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PODCAST

Politics of Cinema

Films are cultural artifacts. There is a political and artistic message in every one and we"re here to document. On each episode we pick a film; sometimes current and sometimes from the riches of world cinema’s 100+ year history, and take a deep dive into what the film is really saying about the world. Both overtly and covertly.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

01:05:52

Silencing Opposition in The Act of Killing (2012) &...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/09/26

After spending a number of episodes in the past, today we're jumping to the 2010's. We're looking at two documentaries from Joshua Oppenheimer; The Act of Killing (2012) and The Look of Silence (2014). These docs reveal two different aspects of the chilling aftermath of Indonesia’s 1965-66 anticommunist massacres, one looking at the perpetrators and one looking at the legacy of the victims. We also draw on Vincent Bevins’ book The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass

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48:28

The Third Generation (1979) & Other Instruments of...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/08/29

After examining Robert Kramer’s Ice (1970) fictionalize America in our last episode, we shift to West Germany to explore another cinematic portrayal of resistance to fascism in Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Third Generation (1979). Set against West Germany’s postwar society, Fassbinder sharply exposes how insincere revolutionary acts can become hollow gestures, exploited to justify expanded state control and surveillance. Though rooted in 1979, the film eerily anticipates our contemporary world:

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49:14

Cinematic Resistance: Urban Guerrillas vs The State...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/07/31

On this episode we wanted to see a depiciton of people resisting fascim, so we're looking at an Robert Kramer's Ice (1970). It's our first American film in this series and the resistance we're seeing comes from a cell of New York Urban guerillas. They are fighting a dystopian version of the Nixon administration and its illegal war of imperialism in Mexico. Kramer's film is less a straightforward dystopia thriller than a raw document of the fractured leftist movements trying to organize within the

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57:17

Cinematic Resistance: Bearing Witness in Gwangju with...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/05/30

On this episode, we're leaving the 1960's behind and jumping to South Korea in 1980. In Jang Hoon's A Taxi Driver (2017) we get a wild sampling of genres in a remarkably well balanced film. It's an action film. A single father supporting his daughter story. It’s dramatic and also quite goofy. It’s based on a actual events, but it’s also highly fictionalized. It documents political history while being oddly apolitical at times. And it's a journalism film too. International treasure Song Kang-ho

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53:48

Cinematic Resistance: Army of Shadows (1969) & the...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/03/28

On this episode, we're staying in the late sixties for one more film as we watch Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows (1969). A haunting portrayal of the French Resistance during the early days of World War II that serves as an existential reflection on what it really takes to fight an occupying force. Melville's muted color palette and precise framing underscore the suffocating atmosphere of occupied France, while also highlighting the moral complexity faced by those fighting fascism. The

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01:00:01

Cinematic Resistance: The Damned (1969), or Why...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/02/21

On this episode, we're staying in the late sixties as we watch Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969). Following our exploration rising authoritarianism in Costa-Gavras' Z (1969) and reactionary Brazilian politics in Glauber Rocha's Entranced Earth (1967), we're heading right into the Nazi den that is the von Essenbeck family in late 1930's Germany. A scathing critique of the German industrial elite's seduction by (and complicity in) the rise of Nazism, Visconti shows how a wealthy family's greed and

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01:01:43

Cinematic Resistance: Entranced Earth (1967) as...

Politics of Cinema ·

2025/01/17

On this episode, we're heading to Brazil and discussing Glauber Rocha's Entranced Earth (1967), a pivotal work of the Cinema Novo movement. Following our exploration of Costa-Gavras' Z (1969), we're delving into the turbulent world of Brazilian filmmaking in the wake of the 1964 military coup. Entranced Earth isn't just a film; it's a cinematic rebellion against political corruption and authoritarianism. Rocha's work, along with the broader Cinema Novo movement, redefined Brazilian cinema with its

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01:04:45

Cinematic Resistance: Z (1969) & the Enduring Threat...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/12/20

Given the results of the US elections, we thought it would be a good idea to look at a great work of art to help with context and see how filmmakers can play a role in confronting state repression. It's a film we should have discussed at some point over the last four years: Costa-Gavras's political thriller Z (1969). To state the obvious, this depiction of government conspiracies, assassination attempts, rising authoritarianism, the deep state, and a sprawling cover-up feels quite prescient

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50:29

Film Noir & Capitalism II: Capitalism is Crime

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/11/15

For the last three years we've observed the month long celebration know as Noirvember, and this year is no exception. In 2021 we recorded an episode called Film Noir & Capitalism. For 2022 we went over to Japan and did two episodes looking at Yakuza Noir via Tokyo Drifter (1966) and A Colt is My Passport (1967). Last year we focused in on Neo-Noir with and episode on Killing them Softly (2012) and the roll of the 2008 economic crisis on modern American crime. This year, we're returning to the

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01:07:54

Our Primordial Past: Folk Horror in Penda's Fen...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/10/18

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),

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02:09:08

Commentary Track: Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/10/04

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. Follow us at: Patreon / Twitter / Instagram / Letterboxd / Facebook

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01:12:17

The Paranoid Lens: Warren Beatty vs Chuck Norris in...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/09/20

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

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59:17

Victim of Subtlety: The Missed Opportunity of Civil...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/08/16

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

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01:10:43

Joint Security Area (2000) and the Rise of South...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/07/19

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

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01:05:38

Culinary Tyranny: Exploring Capitalism, Identity and...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/04/12

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. Follow us

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01:00:02

Political Vaudeville: FTA (1972), Jane Fonda, and...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/03/08

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

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01:20:46

The Continuous Process of Becoming - Robert Kramer's...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/02/09

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

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52:06

Buñuel's Banquet: Feasting on Satire in The...

Politics of Cinema ·

2024/01/12

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

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01:05:41

The Palestinian Experience: Documented and Portrayed

Politics of Cinema ·

2023/12/22

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

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01:09:06

Systemic Risk: Killing Them Softly (2012) & the...

Politics of Cinema ·

2023/11/10

The fallout 2008 financial crisis has been portrayed on film in a number of ways; from documentary's like Iniside Job (2010) and Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) to ficiton films "inspired" by the events like The Big Short (2015) and Margin Call (2011). Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly (2012) takes a different approach. It starts with George V. Higgins' 1974 crime novel, itself the third in a series, that centers on a lower level crime syndicate in Boston. Then Dominik places that story in a

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110 results

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