By Aaron & Isaac
The podcast currently has 101 episodes available.
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 Room (2015), Humans Hunting Humans, Art House Horror, and the career of George Romero. This year we are heading into the thick of the woods to explore Folk Horror.
We discuss a few classics of the genre, such as Witchfinder General (1968), The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), The Wicker Man (1973), and Ganja & Hess (1973). We also connect the themes in those early films to those explored in modern folk horror like The Witch (2015), It Follows (2014), Hereditary (2018), and Midsommar (2019)—before Isaac reins us in so we don't include every single horror film in this genre.
Our main focus is also on one classic and one modern example: Penda's Fen (1974) and La Llorona (2019). These two striking examples of folk horror delve into the complexities of identity, history, and the landscapes that shape us. In Penda's Fen, we find a pagan anarchist manifesto within a coming-of-age story set in rural 1970s England. With La Llorona, we see how the ghosts of the past exact revenge on the Guatemalan General who orchestrated an Indigenous genocide. Both films yield surprisingly upbeat results within their narratives—at least to us.
If folk horror piques your interest, we would also highly recommend watching Keir-La Janisse's documentary, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021).
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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 (2018).
Sync up this episode with the film to watch along and hang out with us while we geek out over this brilliant directorial debut and biting social satire.
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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 cynicism by the 1970's, but do these films actually go for the politics of the era or are they just dealing with vibes?
In this episode, we focus on two films of the era; The Parallax View (1974) and Good Guys Wear Black (1978). Is it possible that an early Chuck Norris film has more to say about American politics than a Warren Beatty film that was made during the Watergate hearings?
We also briefly discuss a number of other films from the era, just to see if they're providing vibes or real content. Films discussed include; The Day of the Jackel (1973), The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1973) [see our previous episode], Marathon Man (1976), All the President's Men (1976), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Domino Principle (1977), The China Syndrome (1979), and Cutters Way (1981).
This era also saw a proliferation of Biker films after the box office success of Easy Rider (1969). Two that we discuss because of their Vietnam War connection are The Losers (1970) and Brotherhood of Death (1976).
We also discuss two European examples just to see how the comparison works; Revolver (1973) and The Assassination (1972).
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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 off each other. Sounds like the recipe for conflict, insight, drama, action-packed set pieces, and maybe a few killer needle drops.
Alex Garland's Civil War (2024) teeters on the edge of greatness, and it’s maddening becasue it's so close. On this episode, we argue that this films was just one screenplay draft away from delivering full-on, grimy, 1970s exploitation gold. If only the writers of How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) could have done a polish - or even better, let them direct.
But don’t get us wrong, we both enjoyed Civil War. The mere fact that it even nods to an American left (albeit off-screen) is telling; it shows that leftist ideas are creeping back into the cultural consciousness. It's just a bummer that the Portland Maoists and the New People's Army weren’t part of the narrative.
Other recommended viewing: Sleeping Dogs (1977) and War Photographer (2001)
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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, it ranks at number 65. This really illustrates just how popular cinema is in South Korea.
Along with this film, we discus the rise of South Korean cinema around the world since 2000. From Oldboy to The Handmaiden to The Wailing to I Saw the Devil to Squid Game to Parasite...there's no shortage of dynamite cinema being exported out to the world. Not to mention the global dominance of K-POP.
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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 Robin and Amir journey through the Portland culinary scene to find said pig, the film explores what it means to live a life true to oneself, the importance of rejecting marketplace expectations, and finding authentic human connections.
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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 fictional film and a documentary; Milestones (1975) and F.T.A. (1972).
On this episode we discuss Francine Parker's documenatry, F.T.A. (1972). Once again, we're also joined by special guest Jim Miller. As we celebrate Parker's film as well as Jane Fonda's career, Jim helps us to tie together alot of threads:
In F.T.A., Parker's camera follows the 1971 anti-war, vaudville-style show as the performers entertain over 64,000 troops stationed in Okinawa, Japan, the Philippines, and Hawaii.
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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 fictional film and a documentary; Milestones (1975) and F.T.A. (1972).
On this episode we discuss Robert Kramer's experimental opus, Milestones, and are joined by special guest Jim Miller. Jim was an organizer during this period and provides key insights into just what was going on in that space at the same time Milestones is being made. Spoiler - the film is pretty accurate.
Robert Kramer has said that his films would one day add up to a whole. That all his films portray a "consciousness moving through time and place, trying to survive, trying to understand. The continuous process of becoming”.
In Milestones we travel around American with 6 storylines and over 50 characters to survey the landscape of post-Vietnam anti-war activists.
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Luis Buñuel was a master at creating lasting images that stay in the viewers brain long after the film is over. He had a career that spanned multiple decades and working in multiple countries, yet he consistantly took aim at political and social elites.
In his 1962 masterpiece, The Exterminating Angel, the acclaimed filmmaker crafts an allegorical comedy that confronts the socio-political realities of Franco's Spain. Infused with a surrealistic touch and a substantial dose of satire, the film allows for a multi-layered interpretation.
Plus, it's just plain funny to watch the rich fall apart and destroy themselves.
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On this episode, we're looking at two cinematic exampoles of the Palestinian expereince. One documentary and one fictionalized portrayal.
The documentary, Gaza Ghetto: Portrait of a Palestinian Family (1985), captures exactly what the title implies. We get the lived experiences from grandmother down to grandchildren as they recount their experiences ranging from the 1948 exile to the 1967 war to the 1971 “pacification campaign”.
The fiction film is the very poorly titled, The Dupes (1973). It's an adaptation of Ghassan Kanafani's acclaimed book, Men in the Sun (1963). In this portrayal, three Palestinian men of different generations and and backgounds employ a fourth man to drive them past Iraqi checkpoints in hopes of getting to Kuwait and (hopefully) jobs. It's a fantastic example of realist cinema from Tawfiq Saleh, one of Egypts best filmmakers.
Links to things mentioned on the show:
The Accented Cinema book that Aaron discussed.
Solidarity Cinema
Palestine Film Institute.
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The podcast currently has 101 episodes available.