Film Club Rule #410: Politics makes strange bedfellows, and it often makes for stranger films.

With the impending inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, we decided to take a look at the portrayal of the Presidency in film over the years. Jeff starts off with what all three co-hosts agree is one of the all time craziest films, Wild In The Streets. The 1968 film shows the possible dangers of a strong personality riding a wave of populism into the oval office. Voting age is a primary factor in the film as kids all over the US threaten “Fourteen or Fight”. They want a voting age of 14, or they’ll take to the streets. Rusty follows up the discussion with John Frankenheimer’s 7 Days in May, a film from 1963 that considers the possibility of a coup occurring in the United States. It’s an overlooked classic with great political nuance. Heather discusses the historical significance of Robert Redford’s film the Conspirator from 2010. The Conspirator is about the trials of the men and on woman who were charged with conspiring to kill Abraham Lincoln. The character of Mary Surratt is the central figure in the film that questions the fairness of trial so large in scope at such a heated time in history. We also touch on Idiocracy, The War Room, Young Mr. Lincoln, and Bob Roberts among others.

music: bensound