People Before Profit blog

Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson dies at 83

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:14:00 +0000

For those of us of a certain age, memories of childhood Christmases might well include presents from the imagination of Gerry Anderson. Whether it was a plastic Fireball XL5 rocketship, or a diecast Dinky Thunderbird rescue craft, or even a Lady Penelope tea set, the 1960s were saturated with the magic of Anderson's clever, colorful TV programs. This Christmas brought the sad news of Anderson passing away at age 83.

Most of what Anderson is known for are low-budget television series that starred puppets. Filmed in "Supermarionation", these would be simple affairs if anyone else had been at the helm. But Anderson and his many talented young craftsmen and film makers poured enormous ingenuity and ambition into what they made, and the work always rose far above anything ordinary. Not only were the puppets and surroundings given enormous attention in design and detail, the storylines unfolded in stylish futuristic settings that involved remarkable special effects and incredible visual concepts. The miniature work impressed everyone. When Stanley Kubrick began working on 2001: A Space Odyssey in England he was so impressed by what Anderson was producing that he attempted to lure the effects team away to work on his epic.

After his national service the young Anderson, the son of Jewish, Socialist parents, served as a film editor. He then formed a small independent company with a few others and waited for fame and opportunity, which arrived in the form of a primitive children's program for independent television. Hardly an auspicious beginning, The Adventures of Twizzle was the foundation for what would become a series of innovative enterprises. The plan was to produce puppet films so good that the small company would gain notice and move onto bigger and better projects. What the early shows led to were bigger and better puppet shows. This may have proven a dead end for lesser souls, but the Anderson camp applied their ample talent and vision to fashion pop culture sensations appreciated by all ages.

With science fiction series tailor-made for their swinging space-age era, efforts like Fireball XL5 and Stingray, went on to become hugely successful outside their native Britain, with sales to US television networks and many other countries besides. Stingray was one of the first series filmed in color in the UK, with an eye to overseas sales (color broadcasts were many years away for British viewers).

Thunderbirds, premiering in 1965, is the ultimate Anderson series. It ranks with pop culture treasures such as the Bond films and the Beatles as a perfect product of the 1960s. Each episode had a cinematic approach, with fast-paced action and the trademark effects that captivated audiences (and still does). By this time Anderson had developed a fortunate relationship with independent television mogul Lew Grade. With Grade's backing Anderson built a small empire that reached beyond television into toy merchandising, publishing, and licensing of other television properties. It was almost a Walt Disney approach, though in truth the Anderson shows were produced on a modest trading estate in suburban Slough. Anderson at this time was collaborating with his then wife Sylvia, who not only helped devise the program formats, but helped develop the colorful characters and even voiced the famous Lady Penelope character from Thunderbirds. Sylvia brought an element of impeccable taste that complemented Anderson's ability to recognize and organize technology and talent.

As the 1960s became the 1970s, Anderson left puppets behind to embark on the sort of live action productions he'd always wanted to make. UFO was to become another classic series. This was followed by the far more ambitious Space: 1999, the most expensive television program produced at the time. But Anderson's projects fell out of favor and fashion as the years went by, despite science fiction enjoying a resurgence.

However, many who "grew up" working on Anderson's projects went on to greater success, especially in the special effects field. Both Derek Meddings, who would helm the effects for the Superman, Batman and James Bond films, and Brian Johnson, who supervised effects for Alien and The Empire Strikes Back, started on the puppet series only to later win Oscars. The influence of Anderson extended to the many who watched his programs and felt inspired to enter creative fields. Many imaginative TV series and films we enjoy today can be traced to imaginations sparked by the Anderson series.

Anderson's previous television work has attained an enduring cult appeal, and when the puppet series were screened in the 1990s by the BBC they reclaimed a national audience, winning viewership over contemporary offerings and launching successful merchandising all over again, with the kids of parents who watched the shows as children themselves causing Christmas panics for Thunderbirds toys that sold out due to massive demand.

Sadly, Anderson had sold his interests long ago, so he was unable to reap financial gain from new toys and video releases. But Anderson has gained in stature over the years as a visible figure who has often appeared to discuss his celebrated work. His humor and humility made him a comfortable figure to fans of his TV series. The legacy of his television work ensures that Gerry Anderson will be both missed and fondly remembered.

Walking a mile in Barbara’s shoes

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:37:00 +0000

In the new German film Barbara, Dr. Andre Reiser points to a print of Rembrandt's "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp," the surgeons' eyes riveted on a medical textbook, not on the body before them, even though the artist has subtly painted the cadaver with two right hands! Is Rembrandt imploring us not to follow old, inaccurate manuals? Might his masterpiece be a lie that tells the truth? Andre's focus on the painting suggests that he is aware that East Germany has been following the orthodox Soviet model, one that doesn't necessarily reflect the highest humanitarian principles of socialism.

The setting is 1980 East Germany, the socialist state that emerged from the ashes of Nazism. On TV, announcers thrill triumphantly to the achievements of East German athletes in the Moscow Olympics.

The viewer meets Dr. Barbara Wolff after she has been sentenced to internal exile. Once a highly regarded physician in (East) Berlin, she must now work as a doctor in a remote seacoast hospital where she will be watched closely. The harsh treatment she receives drives her to react in the only ways she knows-a forbidden romantic relationship with a West German, receiving underground Western currency, and expensive cigarettes.

Andre, head doctor of the spare but clean facility, is also watching her. He's in his own internal exile, a tradeoff he's agreed to owing to a nasty medical mistake early in his career that authorities agreed to hush up.

These wounded professionals pursue excellence in their field, while dodging the excesses of the Stasi and Volks Polizei. Frequently the film plays as a Cold War cloak-and-dagger, with secret drop off sites, apartment searches, humiliating personal cavity inspections, and daring escapes. But the protagonists work together to resolve difficult medical cases, as the erotic tension slowly builds.

When Barbara mockingly repeats back at him the standard government line, "The workers and farmers financed your studies and it's time to repay them," Andre responds, "That's not incorrect." Her training had also been financed by the people, but she does not see owing the same reciprocity.

Dr. Reiser has chosen a moral balancing act: adapting to his environment, performing far more than the minimum of his job requirements to ennoble life rather than flee an imperfect "actually existing socialism" with glaring, unnecessary (and ultimately fatal) flaws. Barbara is director Christian Petzold's honest attempt to present moral complexity without glorifying the West.

Barbara is passionately in love with her Western businessman, but when he insists that she won't have to work once she escapes to his side, she is repelled by the thought of a life of idle comfort. Barbara is not materialistic, she wants more personal freedom.

Andre is a country doctor making house calls, accepting as payment a basket of fresh vegetables. And he can cook! His ratatouille is flavored with herbs picked from his garden. He has surely made his compromises, but in a perfect world he'd be a prince. Barbara is torn: Is her place in the "free" West or here in East Germany where she can be a healer and earn the love and respect of a decent, committed, attractive man?

Nina Hoss and Ronald Zehrfeld portray the principals with sensitivity. The film, set in a bedraggled yet hardy nation, moves ponderously, but two sub-plots involving problematic patients engage our attention and empathy.

It is easy to condemn "good Germans" (of any place and time) for not doing enough to resist egregious deviations from democratic norms. Barbara asks us to walk a mile in her shoes. Can we find a way to fulfill our responsibilities as citizens, adapt to unchangeable conditions, and still retain a measure of humanity? Who knows, maybe enough humanity can change conditions

Movie review
Barbara
Directed by Christian Petzold
2012, 105 min., PG-13

A Vision

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:10:00 +0000

On December 14, 2012, at 9:30 in the morning, a 20-year-old man forced his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, shot and killed six teachers, then entered two first-grade classrooms and began hooting the children. He killed 20, then turned the gun on himself.

A Vision

I see a child¹s face turned up
distracted from the finger-painting
she had just begun,
her eyes wide in fear and wonder
as a flash of light engulfs her
and throws her back upon the floor.
I see her lying there
her eyes still wide in wonder,
red and blue paint upon her fingers,
the fingers which will paint no more.

The Tolling

OneŠ TwoŠ ThreeŠ FourŠ

Twenty-six times they tolled the bell,
Twenty-six times the clanging rose
Like anguished cries from the throat of the town
And fell like hammerblows to the heart of the nation...

Five$ Six$ Seven$ Eight$

Dirgeful sounds but only sounds
Swallowed by the air and quickly gone
While the pain and grief in the town live on.
We wait and wonder will the tolling commence,
Will the toll of victims continue to mount
And the mourning nation begins a new count...

One$ Two$ Three$ Four$

Photo: Portraits of slain students and teachers hang from a tree at a memorial in Newtown, Conn. Dec. 25, 2012. Craig Ruttle/AP

Movies you might have missed: “Storm Warning”

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:13:00 +0000

In a discussion of progressive cinema one is not likely to mention the name of Ronald Reagan. But you would be remiss if you did not mention the 1951 film, Storm Warning, in which Reagan portrays a district attorney crusading against the Ku Klux Klan.

Reagan's terms as U.S. president were marked by Cold-War sabre-rattling, support for Latin American death squads and dictators, and union-busting. His term as president of the Screen Actors Guild was perhaps the most shameful in the history of the organization and is best remembered for his stoking of the anti-free-speech flames of the notorious Hollywood anti-Communist witch hunts and blacklist. His film career, sometimes by his own admission, was a mixed bag at best. His appearance in Storm Warning, however, is not only worth noting but worth digging through the DVD vaults to have a look.

The film opens with a character portrayed by Ginger Rogers completing a long bus trip to visit her sister in a small town. Interestingly, despite the subject matter of Klan terrorism, there is nothing to indicate that the town is in the South, it could just as easily be Indiana or Nebraska.

The film is directed by Stuart Heisler, whose previous credits included the 1944 documentary The Negro Soldier. Here Heisler does an excellent job of making the audience pensive when Rogers arrives in the dead of night and finds the locals to be so tense and terse she has difficulty even hiring a cab. It isn't long before we learn what has everyone on edge. The Klan is about to strike and Rogers winds up witnessing the lynching of a journalist who was writing a Klan expose.

Undetected by the murderers, Rogers flees the scene and manages to reach the home of her sister, but is even more shocked to meet her new brother-in-law who was one of the hooded killers she saw carry out the evil deed. Actor Steve Cochran, who made something of a career as a rough-hewn B-movie heartthrob, is particularly good in the role of the loutish brother-in-law.

Regrettably, the film does not confront the Klan's evil ideology of racism and anti-Semitism, and there are no significant African-American characters in the picture. Instead it presents the Klan as a corrupt racket, exploiting the uninformed for its own purposes. The film is fairly effective, however, in showing how local members of the ownership class use the Klan to extend their power.

One scene that is particularly good takes place in a mill, owned by the local Klan leader, and used by the leadership to discuss how to hold the organization together under the pressure of the district attorney's investigation. One of them expresses his concern that the membership is made up of those weak in both mind and spirit, commenting, "You know the boys, they're no heroes."

Perhaps the most chilling scene comes when the film imitates a scenario that was played out countless times in real-life capitalist America, when a friendly inquest left an obvious crime "unsolved." Local Klansman erupt in an all-night celebration of their successful manipulation of the justice system, one of them repeatedly crying out in drunken mockery the official conclusion that the crime was committed by "assailant or assailants unknown!"

Reagan's best scene comes near the end of the film, when he confronts the Klan at an outdoor rally. As the KKK leader begins to offer a verbal threat punctuated with Klan jargon Reagan brushes him off saying, "Don't give me that Halloween routine, why don't you just admit you're a mean group of frightened little people or you wouldn't be here desecrating the cross."

In my hometown, during the Reagan presidency, one of the local TV stations frequently aired Storm Warning as a late-night movie offering. Watching Reagan the actor confront the Klan was much more pleasant than watching Reagan the president confront unions, women, and the peace movement. Today the film remains an interesting footnote in the career of a disgraceful politician whom historical revisionists are hard at work trying to rehabilitate.

Image: Ronald Reagan stands among hooded Klansmen in the movie "Storm Warning." (scroll down to the very bottom of the page for the movie still of Reagan standing among hooded Klansmen)

Comics legend Alan Moore slams Hollywood, defends Occupy

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:17:00 +0000

Among fans of graphic novels and comics, Alan Moore has become a household name. He has written such notable works as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta, and Watchmen (often called "the greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced"), and has contributed to comics including Batman and Swamp Thing. Mostly everything he's penned has been adapted by Hollywood, always to his displeasure. He talked about the vapidity of big films today, including why they have opted to bring in the big money, rather than deliver art to their audiences. He also discussed the Occupy movement, calling it another aspect of people taking matters back into their own hands.

Moore, 59, lives a quiet life in Northamptonshire, England. He is considered to be one of the most influential comic writers in history, often credited for giving philosophical and sociopolitical depth to an art form that had previously been regarded as literary fodder for teens and young adults. But as a wider audience took to his works, he grew highly critical of mainstream entertainment and its increasing corporatization. And though blockbuster films were made of his stories, he was dissatisfied with them to the extent that he asked for his name to be removed from their credits, and declined large payments offered by Hollywood studios.

Greed will be the medium's demise

Of his most recent experiences with the U.S. film industry, Moore noted that it's "on many levels, repulsive to me. Every film is a remake of a previous film, or a remake of a television series that everyone hated in the 1960s." He suggested that the profit-driven push behind films today has resulted in stunted creativity, and that greed will ultimately be the medium's demise. "I've developed a theory that there's an inverse relationship between money and imagination. That if you've got lots of imagination then you don't really need much money, and if you've got lots of money then you won't bother with much imagination. I am horrified by the budgets of these films, almost as much as I am by the films themselves."

It doesn't take much effort for one to see things from Moore's perspective. A quick retrospective will do the trick: the last few years have seen a slew of sequels, prequels, remakes, and efforts as painful and far-reaching as adapting board games to the big screen (i.e. Battleship - and there are also talks of a Monopoly movie). One can also look at the recent trends, like 3-D films and the superhero genre (attempting to profit - again and again - off the success of The Dark Knight), and Moore's assessment has become rather clear: money has triumphed over originality.

Moore equated his opposition to Hollywood with his working class upbringing, which encouraged him to fight against Big Money and preserve his artistic integrity. "It was my class: the only thing you could pride yourself on was to be decent people; to stand up to bullies. That was very heavily imprinted on me as a kid, and it's not a bad way to conduct your life."

Forsaking art in favor of capitalism?

But it is not, he said, merely the film industry alone that is guilty of forsaking art in favor of capitalism. The comic industry also favors the bottom dollar, as was proven when DC Comics published a prequel mini-series to Alan Moore's famous Watchmen; called Before Watchmen, it was done without Moore's approval, as a way to cash in on the success of his earlier work. But fans of the original piece reacted negatively toward the prequels.

"You see, part of the problem with all this," he said, "and the reason why Watchmen was such an extraordinary book, was that it was constructed upon literary lines. It had a beginning, a middle, and an end. It wasn't constructed as an endless soap opera that would run until somebody ran out of interest in it. It was something that stood on its own and had the integrity of a literary work. But that was never what [DC Comics] was concerned with. It was always purely to do with commerce.

"The comic industry has abused and mistreated creative people for decades. It has never treated people fairly. This is an industry where, if you even mention the idea of, say, forming a union, you'll just get shrill nervous laughter in reply."

Moore also noted, however, the increasing desperation of companies like DC Comics to make a profit in a society where less and less people are reading. A hard example of that came when Moore's local library closed down. "I think that's completely indefensible. You cannot have libraries - something that people need for a basic standard of living - taken away while the banks become like monarchies."

A howl of moral outrage

But recent political movements, he said, show that there is a reaction against the notion that things shouldn't be about what the people want. "The Arab Spring and Occupy movements are just the beginning of a way that more and more people are going to see the world."

The Occupy movement in particular, he said, "is a completely justified howl of moral outrage. It's ordinary people reclaiming rights that ought to have been theirs in the first place. I can't think of any reason why as a population we should be expected to stand by and see a gross reduction in the living standards of ourselves and of our kids, while the people who got us into this are rewarded for it." He added, "I believe power should be given to the people," and clearly, that means not only in the world of politics, but even in the film and comic industries.

We're also "facing the possibility of an environmental apocalypse," he said, referencing climate change, "and we don't have infinite time. Our leaders are not addressing any of these problems. Something has to be done about [those currently in power]. I would suggest beheading the bankers, but while it would be very satisfying and cheer us up, it probably wouldn't be practical."

Photo: Kradlum/Flickr

Metal vocalist criticizes insensitivity toward Conn. shooting

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:33:00 +0000

The ripple effect of the recent school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has touched those from all subcultures and walks of life. On December 14, Randy Blythe, frontman of metal band Lamb of God, called for 60 seconds of silence to honor the victims of the massacre, while performing at his show in Medford, Oregon. Many fans, however, refused to pay their respects, opting instead to scream and curse. Outraged, Blythe criticized what he viewed as the disconnect of America's youth culture from tragedies like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

After the massacre that left at least 27 - including 20 children - dead, Blythe asked his fans to join him in mourning for just one minute; many did so, but others utterly disregarded the request, according to Crave Online. Infuriated, Blythe took to his Instagram account that evening and vented.

"I have never been more disgusted with an audience in my life," he said. "I wish we hadn't played. We asked for sixty seconds of silence during our first set break to honor the dead children and teachers in Connecticut. It seemed appropriate - it's a goddamned national tragedy. Most of the crowd complied, but several didn't - some cursing, and some even laughing. I wanted to walk off stage. I am so disgusted right now. If you were one of those who wouldn't shut up for sixty lousy seconds to honor murdered children, go look in the mirror. You are looking at a piece of sh*t."

The school shooting has cut like a knife through the metal community, which itself has experienced its own fair share of tragedy, including the horrible, fatal 2004 shooting of Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell by the hand of a mentally ill individual.

Other metallers and hard rockers also offered their condolences. All That Remains vocalist Phil Labonte tweeted, "It's tragic what happened in Newton. We need to focus on mental health issues."

"Another one," lamented Disturbed frontman David Draiman on his Twitter account. "It's time for a change, people."

"To the fans [at the show] who were respectful," added Blythe, "thank you. I am also sorry you have so many goddamned assh*les in your community. This would not have happened at a Lamb of God show where I live, and that is a fact. We have more manners." He noted that not only do those who mock the tragedy give metal music a bad name; they "give humanity a bad name. Grow up." He concluded, "With that I will go to bed, say a prayer for those suffering, and hope for a better day tomorrow."

In the wake of the deaths of children aged between 6 and 7, the debate over gun control in the U.S. has been re-energized. In the end, most would agree that sparing sixty seconds to honor this American tragedy is not much to ask at all - and that those with true decency ought to have done it.

Photo: Randy Blythe, second from left. Greg Watermann/AP

Ten best book adaptations of 2012

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:28:00 +0000

One underestimates just how much books - ranging from paperbacks to comics to graphic novels - have an influence on what is seen on television and in film. And with a slower economy and a lack of ideas in Hollywood (note all the remakes and sequels seen as of late), thrilling page-turners and bestsellers are more important than ever. The list that follows is, in no particular order, a brief guide to book adaptations that really shined this year, on both the big and small screens.

"The Hunger Games"

Based on the fantasy novel by Suzanne Collins, the film starred Jennifer Lawrence in the role of the archer Katniss. Set in a dystopian nation called Panem, children are selected by a lottery to participate in a televised battle to the death for the entertainment of the rich. Filled with Greek mythological and political references, the book offered excellent commentary on the vapidity of reality television, the desensitization of youth to violence, and the profit-centric worldview of the rich one percent. For the most part, the film stayed true to the messages and metaphors of the book, and struck a nice balance between well-choreographed action and spot-on acting.

"Arrow"

While on the topic of archery, this television adaptation of the Green Arrow comic series for the CW deserves a mention. It's neither groundbreaking nor awful; it's merely satisfactory and memorable. What warrants its place on this list is its fast-paced action, use of fan-favorite comic characters, and several interesting subplots that have not yet fully played out. It follows the story of a man who assumes the role of a modern day Robin Hood and goes after the rich and the criminal underworld. Though "Arrow" certainly grows more intriguing over time (it's already been secured for a second season), it needs to dial back on the soap opera and work harder to highlight its strong points.

"A Game of Thrones"

Based on the epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin, and named after the first entry in the saga, "A Game of Thrones" is a television series following the conflict of families over the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. Laced with subtle elements of magic, it pushes battles and political intrigue to the forefront. The series airs on HBO and deeply explores issues of religion, civil war, and sexuality. It has drawn both critical acclaim for its storylines, and nervous criticism over its constant use of nudity. With a third season forthcoming, it has more than lived up to the reputation of the superb books upon which it is based.

"Lincoln"

Another adaptation that has enjoyed critical acclaim, "Lincoln" ruled the box office throughout November. Audiences flocked to watch alumni including Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, and rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this important moment in the president's life during 1865, chronicling his efforts to abolish slavery. Amidst all the hype, it's been nearly forgotten that this movie is a partial adaptation of Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, which itself was considered a great work.

"Cloud Atlas"

What began as a 2004 novel by David Mitchell became an independent film starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, and Susan Sarandon. The book was a fantasy-drama-sci-fi hybrid, telling six interconnected stories ranging from the 19th century South Pacific to a futuristic world of clones and other advanced technology. While the novel was a brilliant masterpiece that was overlooked, underrated, and nearly forgotten, its film counterpart has polarized critics. On one hand, it received a ten-minute standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival and notable critics have considered it one of the most thought-provoking films in recent times; on the other, many have reacted negatively to it. Despite this, "Cloud Atlas" is an intense, three-hour journey that is at once impressively deep and complex, though a thorough read of the book is definitely recommended.

"The Avengers"

This ensemble fantasy film adapted the popular comic series of the same name, bringing together classic, iconic heroes from Marvel Studios' previous films (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor). It was sure to be a box office success, and one hell of a good time for comic fans. As for how it measures up in the scheme of things this year, "The Avengers" was applaudable for its witty dialogue, uncomplicated-yet-satisfactory plot, and brilliant chemistry between actors. Oh, and Robert Downey Jr.

"Sherlock"

Speaking of Robert Downey Jr., he was one of the main reasons the recent Sherlock Holmes films were so successful - and so hard to outdo. But the British television series "Sherlock" has become a fierce contender. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, with Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) playing Watson, "Sherlock" has put a modern-day twist on the classic story, without tarnishing its legacy.

"The Walking Dead"

The Walking Dead graphic novels were successful enough, but the TV version, which debuted on AMC three years ago, has become a cultural and worldwide phenomenon. Following the story of survivors in a post-zombie apocalypse world, they must, as the slogan goes, "fight the dead, but fear the living." Between the undead and the untrustworthy who are still alive and willing to kill for a little power, main protagonist Rick Grimes must lead his group to safety and avoid the zombie plague. The series, now in its third season, has drawn a record-breaking, history-making 11 million viewers this year. Generating just as much outrage as acclaim, it's a balance that is sure to plant the series on the tip of peoples' tongues - and keep it there for many years to come.

"The Hobbit"

What can one say about an adaptation - finally - of the J. R. R. Tolkien classic? Well, some, like me, can worry that the story is simply best left to ink and paper, and that a film version could never trump it. But director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings franchise was wildly successful for a reason, and "The Hobbit" is sure to build on that.

"The Dark Knight Rises"

How does one top the all-time greatest film in the superhero genre? That was the question on the minds of many a fan of the Christopher Nolan-directed The Dark Knight. As it happened, Nolan didn't quite top his prior film, but "The Dark Knight Rises" came close enough. Once again filled with brilliant actors, deep philosophical undertones, and jaw-dropping writing and execution, this was certainly one of 2012's best films. An iconic movie that will not be forgotten.

Photo: HBO's "A Game of Thrones." fanpop

Top ten films from 2012 progressives should see

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:08:00 +0000

You're going to have to work to see most of these films, usually at film festivals, some online, but they offer much more challenging fare than the typical Hollywood corporate trash. Of course, there are many more than ten, but we should start somewhere.

(in alphabetical order)

ACT OF KILLING - A shocking study of anti-communism in Indonesia. A cinematic masterpiece.

COMRADE KIM GOES FLYING - A charming fantasy from -- North Korea! That's right, they make movies, too.

FREE ANGELA DAVIS AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS - What comrade would miss this?

HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING DRUGS - Certainly the most entertaining film about the failed War on Drugs.

MEETING LEILA - A human comedy from Iran based on the simple theme of a man trying to quit smoking in order to marry the woman he loves.

PATIENCE STONE - An Afghan film about the liberation of women. Powerfully moving.

PERVERTS GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY - Slavoj Zizek's dense but playful anaylsis of ideology through hidden messages in films. Should be seen at least ten times to catch it all.

STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY BY MARK COUSINS - Probably the greatest series on the art of cinema and its importance in history. Amazing clips! (15 hours, so get a bunch of popcorn.)

WE ARE WISCONSIN - The best and most inspiring film about the battle for labor to retain collective bargaining, followed closely behind by AS GOES JANESVILLE.

WHEN I SAW YOU - Annemarie Jacir's (SALT OF THIS SEA) latest artistic achievement about the tragic Palestinian history.

Photo: IMDB

Editor's note: Bill Meyer has revied most of these titles for People's World. Click on the links to bring up reviews.

Jedi creed, Paganism among top alternative beliefs in UK

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:20:00 +0000

Popular sci-fi and fantasy have certainly become an important part of world culture over the years: Star Trek fans actually learn and speak the Klingon language, while Harry Potter fans saw the word "muggle" officially enter the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003. But it seems that the full extent of popular fiction's influence has been underestimated: 'Jedi' is now the most popular faith in the 'Other Religions' category in England and Wales. The Star Wars creed now takes seventh place among all major world religions. And right behind adherents to "the Force" are Pagans and "spiritualists."

This information was gleaned from the results of the 2011 Census for England and Wales, conducted by the Office for National Statistics and based on data from 26 million households. According to the statistics, there are 176,632 English "Jedi Knights." The faith is seventh behind Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism. This development speaks volumes about the influence of the space opera series, which, after being purchased from Lucasfilm by Disney this year, will have at least three new film installments beginning in 2015.

Some 56,620 people, meanwhile, identified as Pagans, which may be related to the promotion of Paganistic outlooks by fantasy fiction and alternative genres of music. More than 39,000 people considered themselves to be spiritualists, and there were 2,418 Scientologists. The uptick in the popularity of metal music in the UK was also evident, as there were 6,242 people who identified with a "heavy metal religion," which was devised in 2010 by the magazine Metal Hammer as a spiritual way to celebrate the connectedness of the metal community.

Perhaps more importantly, the 2011 census revealed a major shift, in that people seem to be moving away from religion at breakneck speed. 13.8 million opted not to identify with any religion whatsoever, and 29,267 identified openly as atheists. Meanwhile, there were also 32,382 agnostics.

The branching out of other faiths, and the increase in people who choose to abstain from religion, could be seen as an example of growing diversity in the UK. At the very least, it shows that Star Wars fans are deeply committed to the film series. "The Force," apparently, is with England and Wales.

Photo: UK Census

Nature vs. nurture in the Middle East: "The Other Son"

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:50:00 +0000

What does it mean to be a parent? A Jew? A Muslim? Israeli? Palestinian? What is the nature of identity politics when you don't even know what your identity is? The new French film The Other Son addresses these questions in another installment of the lengthening stream of movies focusing on the Israeli/Palestinian blood feud.

When 18 year-old Joseph Silberg reports for mandatory service in the Israeli military, blood tests reveal he is not the biological son of Alon, an Israeli army colonel, and Orith, a prominent physician, but of Said and Leila Al-Bezaaz, Palestinians living in the West Bank. As newborns, the two families' sons were switched in a Haifa hospital on January 23, 1991, during the Gulf War, when the infants were evacuated to safety from Scud missiles. As a consequence of this fateful mistake, the Silbergs' true son, Yacine, grows up in Palestine with the Al-Bezaaz family. These revelations turn the two families' lives upside down, forcing them to reassess core values and beliefs.

A prominent "character" in the film is the Wall, the separation between prosperous, bourgeois Israel and the occupied, seething West Bank. The gaping economic schism between the two sides plays out in the film in a myriad of ways, large and small. On Yacine's trips to the Israeli seaside to visit his biological family, he takes a day job selling ice cream to sun-worshiping beach goers, many of whom just happen to be beautiful young women. For him it's little more than a lark. Returning home to the West Bank, he gives his mom the money he earned-more than his Palestinian dad makes in an entire week working as a mechanic. Although Mr. Al-Bezaaz must spend his working hours underneath automobiles, he is in fact a trained engineer with no opportunity to ply his true profession.

Scenes exploring sex-role stereotypes reveal that there is no unanimity among the under-twenty crowd regarding compulsory military service in Israel. Joseph's female contemporaries relish the idea of serving; conversely, his male friends openly discuss avoiding conscription by pulling every available string.

The two boys' mothers, while deeply shaken by the shocking turn of events, possess the cooler heads, seeking cooperation in the face of the crisis. As the story ripens, the universality of a mother's love for her children shines through. Their husbands, predictably enough, work through their pain and confusion by acting out in passive-aggressive and territorial fashion confronting their forever changed familial landscapes.

Similarities each boy shares with his birth family are highlighted in touching ways. Yacine has just returned from high school in France where he was preparing to enter medical school. His ultimate goal is to become a doctor, a telling echo of his biological mother's profession, and to someday build a hospital on the West Bank to serve his people. Similarly, Joseph is a sensitive musician, shown in a lovely scene during his tense visit to the Al-Bezaaz home, where he breaks the ice singing a well-known Arabic song at the dinner table to his birth father's skilled stringed accompaniment. The rest of the family, even the angry brother Bilal, chimes in with soulful, symbolic harmony.

The screenplay by Lorraine Levy (who also directs), Nathalie Saugeon, and Noam Fitoussi is something of a modern-day interpretation of the story of Isaac and Ishmael, the patriarch Abraham's two sons, one by his Jewish wife and another by his servant, Hagar. The Bible tells us that the two sons came together at the end of their father's life to bury him. In its earnest and at times moralistic way, the fairytale of The Other Son also tells us that this ancient blood-brother enmity can be overcome. The film might have benefited from extracting a bit of humor out of this quintessentially Gilbert & Sullivanesque baby-swapping set-up that screamed out for release in some absurdist joke-making.

An unexpected act propels the piece toward its dénouement. The two families convene, questions are posed, others are answered. Can't we all just get along? Is it nature or nurture that makes us who we are?

Movie review

The Other Son

Directed by Lorraine Levy

2012, France, 105 min., PG-13

Theater review: "Chaplin, the Musical"

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:13:00 +0000

Was Charley a Red?

Probably the greatest all-round artist who ever lived and worked in the U.S. was the Englishman, Charley Chaplin. He pioneered film techniques, contributed enduring music, and was a startling dancer, acrobat, actor, high-wire artist, and roller skater! From the teens to the 1930s, he was probably the most popular and best loved person in the world. And yet, most of the people alive today barely know anything about him beyond his films, because most of his last decades were spent almost in seclusion in Switzerland where he lived quietly and did not answer the bitter red baiting accusations of U.S. politicians.

Red baiters condemned Charley Chaplin to exile by pulling his passport in 1952 while he was abroad. He could not return to tell his side of the story to the people who adored him.

The recent movie biopic paid tribute to Chaplin's many talents, but barely touched his ideas. The new play, from a book by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan with music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis, goes much further into Charley Chaplin, the man behind his movie characters. Chaplin's amazing talents are hinted at sufficiently by the singing and dazzling dancing of actor Rob McClure. Using a movie screen to enhance the live performance, the musical gives a true reminder of Chaplin's actual abilities and contribution to the arts.

McClure's Chaplin is an aggressive genius. His brilliant performance covers almost all aspects of the great performer. He can't capture the warmth that Chaplin radiated (who could?), but covers the personal side of what happens to a man who succeeds at almost everything and never believes he has done enough.

Talkies replaced silent films at roughly the same time as Hitler's rise to power in Europe. Chaplin used his artistry as one of the greatest possible weapons against fascism. He made the comedy, "The Great Dictator" with himself in dual roles as a fascist dictator and an inept Jewish barber. Jack Oakie played an Italian dictator buffoon lampooning Mussolini.

The new play then goes on to portray Chaplin's role in fighting fascism by using his popularity to speak out for saving the Soviet Union. He spoke to crowds as large as 20,000 about the "second front" strategy advocated by progressives of the period. Gossip Columnist Hedda Hopper, played and sung amazingly by Jenn Colella, starts the red baiting as a personal vendetta. In this version of the story, she personally fulfills the musical theme of the play, "What' cha gonna do? (when it all falls down)."

There are parallels in this story to the one endured by singer and actor Paul Robeson. Both used their art responsibly and paid the price from imperialist reactionaries. Both lost their passports and lived out their lives separated from the great power that their abilities deserved. Robeson was trapped in the anti-communist United States, and Chaplin was exiled abroad.

For its happy ending, the story jumps to Charley Chaplin's triumphant return to Hollywood on Oscar night in 1972 where he picked up his lifetime achievement award. He doesn't mention any rancor at his treatment by the red baiters. He doesn't say whether or not he was really a communist. It's a well-worth-seeing tribute, after all, to the greatest and most responsible of artists, Charley Chaplin.

"Chaplin, the Musical"

Directed and Choreographed by Warren Carlyle

Photo: Dougal McGuire/Flickr

Jazz great Dave Brubeck dies at 91

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:27:00 +0000

Pianist and composer Dave Brubeck died today, just one day before turning 92. Brubeck was one of the most active and popular musicians in both the jazz and classical worlds. With a career that spanned over six decades, his experiments in odd time signatures, improvised counterpoint, polyrhythm and polytonality remain hallmarks of innovation.

Born into a musical family in Concord, California on Dec. 6, 1920, - his two older brothers were also professional musicians -- he began piano lessons with his mother at age four. He was 12 when his father moved the family to a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierras. Brubeck's life changed dramatically. Piano lessons ended and cowboy life began. He worked with his father on the 45,000 acre cattle ranch. When he was 14, he started playing in local dance bands on weekends. When he enrolled at the College of the Pacific, in Stockton, California, his intention was to study veterinary medicine and return to the ranch. While working his way through school as a pianist in local nightclubs, the lure of jazz became irresistible and he changed his major to music. Graduating in 1942, he enlisted in the Army, and shortly thereafter married Iola Whitlock, a fellow student at Pacific.

While serving in Patton's Army in Europe, he led a racially integrated band. The U.S. Army was segregated at the time, as was the South. In an interview for Ken Burns' PBS miniseries "Jazz," Brubeck talked about playing for troops with his integrated band, only to return to the U.S. to see his black bandmates refused service in a restaurant in Texas.

After his discharge from military service in 1946, he enrolled at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. to study composition with French composer Darius Milhaud. Milhaud encouraged him to pursue a career in jazz and to incorporate jazz elements into his compositions. This cross-genre experimentation with like-minded Milhaud students led to the formation of the Dave Brubeck Octet in 1947.

In 1949, Brubeck with Cal Tjader and Ron Crotty, fellow Octet members, cut their first award-winning Dave Brubeck Trio recordings. After suffering a near fatal diving accident in 1951, Dave formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, who was also a member of the Octet. The legendary Brubeck-Desmond collaboration lasted seventeen years and beyond.

The Dave Brubeck quartet's recordings and concert appearances on college campuses in the '50s and early '60s introduced jazz to thousands of young people. The quartet's audiences were not limited to students, however. The group played in jazz clubs in every major city and toured in package shows with such artists as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz.

In 1958, the Quartet made their first of many international tours. The U.S. State Department sponsored the Quartet's performances in Poland, India, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq. The 1959 recording "Time Out" experimented in time signatures beyond the usual jazz 4/4. To everyone's surprise "Time Out" became the first jazz album to sell over a million copies and "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Take Five" (now in the Grammy Hall of Fame) began to appear on jukeboxes throughout the world. (Article continues after video.)

Throughout his career Brubeck experimented with integrating jazz into classical forms. He performed as composer-performer with most of the major orchestras in the United States and with prestigious choral groups and orchestras in Europe and America. Brubeck cited as some of the highlights of his career the premier of his composition "Upon This Rock" for Pope John Paul II's visit to San Francisco and the performances of his mass "To Hope! A Celebration" in St. Stephan's Cathedral in Vienna and in Moscow with the Russian National Orchestra and Orloff choir.

In the '80s Brubeck led a quartet that featured clarinetist Bill Smith, a former Octet member, with his son Chris on electric bass and Randy Jones on drums. This group toured the Soviet Union in 1987 and along with former bassist, Eugene Wright, accompanied President Reagan to Moscow to perform at the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit in 1988. Since the Dave Brubeck Quartet's first appearance at a State Dinner for King Hussein of Jordan during the Johnson administration, Brubeck has performed at The White House on several occasions and for many different presidents.

In 1969, Brubeck wrote "The Gates of Justice", a cantata based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Old Testament. This major work was written as a way to forge Black-Jewish unity during the tumultuous upsurge of the civil rights and antiwar movements.

Yet Brubeck said the work has the universal message of unity of all. As he notes in a video about the piece, "this world could really disappear on us unless we really get down to believing in the original meaning of all the great religions and the brotherhood of man."

Brubeck's compositions include a popular Christmas choral pageant "La Fiesta de la Posada", oratorios and cantatas, ballet suites, a string quartet, chamber ensembles, pieces for solo and duo-piano, violin solos and orchestral works. A mini-opera based on Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" was presented at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2006.

Brubeck received national and international honors, including the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton and a Living Legacy Jazz Award from Kennedy Center.

Brubeck's most recent recording was a highly praised solo piano album "Indian Summer."

Source: davebrubeck.com

Photo: Dave Brubeck performs at the 2007 Detroit International Jazz Festival. (Conlawprof/CC)

Movies you might have missed: “Destiny of a Man”

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:03:00 +0000

In the Second World War, the Soviet Army inflicted eight out of ten of the casualties the Germans suffered in the course of the conflict. The Soviets were etching new names in a pantheon of heroes long after the capitalist nations of Europe had capitulated or collaborated with the Third Reich.

This all consuming experience in the Soviet psyche, one that cost the young nation 20 million lives, resulted in many films that portrayed the incredible heroism of the Soviet people.

The 1959 film, "Destiny of a Man," however, is a simple story of survival and renewal and is short on victory parades and martial music.

When you witness the poetry and woebegone beauty of this picture it comes as no surprise to learn that it is adapted from a story by the acclaimed author Mikhail Sholokhov who claimed the Lenin Prize, Stalin Prize, Nobel Prize, and Hero of Socialist Labor among his many accolades. But the film version does not shrink from it's inheritance and employs the accomplished Sergei Bondarchuk, who was the youngest person to ever be awarded the title, 'People's Artist of the USSR', as both lead actor and director of the film.

The film opens with Bondarchuk in the character of one Andrei Sokolov, resting on a river bank, waiting for a ferry and killing time by sharing his life story with a fellow veteran. His story begins after the Russian civil war. With the conflict at a close our hero is happily building a home for his new family, but just as his son begins to grow to maturity war once again interrupts, this time in the form of a Fascist invasion.

Sokolov leaves for the front but he isn't there long when he is taken prisoner during the first days of the Nazi advance. In a chilling scene their Fascist captors seek out the Jews and Political Officers amongst the POW's and murder them on the spot. Eventually Sokolov will be deported to Germany where he labors as a slave in the factories and the fields. He catches a break when he is assigned as a driver for a Wehrmacht officer and it is this position that aides him in escaping back to the Soviet lines.

Once safely back in the arms of his comrades he is allowed a leave, but when he returns to his home he finds it devastated by the war. He then re-enters the Reich as part of the victorious Soviet army. With the war over he is determined never to return to his hometown and in his postwar wanderings he encounters a young orphaned boy. It is this meeting that results in a scene so poignant that it dwarfs entire films devoted to the subject of war, loss, and redemption.

Bondarchuk, with his countenance a finely detailed combination of exhaustion and determination is the perfect choice to portray the world-weary character of Sokolov. The films imaginative direction combined with the crisp black and white photography that comes courtesy of the considerable skill of Vladimir Monakov leaves one visually exhilarated and creates many memorable moments in the film, from an aerial shot of Sokolov resting in a wheat field to a dizzying sequence that takes place in a stone quarry.

"Destiny of a Man" is a war film, a character study, and a tribute to the perseverance of the human spirit in general, and the Soviet people in particular.

"Destiny of a Man," 1959
Directed by: Sergei Bondarchuk
106 mins.

Photo: Amazon.com

“An African Election” gives riveting backdrop to coming Ghana vote

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:14:00 +0000

The critically acclaimed documentary "An African Election" provides a riveting taste of politics in Ghana, the West African nation that is gearing up for elections this Friday.

Directed by Jarreth Merz, the film chronicles the final month of campaigning in Ghana's December 2008 presidential elections, which led to a hotly-contested nationwide runoff later that month, followed by a cliff-hanger vote in a single rural constituency one week later.

The film seems to focus on the specters of violence, intimidation, and fraud that hung over the elections like dark clouds, but Ghana's reputation as a relatively stable, peaceful and democratic nation - within a region characterized by coups, rebellions, and fraudulent polls - emerged intact.

Though much has changed in Ghana over the past four years, including the start of offshore oil drilling, most of the same issues and personalities that featured in the 2008 elections dominate this week's vote, too.

The 89-minute documentary is largely composed of contrasting scenes of massive, thunderous campaign rallies - during which the two main presidential candidates offer endless lists of locale-specific promises met with thunderous approval by throngs of supporters - and analytical commentary by mostly partisan scholarly "experts" and political leaders.

The film succeeds in portraying Ghana as a lively if imperfect democracy where ordinary voters freely share their strong opinions on camera. While the filmmakers briefly provide some historical context, particularly on Ghana's first decade after independence in 1957, more attention to the ethnic rivalries, regional differences, and ideological divides in Ghana would help viewers better understand the election's dynamics.

The foremost presence in the film, even more so than the two presidential candidates themselves, is J. J. Rawlings, Ghana's larger-than-life former longtime leader. Dismissed by his mainly reactionary opponents as an authoritarian demagogue who came to power through "the barrel of the gun," he is hugely popular amongst ordinary Ghanaians (as evident in many scenes in the documentary) and widely credited with transforming Ghana into the success story it is today.

When he came to power during the December 31st Revolution of 1981, Rawlings represented a new kind of Ghanaian ruler - a member of a minority ethnic group, not connected to any of the country's elite families, and willing to get his hands dirty participating in voluntary labor projects. He presided over essential economic and political reforms, first as a revolutionary leader in the 1980s, then a democratically elected president and founder of the social democratic National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 1990s.

In the film, we watch Rawlings stride triumphantly onto campaign rally platforms in far-flung towns, drive his own car through the busy streets of Ghana's capital, Accra, while offering a critique of western imperialism, and receive international election observers at his private residence where he issues dire warnings about the incumbent government's attempts to steal the election.

In 1998, at the end of his constitutional two-term limit, Rawlings handed over power to John Kufuor, then-leader of the opposition right-wing New Patriotic Party. The example that Rawlings set - giving up power after nearly 20 years and then staying in the country as his opponents took over - was admired by Africans across the continent, who also marveled at Ghana's economic and political strides during his tenure.

Kufuor's administration was generally unremarkable, except that it was rife with corruption and ethnic favoritism and very closely allied with the U.S. administration of George W. Bush. The elections documented in the film come at the end of Kufuour's two terms and while he barely makes an appearance on screen, Kufuor played a key role in maintaining peace during the fervent final days of the extended campaign.

The election pitted the NPP candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, who served as attorney general and foreign minister in Kufuor's administration, against the NDC's John Ata-Mills, Rawlings' former vice president and a law professor.

The elections, like all of Ghana's elections every four years, were a re-match between the two dominant parties who claim divergent political lineages and constituencies. The NPP has always been an elitist party of reaction - opposed to Ghana's founding President Kwame Nkrumah's demand for independence from British colonial rule in the 1950s, for example - with electoral support almost exclusively limited to the Akan ethnic group. In contrast, the NDC is a national party, drawing support from within and outside the majority Akan areas, and encompassing adherents of the Nkrumah and Rawlings leftist traditions.

When neither candidate received the constitutionally-required 50 plus one percent in the polls, a runoff election was called by Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the extraordinarily serene and composed chairman of Ghana's Electoral Commission, another star of the documentary.

After another inconclusive result - and viewers are treated to spellbinding scenes in the election commission's "war room" where representatives of the two parties trade accusations and threats - Afari-Gyan orders a re-vote in the Tain constituency where it was determined there had been problems with ballot distribution.

After the special vote, Afari-Gyan declared Mills the winner by less than one percent and NDC supporters hit the streets in ebullient celebration.

Behind the scenes, and the film suggests this, sources claim Akufo-Addo refused to accept the result. His former boss, outgoing President Kufuor, convinced the NPP flagbearer to gracefully accept defeat and concede to Mills. Thus, even his opponents conceded that Kufuor emerged as a true statesman at the end of his tenure, if only because he was fearful his party's notorious "macho men," taking their cue from Akufo-Addo, would incite violence and tarnish Ghana's image.

Remarkably, this week's elections were supposed to be an exact rematch of the 2008 race, pitting Mills against Akufo-Addo once again, but the Ghanaian president tragically died in July. Mills' vice president, John Dramini Mahama, who was sworn into office as president hours after Mills' death, now faces Akufo-Addo in Friday's polls.

Like the recent U.S. elections, the Ghanaian media claims the vote will be too close to call, but NDC supporters are hopeful Mahama will prevail since support is particularly strong in rural areas that have benefited from aggressive development programs over the past four years. Polling by neutral bodies suggest Mahama has a slight lead over Akufo-Addo.

In many ways, Akufo-Addo is the Mitt Romney of Ghana: he has been running for president for years, his support base is very limited, and he represents the interests of the wealthy.

Regardless of political affiliation, Ghanaians are hoping for a "one-touch" result, meaning one candidate wins outright this Friday thus avoiding a runoff, and most importantly, they are hoping for a peaceful election.

To get a crash course in Ghana's politics, and to appreciate why Ghanaians want to avoid a repeat of the 2008 elections, "An African Election" certainly is an entertaining and informative documentary.

"An African Election"
Directed by Jarreth Merz
2011, 89 minutes, Cinema Guild

Photo: A filming scene from the documentary. Official site gallery