Films that bring previously obscured truths about the political process to the attention of the public, showing for example how offices of public trust are used for private purposes.
DOES RED JOAN REVEAL A POSSIBLE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT? Did a humble British woman prevent World War III? The film Red Joan, a biopic of Melita Norwood, suggests that that was her motive in providing secrets of the atom bomb to the Soviet Union. Based on Jennie Rooney’s novel recounting true events, Red Joan […]
AJAs ARE APPLAUDED IN GO FOR BROKE: AN ORIGIN STORY Why were tens of thousands of Japanese on the West Coast sent to internment camps, but few were similarly mistreated in Hawaiˋi? Go for Broke: An Origin Story, directed by Alexander Bocchieri, answers that question without specifically identifying the puzzle. The film begins a few
THE INVISIBLES BRINGS HIDDEN BERLIN JEWS OUT OF THE SHADOWS Hitler rounded up most of the Jews in Germany for evacuation to death camps. From 1943, when the Nazis declared Berlin free of all Jews, about 7,000 remained in Berlin, hiding out as best they could, whereas only 1,700 survived by the end of the war. The
LITHUANIANS MOURN IN ASHES IN THE SNOW Made for about $5,000, Ashes in the Snow (Tarp pilku debesu) is based on the novel Between Shades of Gray, which dramatizes how Lithuanians were treated by the conquering Soviets during World War II. Beginning with a calm day in a Lithuanian town in early 1941, the film focuses on the fate
ON THE BASIS OF SEX CELEBRATES RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S STRUGGLE The film On the Basis of Sex is a biopic of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1993 and has authored landmark rulings to bring gender equality to the United States. The focus is on her extraordinary quest to be accepted
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VICE DEMONIZES DICK CHENEY A choppy biopic of Dick Cheney (played by Christopher Bale), Vice begins chronologically in 1963, when Cheney is an alcoholic troublemaker. Soon his wife Lynne (Amy Adams) issues an ultimatum—make something of your life or divorce. Cheney begins his political career in 1969 by serving as a Congressional intern during the Nixon presidency. Impressed
GREEN BOOK FOCUSES ON A BLACK PIANIST IN THE SEGREGATED SOUTH Dr. Don Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali) was a Jamaican-born American musician whose talents Igor Stravinsky described as “virtuosity is worthy of Gods.” After studying and performing in his youth, he decided to pursue a doctorate of Music, Psychology, and Liturgical Arts. The film Green Book features
OUTLAW KING REMINISCES ABOUT SCOTLAND’S INDEPENDENCE The Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England joined on May 1, 1707, to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. Separate parliaments became one parliament, though the two legal systems remained separate. Scottish educational, religious and other institutions have remained distinct from the rest of the UK, maintaining Scottish culture
THE FRONT RUNNER EXPLAINS WHY GARY HART NEVER BECAME PRESIDENT Colorado Senator Gary Hart (played by Hugh Jackman) was an up-and-coming political star in 1984, when he threw his hat into the ring to seek the presidential nomination from the Democratic Party. Although he lost to Walter Mondale that year, he carefully planned for 1988 with
AT LEAST 600,000 NEED TO SEE BOY ERASED In small towns throughout the United States, where college education is a rarity, many children grow up in authoritarian families and attend church services where the pastor tries to explain what is happening by referring to the Christian bible as the only source of wisdom. Jared Eamons (played