What are some good movies with progressive themes?

[dissent1977]

I am looking for a good movie to rent that actually has something to say. So I am going to ask everyone, what are your favorite films which carry a political and/or social message?

[two gun sid]

1. John Sayles 'Matewan'

[dissent1977]

2. Thank you, I had not heard of that one

It sounds very good by the description Netflix gives, so I am adding it to my queue.

[salin]

4. haven't heard of it - care to share the description?

[dissent1977]

8. Here is how Netflix describes it

Well-intentioned labor leader Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper) arrives in Matewan, West Virginia, intending to unionize the men and women of this company town. But his efforts to organize the workers of the Stone Mountain Coal Company ignite a powder keg of racial hostility, corruption and betrayal -- and touch off one of the most violent incidents in the history of the Coal Wars of 1920-21.

[salin]

11. Sounds very interesting. I will look for it. Thanks n/t

[Lisa]

19. you beat me to it!

Sayles has made a bunch of really good films that look at progressive ideals. "Lone Star" was excellent too, and most recently "Silver City" (though the character Cooper plays is quite different this time).

[tigereye]

29. all his movies are great!

Brother From Another Planet, Lianna, Return of the Secaucus Seven, Sunshine State are a few more good ones.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

3. The last really good one I saw

was "The Sea Inside." It is a Spanish film by Alejandro Amenabar (The Others, Abre Los Ojos) and stars Javier Bardem. It is the true story a man in Spain who fought for his right to die.

[dissent1977]

10. I haven't seen that one either, thanks for the suggestion

It sounds very depressing, but I will definately check it out. Sometimes depressing movies are good.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

16. Depressing and uplifitng

because of the situation and because of the message and the story respectively.

You're welcome.

[Zomby Woof]

5. The Contender

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. "Triumph of the Will"

:P

[peekaloo]

13. .

:rofl:

[chaska]

7. grapes of wrath

[dissent1977]

9. Reading the book now

It is an absolutely beautiful book, and once I am finished with it I will check out the movie.

[peekaloo]

12. The Cradle Will Rock

[applegrove]

14. Anything by Costa Gravis!

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

18. I don't want to sound like a jerk

but do you mean Costa Gavras. Unless I have it wrong and then I am a jerk.

[applegrove]

26. Could easily be my mistake. Don't worry about it. It happens to me

more than I would like.

[BillZBubb]

15. Dr. Strangelove!

It's a black comedy, but it skewers the cold war mentality.

Also, the "Battle of Algiers". It's got subtitles, but for those concerned about Iraq, it's a good one to see.

[dissent1977]

17. I should probably share some of my personal favorites too

In the Name of the Father
The Hurricane
Dead Man Walking
Erin Brokovich
Born on the Fourth of July
Salvador
Boycott
Bread and Roses
Cradle Will Rock
Gandhi
Hotel Rwanda
The Insider
Network
Norma Rae
Pump Up the Volume
Rabbit Proof Fence
Saved
The Siege
Steal This Movie
Wag the Dog

If you haven't seen any of these movies, check them out because they are all excellent.

[u4ic]

20. "In the Heat of the Night"

a great movie.

[quisp]

21. I was gonna say Matewan but that's been done...

hmmmm....
howsa 'bout Robert Redford's directoral debut "The Milagro Beanfield War"

When I first rented it my girlfriend (now my wife) groaned, "A war movie?" I said, "I don't think so..."

a good date movie


on edit: typos

[Tom Kitten]

22. Salt of the Earth

It's from the 1954 and is a truly independent production about the abuses Mexican American mine workers who went on strike went through...Lots of info here if you are interested...Will Geer was in it !

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047443/

[dissent1977]

27. looks very interesting...

Netflix says that some of the actors and the director of the film were blacklisted after it came out, and any film that gets blacklisted needs to be watched. I haven't seen it yet, but I definately will check it out.

[KittyWampus]

23. Elmer Gantry, Grapes of Wrath, El Norte

[NYCGirl]

24. The two I always recommend are "A Face in the Crowd" and "Meet John Doe"

Both dealing with "populist" characters and the influence of the media:



Andy Griffith (yes, that Andy Griffith) plays a country singer who becomes the friendly face of a right-wing fascist group:

from: www.allmovie.com
While it's about as subtle as a stick of dynamite in a keg of nails, A Face in the Crowd was one of the first intelligent attempts to examine the impact of mass media on average citizens. If Budd Schulberg's script plays its hand too heavily by today's standards (it's pretty hard to shock anyone now by telling them television can be used to manipulate the mass audience), it still works, thanks largely to fine work by a superb cast. In his film debut, Andy Griffith gave the greatest performance of his career as "Lonesome" Rhodes, a small-time con artist who discovers that his "aw shucks" homespun act can make him wealthy and powerful as a radio and television star. The near-cancerous growth of Rhodes' ego and unholy lust for power is a fascinating thing to witness, and anyone who knows Griffith only as Andy Taylor from Mayberry will be shocked by the gale-force megalomania of this role; he never again approached the mesmerizing ugliness of this character. Patricia Neal is equally impressive as the bright and ambitious Marcia, swinging from confidence to wounded vulnerability with heart-wrenching effectiveness. And while Walter Matthau has the thankless task of delivering the film's moral in his final speech, you can't say that he didn't know how to make the most of it, as he sums up Lonesome's crimes with lip-smacking cynicism. Add the crisp and adventurous black-and-white camerawork of Harry Stradling and Gayne Rescher, and Elia Kazan's brisk and methodically paced direction, and you get a "message movie" that still feels fresh, even if the message has dated. -- Mark Deming



Also from www.allmovie.com:
The first of director Frank Capra's independent productions (in partnership with Robert Riskin), Meet John Doe begins with the end of reporter Ann Mitchell's (Barbara Stanwyck) job. Fired as part of a downsizing move, she ends her last column with an imaginary letter written by "John Doe." Angered at the ill treatment of America's little people, the fabricated Doe announces that he's going to jump off City Hall on Christmas Eve. When the phony letter goes to press, it causes a public sensation. Seeking to secure her job, Mitchell talks her managing editor (James Gleason) into playing up the John Doe letter for all it's worth; but to ward off accusations from rival papers that the letter was bogus, they decide to hire someone to pose as John Doe: a ballplayer-turned-hobo (Gary Cooper), who'll do anything for three squares and a place to sleep. "John Doe" and his traveling companion The Colonel (Walter Brennan) are ensconced in a luxury hotel while Mitchell continues churning out chunks of John Doe philosophy. When newspaper publisher D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), a fascistic type with presidential aspirations, decides to use Doe as his ticket to the White House, he puts Doe on the radio to deliver inspirational speeches to the masses -- ghost-written by Mitchell, who, it is implied, has become the publisher's mistress. The central message of the Doe speeches is "Love Thy Neighbor," though, conceived in cynicism, the speeches strike so responsive a chord with the public that John Doe clubs pop up all over the country. Believing he is working for the good of America, Cooper agrees to front the National John Doe Movement -- until he discovers that Norton plans to exploit Doe in order to create a third political party and impose a virtual dictatorship on the country. The last of Capra's "social statement" films, Meet John Doe posted a profit, although Capra and Riskin were forced to dissolve their corporation due to excessive taxes. -- Hal Erickson

[ghostsofgiants]

25. Traffic

[Telly Savalas]

28. Billy Jack!