1. September 29, 2011

2. Types of Political Films Political Intent LowHigh Political Content Low High Socially Reflective Politically Reflective Pure Political Auteur Political Source: Christensen and Haas, p. 8

3. Examples Political Reflective Independence Day Invasion of the Body Snatchers Socially Reflective Pretty Women Philadelphia Gone with the Wind Pure Political Mr. Smith Goes to Washington The Candidate Auteur Political The Godfather Natural Born Killers American Beauty Source: Christensen and Haas, p. 9.

4. Differences Between Documentaries and Feature Films usually shorter, lower production values more journalistic style narrator with interviews camera carried into places that movie cameras often do not go increasing tendency for feature films to integrate some documentary footage and for documentaries to include contemporary films and popular culture

5. Influential Documentaries Nanook of the North (1922) Nanook of the North Why We Fight (WW2) Why We Fight Triumph of the Will (1935) Triumph of the Will The Sorrow and the Pity (1971) The Sorrow and the Pity The Atomic Café (1982) The Atomic Café

6. Box Office of Top 10 Documentaries TitleStudioBox Office Fahrenheit 9/11Lions Gate$118M Bowling for ColumbineUnited Artists$21M Winged MigrationSPC$12M Hoop DreamsFL$7.8M Tupac ResurrectionParamount$7.7M Roger & MeWarner Bros.$6.7M SpellboundThink$5.7M Touching the VoidIFC$4.6M The Fog of WarSPC$4.2M Source: Christensen and Haas, p. 229. update

7. Michael Moore Documentaries Roger & Me (1989) Canadian Bacon (1995) Bowling for Columbine (2002) Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) Sicko (2007) Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

8. Controversy over Michael Moore Bias in selection of images Skewed analysis Use of surprise interview tactics Use of deception to gain access to key people and places

9. Giglio Book “Why does Hollywood avoid the dogmatic political film, the critical political biography, or the straight political drama? The reason is quite simple: political movies are box office poison. To admit that 90 percent of Hollywood films are purely commercial ventures ignores the remaining ten percent that deliver messages that can be ideological, propagandistic, historically deceptive and politically motivated.” (p. 10)

10. What is Propaganda?Propaganda David Culbert’s definition: “the controlled dissemination of deliberately distorted notions in an effect to induce action favorable to the predetermined ends of a special interest group.” E.g. Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl or Salt of the Earth and The Red Menace. Source: Giglio, p. 45.

11. Triumph of the Will (1935) Documentary by innovative female director Leni Riefenstahl

12. Hollywood Ignores the Nazis There were no Hollywood movies about the Nazis prior to the outbreak of WW2, with the exception of The Great DictatorThe Great Dictator Most pre-WW2 movies referred to the Nazi threat obliquely in terms of spies or saboteurs Were the Hollywood Studio heads asked to play down the threat?

13. The Great Dictator (1940) Charlie Chaplin played Adenoid Hynkel in a satire of Nazi Germany Charlie Chaplin Hitler’s troops saw ads for the movie when they entered Paris; they thought the French were welcoming them! ClipClip from the film