A History Of Politics In Movies

Hollywood has always been obsessed with politics, and there is a long tradition of films with political stories. “Such movies provide windows on the vast changes that have sculpted the political landscape over the years; if Frank Capra’s Depression-era civics lesson is innately optimistic, then Michael Moore’s wartime anti-Bush-administration harangue seems afflicted by a whopping dose of cynicism. But in ways that may not be immediately apparent, the two films share similarities; each is a snapshot of a political system that works only if the citizenry pays attention and, perhaps more importantly, is given the opportunity to pay attention.”