14. 'The Parallax View' (1974)
Inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination, "The Parallax View" follows a reporter (Warren Beatty) who investigates a senator's assassination and uncovers a global conspiracy by a multinational corporation. The political thriller was the middle piece of director Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy," including "Klute" (1971) and "All the President's Men" (1976). "The Parallax View" flopped at the box office, perhaps because it was so dark, but today it stands as a below- the-radar gem.
1. 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939)
Paving the way for "Meet John Doe" (1941) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" starred Jimmy Stewart as Jefferson Smith, a midwestern everyman who goes to change Washington, finds out just how corrupt it is and fights for our founding principles anyway. The film introduced us all to the concept of the filibuster, creating cinema legend as Stewart stood on the Senate floor and literally spoke until he dropped. Backed by Claude Rains, Jean Arthur and Thomas Mitchell, Stewart should have won the Oscar, but when he lost to Robert Donat for "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939), he was given a make-up Oscar the next year for "The Philadelphia Story" (1940). Mr. Smith was voted the AFI's No. 11 Greatest Movie Hero, ahead of Tom Joad and Oskar Schindler. The AFI also voted "Mr. Smith" the No. 5 most inspirational film and the No. 26 greatest film of all time.
2. 'All the President's Men' (1976)
"Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country." Jason Robards' Oscar-winning portrayal of Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee was phenomenal, but the film really belongs to its buddy team of Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, playing investigative journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who exposed Nixon's Watergate scandal. The AFI voted them the No. 27 Greatest Movie Heroes, one spot behind Superman, and their achievement was nothing short of heroic, two journalists taking down the President of the United States. Perhaps most impressive was Adam J. Pakula's ability to keep us enthralled -- through shadowy meetings with Deep Throat -- even though we already knew the ending. The film was voted the AFI's No. 77 Greatest Movie of All Time.
3. 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962)
Between its 1962 release and its 25th anniversary release, "The Manchurian Candidate" went unseen by the American public. Legend grew that Frank Sinatra had the film pulled from theaters after the Kennedy assassination, while others said it was merely a contract dispute. No matter, John Frankenheimer's tale is riveting, as Angela Lansbury's "Queen of Hearts" conducts a Manchurian brainwashing scheme to have Laurence Harvey assassinate a U.S. Senate candidate. The opening brainwashing scene is chilling and the final assassination is nail biting. Lansbury's Mrs. Iselin was voted the AFI's No. 21 Greatest Villain. Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep starred in an inferior 2004 remake, which changed the ending.
4. 'Citizen Kane' (1941)
If this were a "greatest movies" list, it would have a shot at No. 1, but since this is a list of "political movies," it doesn't seem right to put it in the Top 3. Still, the rise and fall of Charles Foster Kane is inextricably linked to American politics, from brushing shoulders with Hitler and Teddy Roosevelt in the opening newsreel, to his famous stump speech in front of a "KANE" banner; from his sex scandal insistence, "I'm no cheap, crooked politician," to his post-election lament with Joseph Cotten at campaign headquarters. Click here for a complete breakdown of what makes "Citizen Kane" so great.
5. 'Dr. Strangelove' (1964)
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!" George C. Scott shines as the hawkish general. Sterling Hayden discusses his "precious bodily fluids." Slim Pickens does a bronco ride on a nuclear bomb. James Earl Jones makes his film debut. And Director Stanley Kubrick makes symbolic mischief with planes sexually docking under the opening credits. Still, for all its genius satire on Cold War nuclear annihilation, the movie belongs to Peter Sellers, who laid the groundwork for Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers by playing three roles: President Merkin Muffley, Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake and the titular Dr. Strangelove, who can't control his mechanical arm from shooting up in a Heil Hitler salute.
6. 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962)
What is a western if not a tale of civilization versus the frontier? Here, Jimmy Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard, a senator whose rise to fame was built on a lie, that he shot the notorious outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), when really it was Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Co-starring Vera Miles, Edmond O'Brien, John Carradine, Lee van Cleef and Strother Martin, "Liberty Vallance" gave director John Ford a masterpiece in four different decades: "Stagecoach" (1939), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "The Searchers" (1956) and "Liberty Vallance" (1962). Most importantly, the film did what Eastwood did years later in "Unforgiven" (1992), exposing the myth of the Old West, as a reporter tells Stewart, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
7. 'Seven Days in May' (1964)
We move now from Michael Douglas to his "Spartacus" father in "Seven Days of May." Kirk Douglas plays Col. Jiggs Casey, who stumbles upon a military plot to overthrow the government in seven days, orchestrated by his superior, Gen. James Scott, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Burt Lancaster). He quickly informs the president (Fredric March) and digs up dirt from Scott's ex-girlfriend (Ava Gardner). Directed by John Frankenheimer ("The Manchurian Candidate") and written by Rod Serling ("Twilight Zone"), the film unravels its complex conspiracy all the way until a fantastic final confrontation between Lancaster and March.
8. 'The American President' (1995)
Call it the film solely responsible for TV's "The West Wing" (1999), "The American President" cut writer Aaron Sorkin's political teeth, casting "West Wing" star Martin Sheen and "Spin City" star Michael J. Fox as White House aides. Here, Sorkin reteams with "A Few Good Men" (1992) director Rob Reiner to tell the tale of widowed U.S. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) who falls in love with a lobbyist (Annette Bening). The two send each other flowers and take spins around Dupont Circle, on the way to becoming one of the AFI's Top 100 Passions. With Oscar-nominated music by Marc Shaiman and a powerful final speech, "The American President" is one of the better romantic comedies you'll see.
9. 'Reds' (1981)
After getting a taste of politics in "The Parallax View" (1974), Warren Beatty tried writing, directing, producing and starring in his own political epic. The result was "Reds," a tale of radical American journalist John Reed who becomes involved in the Communist revolution in Russia and tries to bring it back to the United States. Rivaling the scope and subject matter of "Dr. Zhivago" (1965), the film boasts a powerful cast in Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Maureen Stapleton, who won Best Supporting Actress. His sole win for Best Director, "Reds" remains Beatty's best political effort, far better than "Bulworth" (1988).
10. 'The Great Dictator' (1940)
After retiring The Little Tramp in "Modern Times" (1936), Charlie Chaplin chose to play Hitler in his first all-talking role. Nominated for five Oscars, the film didn't stand a chance against Hitchcock's "Rebecca" (1940), but today it remains a masterpiece of political filmmaking. Chaplin's dance with a giant globe is still funny as ever, and his final speech is one of the great speeches in movie history, as Hitler has a change of heart and champions democracy. "The Great Dictator" was so far ahead of its time, as it came a full year before America entered World War II. As Chaplin shouted urges for peace from the silver screen, he may as well have been talking to the audience. Spoofed by Sacha Baron Cohen this year in "The Dictator" (2012).
11. 'All the King's Men' (1949)
Before there was "All the President's Men," there was "All the King's Men," taking a line from Humpty Dumpty, as a character says, "You can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs." The film follows a journalist (John Ireland) who follows the career of Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), who rises from backwoods populist to a governor just as corrupt as the politicians he sought to replace. Based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about Louisiana governor Huey Long, the film was written and directed by Robert Rossen ("The Hustler"), winning Best Picture, Best Actor for Crawford ("Born Yesterday") and Best Actress for Mercedes McCambridge ("Johnny Guitar", "Giant," "The Exorcist"). Remade with Sean Penn in 2006.
12. 'Advise and Consent' (1962)
Three years after directing the classic courtroom drama "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959), Otto Preminger directed Henry Fonda in "Advise and Consent." Fonda plays a Secretary of State nominee, whom Congress refuses to confirm. A Senate investigation reveals secrets about the nominee and the president (Franchot Tone). Co- starring Lew Ayres, Charles Laughton, Gene Tierney, Burgess Meredith and Betty White, "Advise & Consent" is a classic.
13. 'The Candidate' (1972)
Directed by Michael Ritchie ("The Bad News Bears") with an Oscar-winning script by Jeremy Larner, "The Candidate" follows Bill McCay (Robert Redford) who runs for U.S. Senate against longtime California incumbent Crocker Jarmon (Don Porter). He enters the race with seemingly little chance to win, but with the help of his campaign manager (Peter Boyle), he has a fighting chance. Released the same year as Hunter S. Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72," the final shot of an empty hotel room foreshadows Nixon's win and coming Reagan Revolution. Redford followed this liberal role by playing a conservative in "The Way We Were" (1973), then Watergate journalist Bob Woodward in "All the President's Men" (1976).
15. 'Dave' (1993)
Directed by Ivan Reitman ("Stripes," "Ghostbusters") with an Oscar-nominated script by Gary Ross ("Big," "The Hunger Games"), "Dave" follows a Capra-esque premise where the president goes into a coma and the White House replaces him with an average joe (Kevin Kline). The concept has been done many times since, from Chris Rock to Robin Williams, but Reitman did it best with a deep cast in Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Dunn, Frank Langella, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, Laura Linney, Bonnie Hunt and Anna Deavere Smith.
16. 'Frost/Nixon' (2008)
Nominated for five Oscars, "Frost/Nixon" depicts the 1977 post-Watergate interviews between British talk-show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) and former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). The script was written by Peter Morgan ("The Queen") from his own play, and the film benefited from Ron Howard's direction and a tour de force performance by Langella, who lost to Sean Penn in "Milk" (2008).
17. 'Born on the Fourth of July' (1989)
Three years after his anti-war film "Platoon" (1986) won Best Picture, Oliver Stone won his second Oscar for Best Director in another anti- Vietnam film, "Born on the Fourth of July." Pulling its title from "Yankee Doodle Dandy," the film stars Tom Cruise as a paraplegic Vietnam vet who forces his way into the 1972 Republican National Convention during Nixon's acceptance speech. As Stone's politics would have it, the film ends with Cruise speaking at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.
18. 'Election' (1999)
It's not quite "Animal Farm," but "Election" offered a high school election as a metaphor for American politics. Thirteen years after "Ferris Bueller," Matthew Broderick plays a high school civics teacher who convinces a football player (Chris Klein) to run against the unopposed Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon). Based on a book by Tom Perrotta, the Oscar-nominated script lost to "The Cider House Rules," but writer/director Alexander Payne got his due, winning for both "Sideways" (2004) and "The Descendents" (2011).
19. 'Game Change' (2012)
Best lists should be bipartisan, which is why I've avoided Oliver Stone's "W." (2008), a decidedly one-sided portrayal. However, even those who voted for the McCain/Palin ticket can admire Julianne Moore's dead-on recreation of Sarah Palin's look, manner and vocal patterns. "Game Change" was based on the campaign book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann and directed by Jay Roach ("Austin Powers"). The HBO film won five Emmys and features stellar performances by Ed Harris as John McCain and Woody Harrelson as campaign manager Steve Schmidt.
20. 'Good Night, and Good Luck' (2005)
George Clooney has made quite the name for himself in political films, from "Syriana" (2005) to "The Ides of March" (2011). Still, his sophomore directorial effort might be his best. "Good Night, and Good Luck" follows legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and producer Fred Friendly (Clooney) as they take down Senator Joseph McCarthy in one of the most heated periods of American history. In addition to being a great political movie about the McCarthyist '50s, the film joins "A Face in the Crowd" (1957), "Network" (1976) and "Broadcast News" (1987) among the best movies on broadcast journalism.
21. 'JFK' (1991)
While losing points for playing loose with the facts, Oliver Stone's "JFK" is still exciting entertainment that affected pop culture, namely the "Seinfeld" second-spitter gag. Kevin Costner plays a New Orleans District Attorney who investigates the assassination of President Kennedy while questioning the FBI's explanation. Tommy Lee Jones earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, while Robert Richardson won for Best Cinematography and Joe Hutshing and Pietro Scalia won for Best Editing. The film also was nominated for Best Picture, losing to "The Silence of the Lambs." Stone would return to politics with "Nixon" (1995).
22. 'The Best Man' (1964)
Two years after playing a Secretary of State nominee in "Advise & Consent" (1962), Henry Fonda played a presidential candidate in "The Best Man." This is the film referenced in "The Candidate" (1972) when Peter Boyle says, "This is Bill McKay," and the pilot says, "I don't care if it's Henry Fonda." The script for "The Best Man" was written by the late Gore Vidal from his own hit play and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner ("Planet of the Apes", "Patton"). Lee Tracy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
23. 'Charlie Wilson's War' (2007)
A decade after adapting Joe Klein's book "Primary Colors" (1998) about the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign, director Mike Nichols ("The Graduate, "The Birdcage") did one better with "Charlie Wilson's War," written by Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing"). Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) works with a socialite (Julia Roberts) and maverick CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to fund the Afghan rebels in their '80s war against the Soviets. The film was an important meditation on what led to the formation of the Taliban and the 9/11 attacks.
24. 'Meet John Doe' (1941)
Frank Capra loved the concept of average Americans thrust into positions of power, from "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1935) to "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939). In "Meet John Doe," he has a fiery journalist (Barbara Stanwyck) convince a poor ex-ballplayer (Gary Cooper) to impersonate an imaginary man named John Doe, who pledges to commit suicide on Christmas Eve as a protest. The scheme hatches a political movement, and Cooper gives some rousing speeches, the same year he won the Oscar for "Sergeant York."
25. 'Wag the Dog' (1997)
Released a year before the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Barry Levinson's "Wag the Dog" featured a political spin doctor (Robert DeNiro) trying to keep a presidential sex scandal under wraps. He hires a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) to create a fake war in Albania to distract the American people before an election. I didn't find the film as funny as others, but as a satire, it remains super poignant, co-written by David Mamet ("The Verdict") and co-starring Denis Leary, Anne Heche, Kirsten Dunst, William H. Macy, Craig T. Nelson, Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson.
From "Charlie Wilson" to "Mr. Smith," WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley counts down the Top 25 Political Movies.
AP
Jason Fraley, WTOP film critic
WASHINGTON – Election Day is just four days away. And while “The West Wing” (1999- 2006) is the undisputed champ of political television, the silver screen is a much harder call.
What is the greatest American political movie of all time?
I suppose you could argue that all films are political in that they each project a certain world view, whether it’s “Ben-Hur” (1959), “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) or “Philadelphia” (1993).
Our mission is to count down the best movies about the American political system itself. Thus films must meet several criteria:
- This list only includes fiction films, not documentaries. No Ken Burns, Michael Moore or John Sullivan.
- This list only includes American movies, as this list is gearing up for the U.S. presidential elections. No masterpieces about foreign politics, from “Z” (1969)” to “Downfall” (2004).
- This list doesn’t include CIA films of the Tom Clancy ilk, meaning no “Patriot Games,” “The Bourne Identity” or “Argo.”
- These are only films where the main focus is politics. No masterpieces where politics appears in just several scenes, like “The Godfather” (1972), which delivers cinema’s best quote on politics as Diane Keaton says, “Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don’t have men killed,” to which Al Pacino responds, “Oh? Who’s being naive, Kay?”
The votes are cast, the ballots are counted, and no hanging chads are in sight.
Without further ado, here are the Top 25 American Political Movies of All Time.
Read more from WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley by clicking “Fraley on Film” under the “Living” tab above, following @JasonFraleyWTOP on Twitter, and checking out his blog, The Film Spectrum.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
