt Lancaster; doubts aplenty about the U.S. mission in Southeast Asia.
The Grapes of Wrath (1940), directed by John Ford. Okies from the dust bowl move to California during the Depression, from the Steinbeck novel. Hokey but moving; Henry Fonda gives the performance of his career.
Harlan County, U.S.A. (1977), directed by Barbara Kopple. Gripping, Academy Award-winning documentary about a mine strike in Kentucky; probably Kopple's best known film. A good companion to American Dream (see above).
Heaven & Earth (1993), directed by Oliver Stone. The nerve: the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese perspective. (Sure looks like the U.S. invaded South Vietnam.) Panned by the mainstream media, of course, and a beautiful film.
High Noon (1952), directed by Fred Zinnemann. A Western parable of the McCarthy era: On his wedding day, a marshal (Gary Cooper in a comeback role) faces a crisis of conscience when a gunman returns to seek revenge--and no one is around to help. Tex Ritter's "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'" has got to be about the best movie song ever.
His Girl Friday (1940), directed by Howard Hawks. One of the all-time great screwball comedies, with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, features machine-gun dialogue as an editor and his ex-wife work to save a death-row convict for all the wrong reasons . . . and journalistic ethics be damned.
Incident at Oglala (1992), directed by Michael Apted. Documentary about the framing of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, narrated by Robert Redford; a companion piece to Apted's Thunderheart (see below).
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), directed by Don Siegel. Scary sci-fi with a strong McCarthy-era subtext. By the way, those pod people are still in charge. The 1978 remake with Donald Sutherland is good, too.
JFK (1993), directed by Oliver Stone. A pick-your-conspiracy movie about the assassination of Kennedy. Gripping, taut, incredible editing, great supporting performances by Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Donald Sutherland.
Julia (1977), directed by Fred Zinnemann. Jane Fonda plays Lillian Hellman, who puts her life on the line to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany for her childhood friend (Vanessa Redgrave), now a Resistance fighter. Great story, great performances (especially Jason Robards as Dashiell Hammett).
Land and Freedom (1995), directed by Kenneth Loach. Honest, compassionate film about a British Communist fighting Fascism in the Spanish Civil War. How honest? By the end of the movie, the Leftists are shooting more at each other than at Franco's troops (par for the course).
The Last American Hero (1973), directed by Lamont Johnson. Jeff Bridges plays Junior Johnson, a stock car racer doing what he can to escape the grinding poverty of western North Carolina; a true story. Three-dimensional characterizations and a cynical point of view raise this flick above the genre.
Let Him Have It (1991), directed by Peter Medak. Horrifying, fact-based film about the last execution in Britain (of a retarded youth who was innocent). Head and shoulders above the mawkish Dead Man Walking.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), directed by Tony Richardson. Key British film of the '60s with a left perspective that confronts social norms and institutions. Adapted from a short story by Alan Sillitoe; stars Michael Redgrave and Tom Courtney.
Lone Star (1996), directed by John Sayles. Film about an unsolved murder, illegal immigrants and cultural clashes in Texas; overshadowed by the much inferior Fargo, which came out the same year. Don't miss it.
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1993?), directed by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick. Two Canadians followed Noam Chomsky for years making this fascinating documentary about the M.I.T. professor and dissident intellectual. Not nearly as boring as it sounds (good thing; it's nearly three hours long). When the film played at the BMA, the line wrapped around the block and sold out.
Matewan (1987), directed by John Sayles; a compassionate and compelling film about a labor war in West Virginia featuring James Earl Jones (not hawking Bell Atlantic for a change); many familiar faces from other Sayles' films.
Modern Times (1936), directed by and stars Charlie Chaplin. The Little Tramp (who fled America during the McCarthy era) attacks the machine age with a vengeance in his final silent film. A classic.
Natural Born Killers (1994), directed by Oliver Stone. Panned by the mainstream media, so you know there's probably something good here, and there is: a cartoon indictment of shock journalism. Added bonus: Tommy Lee Jones gives the performance of his career as a sadistic prison warden. Appallingly graphic . . . and in good fun. Keep your sense of humor and enjoy; it's not meant to be in good taste.
Nixon (1995), directed by Oliver Stone. Hard to believe: A compassionate film about Tricky Dick that almost makes you feel sorry for the miserable sombitch. Anthony Hopkins is Richard Nixon, and as usual Stone assembles an army of outstanding supporting actors (especially Joan Allen as Pat Nixon and James Woods as either Haldeman or Ehrlichman; I still can't tell them apart). Forget whatever you heard about this movie and see it.
Network (1976), directed by Sidney Lumet. An outrageous satire of television when it was released; what seemed farfetched in 1976 became true. Along with Chinatown, one of the best films of the 1970s (the last great Hollywood era). Outstanding cast, screenplay.
Norma Rae (1979), directed by Martin Ritt. Former Flying Nun Sally Field won an Oscar for her performance as a real-life Southern mill worker who goes union.
The Panama Deception (1992), directed by Barbara Trent. Scathing, Academy Award-winning documentary about the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama. Neither Reagan, Bush nor the U.S. media look good in this film about a small war that killed thousands of Panamanian civilians; many may have been zapped by new "experimental" weapons. Would our government lie? Yes, but that's just the beginning.
The Parallax View (1974), directed by Alan J. Pakula. The ultimate patsy movie. Warren Beatty gives a great performance as an investigative reporter on the trail of uncovering who assassinated a U.S. senator. A white-knuckle thriller all the way to the end (even if you don't pick up the parallels to Lee Harvey Oswald).
Paths of Glory (1957), directed by Stanley Kubrick. Shattering anti-war film, based on fact. Great performances by Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou.
Raining Stones (1993), directed by Kenneth Loach. Honest working people suffering under Thatcherism. A grimy, gritty, excellent drama.
Reds (1981), directed by Warren Beatty. Sprawling Hollywood take on the Russian Revolution. Downside is a sappy love story (you'll want to strangle Diane Keaton by the end of the three-hour-plus film); pluses include performances by Beatty (as John Reed), Jerzy Kosinski, Maureen Stapleton, Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson . . . and the very fact that this tribute to 1917 not only got made, but garnished Oscars for best director, supporting actress (Stapleton) and cinematography!
Roger & Me (1989), directed by Michael Moore. Funny, ironic, angry documentary about GM firing 40,000 workers in Flint, Michigan.
Salt of the Earth (1953), directed by Herbert Biberman. Gripping story about a mine strike in New Mexico with a feminist point of view. Made during the height of the McCarthy era by the blacklisted director, star Will Geer and screenwriter Michael Wilson. Most of cast is non-professional. A powerful film not to be missed.
Save the Tiger (1973), directed by John G. Avildsen. The degradations of the business world, with outstanding performances by Jack Lemmon and Jack Gilford. Movie and video critic Leonard Maltin calls the script "pretentious," so you know it hits a nerve. Although Lemmon won a best actor Oscar for his performance, this film is an overlooked gem.
Silkwood (1983), directed by Mike Nichols. Meryl Streep plays Karen Silkwood, who knew too much about what really was going on in the Oklahoma nuclear-parts factory where she worked (and paid the price). Outstanding performances abound, especially from Streep and Cher.
The Sorrow and the Pity (1970), directed by Marcel Ophuls. A four-and-a-half-hour documentary about France in World War II (not the country's finest hour); mostly interviews with people who lived through the period. Far from dull. When it's over you'll have insight into how otherwise "normal" people condone fascism. (And they say it can't happen here. . . .) Don't miss it.
Sweet Smell of Success (1957), directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The degradation of journalism in a film loosely based on columnist Walter Winchell. A brutal film noir with outstanding performances by Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman . . . and New York at 3 a.m. in the '50s looks great.
The Thin Red Line (1998), directed by Terrence Malick. A war movie for everyone who hates John Wayne flicks. In this anti-war epic set on Guadalcanal, soldiers cry, shake with fright, get blown to bits, scream, bleed to death, laugh, and in their poetic voice-overs think of everything except Mom, apple pie and the American way . It's an hour too long, beautifully shot, refuses to demonize the Japanese, and contains some of the scariest war scenes since Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.
Three Days of the Condor (1975), directed by Sydney Pollack. CIA horrors . . . and Robert Redford never looked better. Good thriller.
Thunderheart (1992), directed by Michael Apted. Murder on a Sioux reservation; turns the cowboy-and-Indians saga inside out. Mesmerizing performances by Graham Greene, Val Kilmer. Companion to Apted's Incident at Oglala (see above).
Under Fire (1983), directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Journalists Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman get politically involved in Nicaragua. Excellent political thriller.
The Wages of Fear (1952), directed by H.G. Clouzot. So you think you're being exploited by Corporate America? It's white-knuckle time in one of the most suspenseful films ever made; long-distance truck drivers transport nitroglycerine to earn their way out of a Central American hellhole. Existentialism 101 and a great performance by Yves Montand.
Wag the Dog (1997), directed by Barry Levinson. Not since The China Syndrome (see above) has a film premiered with such exquisite timing; after Clinton's impeachment-eve bombing of Iraq, it's now part of the political lexicon. It's a fast-paced, funny, and only occasionally ridiculous movie about a media spinmeister (Robert De Niro) and a movie producer (Dustin Hoffman) who concoct a war with Albania to distract the moronic public from presidential sexcapades. The film boasts a can't-miss cast (not just De Niro and Hoffman, who are predictably great, but also Woody Harrelson in a particularly pure performance) and a screenwriting assist from David Mamet, America's Shakespeare.
The Whistle Blower (1986), directed by Simon Langton. Michael Caine gives an excellent (and understated) performance as a politically "neutral" father who looks into the mysterious death of his son, a linguist at an NSA-type spook palace in England. He doesn't stay neutral for long in this well-handled political thriller.
Jotted a few of these down - got a lil film club with a few friends, when it's my turn to choose I'll choose one of these! Thank you :)
Thanks for this !