Politics of Cinema
Aaron & Isaac
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Recent Episodes
S15E17 Hanging Out With The Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
Need a warm cinematic hug from a group of close friends? Want to spend some time with people who get all your jokes? In this episode, we discuss The Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980), a foundational…
S15E16 How to Mock a Tyrant in The Great Dictator (1940)
In this episode, we wrap up our look at depictions of fascism and authoritarianism on film with Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940). Chaplin had the nerve to go fully anti-fascist and…
S15E15 Imagination as a Form of Resistance in Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
This week, we descend into the dark fantasy fairytale of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006). Amid the rich craftsmanship of the fantasy world that Ofelia imagines, the film lays bare the…
S15E14 Silencing Opposition in The Act of Killing (2012) & The Look of Silence (2014)
After spending a number of episodes in the past, today we're jumping to the 2010's. We're looking at two documentaries from Joshua Oppenheimer; The Act of Killing (2012) and The Look of Silence…
S15E13 The Third Generation (1979) & Other Instruments of State Sponsored Terror
After examining Robert Kramer's Ice (1970) fictionalize America in our last episode, we shift to West Germany to explore another cinematic portrayal of resistance to fascism in Rainer Werner…
S15E12 Urban Guerrillas vs The State in Ice (1970)
On this episode we wanted to see a depiciton of people resisting fascim, so we're looking at an Robert Kramer's Ice (1970). It's our first American film in this series and the resistance we're seeing…
S15E11 Bearing Witness in Gwangju with A Taxi Driver (2017)
On this episode, we're leaving the 1960's behind and jumping to South Korea in 1980. In Jang Hoon's A Taxi Driver (2017) we get a wild sampling of genres in a remarkably well balanced film. It's an…
S15E10 Army of Shadows (1969) & the Weight of Impossible Choices
On this episode, we're staying in the late sixties for one more film as we watch Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows (1969). A haunting portrayal of the French Resistance during the early days of…
S15E9 The Damned (1969), or Why Industrialists Love Authoritarians
On this episode, we're staying in the late sixties as we watch Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969). Following our exploration rising authoritarianism in Costa-Gavras' Z (1969) and reactionary…
S15E8 Entranced Earth (1967) as Radial Political Poetry
On this episode, we're heading to Brazil and discussing Glauber Rocha's Entranced Earth (1967), a pivotal work of the Cinema Novo movement. Following our exploration of Costa-Gavras' Z (1969), we're…
S15E7 Z (1969) & the Enduring Threat of Authoritarianism
Given the results of the US elections, we thought it would be a good idea to look at a great work of art to help with context and see how filmmakers can play a role in confronting state repression.…
S15E6 Film Noir & Capitalism II: Capitalism is Crime
For the last three years we've observed the month long celebration know as Noirvember, and this year is no exception. In 2021 we recorded an episode called Film Noir & Capitalism. For 2022 we…
S15E5 Our Primordial Past: Folk Horror in Penda's Fen (1974) & La Llorona (2019)
October has arrived and as we are wont to do here at The Politics of Cinema, we are diving into an approiate theme within the horror genre to celebrate. In the past we've looked at; Fascism in Green…
S15E4 Commentary Track: Sorry to Bother You (2018)
It's our 100th episode and to celebrate we're doing something a little different. This is a syncable commentary of one of the films that inspired this podcast - Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You…
S15E3 The Paranoid Lens: Warren Beatty vs Chuck Norris in 1970's Political Thrillers
American cinema of the 1970's is generally known as the golden age of the paranoid thirller. Specifically, the paranoid political thriller. The genearl idealism of the 1960's was met with increasing…
S15E2 Victim of Subtlety: The Missed Opportunity of Civil War (2024)
When it comes to great political films, subtlety is vastly overrated. Why not go all in and express a point of view? Or better yet, throw in a bunch of competing viewpoints and see how they bounce…
S15E1 Beyond Borders: Joint Security Area (2000) and the Rise of South Korean Cinema
On this episode, we take a look at Park Chan-wook's breakthrough film Joint Security Area (2000). Upon release, this film was the highest grossing film at the South Korean box office. Now, in 2024,…
S14E13 Culinary Tyranny: Exploring Capitalism, Identity and Authenticity in Pig (2021)
On this episode we dive into one of Isaac's favorite films of the 2020's, Michael Sarnoski's Pig (2021). Sure, on the surface it's a simple story of a man who just wants his beloved pig back. But, as…
S14E12 Political Vaudeville: FTA (1972), Jane Fonda, and Mobilizing the Military Against Vietnam
As we celebrate 3 years of the show, we decided to take a look at one of our favorite eras of American film - the 1970's. We're specifically looking at the Vietnam Anti-War Movement as captured by a…
S14E11 The Continuous Process of Becoming: Robert Kramer's Milestones (1975)
As we celebrate 3 years of the show, we decided to take a look at one of our favorite eras of American film - the 1970's. We're specifically looking at the Vietnam Anti-War Movement as captured by a…
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Politics of Cinema has published 100 episodes since July 2020, covering topics in Documentary, Film History.
Politics of Cinema is currently active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 1h 11m.
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