Top 25 Left-Wing Films

[Ragnar]

Big Hollywood Top 25 Left-Wing Films

I can't say I agree with the order though it's not bad. Also, I have not seen five of the twenty-five films on the list so I can't say anything about them at all. However, I do have to agree, for the most part (Michael Moore. Really?) of the films I've seen, they are almost all (Mikey Moore, really?) very great films to watch.

Some of them are among my favorites too though I've never tried to put together a definitive list, let alone a list that took politics into account. Also the degree of "Leftyness" varies quite a bit IMHO as Nolte makes his case.

 

[Madeline]

Interesting list, Ragnar.

Thankies for posting.

 

[midcan5]

I only saw 20 ? Interesting how the right cannot live without defining the left? Odd predicament when all you do is look at the other as something else. You can define else.

He missed a few interesting films I could maybe (?), if I had a narrow head like his, define as leftist. Death of a Salesman, Being There, Focus are three, anyone who hasn't seen 'Focus' see it. Book is better. And how about Steinbeck, Orwell, Huxley, Beckett, or Dickens? Were they lefties? Their stories became movies too. Lots more. Waiting for Godot is about as lefty as one can get. LOL

Righties always tell us what is good for us, weird bunch as they accuse the other side of same. I saw a list of their bad books once too. Seems ideas scare the crap outta them.

 

[Big Fitz]

Amazing how many of those movies I've actually seen and agree they're often entertaining but then.... they get moralizing and you want to vomit.

 

[uscitizen]

I have seen 4 of them.
But Apolclypse Now is a left wing film?

rightwingers seem to love it.

 

[Big Fitz]

I have seen 4 of them.
But Apolclypse Now is a left wing film?

rightwingers seem to love it.

oh yeah. Let's make every last soldier look like a lunatic bloodcrazed warmonger. Very conservative.

 

[Ragnar]

I only saw 20 ? Interesting how the right cannot live without defining the left? Odd predicament when all you do is look at the other as something else. You can define else.

He missed a few interesting films I could maybe (?), if I had a narrow head like his, define as leftist. Death of a Salesman, Being There, Focus are three, anyone who hasn't seen 'Focus' see it. Book is better. And how about Steinbeck, Orwell, Huxley, Beckett, or Dickens? Were they lefties? Their stories became movies too. Lots more. Waiting for Godot is about as lefty as one can get. LOL

Righties always tell us what is good for us, weird bunch as they accuse the other side of same. I saw a list of their bad books once too. Seems ideas scare the crap outta them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMz1-Kgz_DI

Right defines the Left, Left defines the Right. Not a big deal when done smartly and fairly and Nolte was up to the task. If he was afraid of ideas, there is nothing in all 25 articles that indicated that. (though there is nothing particularly wrong with concern over the perpetuation of bad ideas like racism, collectivism or fat people in spandex)

It's possible, being hollywood-centric that foreign films were not considered for the list tough I don't know that definitively. In any case the point of posting list like this is to promote discussion of other worthy film, the order of the list, what should not be there, etc. I have not seen Death of a Salesman, the Hollywood version anyway though I think I should.

Anyway, Nolte is writing in praise of great "lefty" films, in each case stating first why he thinks it's "Left" and then, why he thinks it's a great film. I think that's a worthy exercise for anyone. I'd be just as interested to read a list of Right leaning movies and why they are or are not great art as well.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

American Beauty was bizarre.
I never understood how a movie that made it out to be the fault of the teen girl that a perverted Dad of her friend wanted to f*ck her. And just at the moment he was about to screw her he has an epiphany - and whalla he's the good guy.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

And btw - he forgot Avatar.

 

[Ragnar]

And btw - he forgot Avatar.

Avatar came up briefly in one of the articles but was rejected from the list because despite being "Left", it was not actually a very good movie.

The opposite reason was sited for not including Dr. Strangelove. It was a great movie, but not particularly left wing.

 

[Big Fitz]

And btw - he forgot Avatar.

No no... that was on the second page.

 

[Madeline]

What about the older films? Are they "leftist" as well?

Imitation of Life
The Yearling
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Touch of Evil

 

[Ragnar]

What about the older films? Are they "leftist" as well?

Imitation of Life
The Yearling
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Touch of Evil

Good questions. Unfortunately I've only seen To Kill a Mockingbird which was a much better film than many on Nolte's list (and an even better book) however, I don't see how Mockingbird qualifies as a "leftist" film.

Also, I swear I've been meaning to see A Touch of Evil. Really.

 

[Madeline]

I love A Touch of Evil. Orson Wells will make your skin crawl, he he he.

What about Of Mice and Men?

Seems to me, any film that portrays the poor (or women, or workers, or people of color, etc.) in a sympathetic light would be leftist, Ragnar.

 

[westwall]

I only saw 20 ? Interesting how the right cannot live without defining the left? Odd predicament when all you do is look at the other as something else. You can define else.

He missed a few interesting films I could maybe (?), if I had a narrow head like his, define as leftist. Death of a Salesman, Being There, Focus are three, anyone who hasn't seen 'Focus' see it. Book is better. And how about Steinbeck, Orwell, Huxley, Beckett, or Dickens? Were they lefties? Their stories became movies too. Lots more. Waiting for Godot is about as lefty as one can get. LOL

Righties always tell us what is good for us, weird bunch as they accuse the other side of same. I saw a list of their bad books once too. Seems ideas scare the crap outta them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMz1-Kgz_DI

I gthink you have that backwards my friend. I can pretty much gurantee you it is a lefty who got San Francisco to outlaw toys in Happy Meals.

‘The Daily Show’ investigates San Francisco’s Happy Meal toy ban | Grist

Just one of hundreds of examples of libs telling people what's best for them and how they should live and what they should eat, drink, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I only saw 20 ? Interesting how the right cannot live without defining the left? Odd predicament when all you do is look at the other as something else. You can define else.

He missed a few interesting films I could maybe (?), if I had a narrow head like his, define as leftist. Death of a Salesman, Being There, Focus are three, anyone who hasn't seen 'Focus' see it. Book is better. And how about Steinbeck, Orwell, Huxley, Beckett, or Dickens? Were they lefties? Their stories became movies too. Lots more. Waiting for Godot is about as lefty as one can get. LOL

Righties always tell us what is good for us, weird bunch as they accuse the other side of same. I saw a list of their bad books once too. Seems ideas scare the crap outta them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMz1-Kgz_DI

And we know the left would never define the right.

What right-wing movies do you hate yourself for loving? - Democratic Underground

Ooops, I bet you forgot Democratic Underground exists.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I love A Touch of Evil. Orson Wells will make your skin crawl, he he he.

What about Of Mice and Men?

Seems to me, any film that portrays the poor (or women, or workers, or people of color, etc.) in a sympathetic light would be leftist, Ragnar.

I disagree. The movies can portray the poor sympathetically and still be right wing. What makes a film left wing, or right wing, is a blatant disregard for presenting an even handed view of both sides of an issue.

 

[Tank]

 

[Ragnar]

What about Of Mice and Men?

Seems to me, any film that portrays the poor (or women, or workers, or people of color, etc.) in a sympathetic light would be leftist, Ragnar.

I assume there is more than one (or even two) Hollywood versions of Of Mice and Men. I saw the one with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich and thought it was pretty well done. Two great actors and a great story. I don't know if it's a left wing film but I'd rate it higher than many of the movies on Nolte's list.

Forgive me Madeline if I'm confusing you with someone else on USMB, but I think of you as a fair minded center-right thinker. (??) In any case, wherever you fall on the political spectrum (reguardless I think your fair minded, lol) it's a mistake IMHO to accept the left's cartoon version of the right wing. (i.e. unsympathetic to women, minorities etc)

As an example, I don't think of the Civil War movie Glory as a right wing film just because all the "good guys" were (or would be) Republicans. No major, or minor political party in America want's to see slavery return (or exist elsewhere in the world). (on edit, forgot to add) Its the same with To Kill a Mockingbird witch Harper Lee wrote in the late 50's (I think). Though it's unsaid, being in the American South, it's easy to presume the villains would be Democrats and Atticus a Republican. I say this to make the point that it's not a left wing film, however, by the same token, there is nothing there that makes it a "right wing" film either.

 

[Big Fitz]

Of course you couldn't consider "The Day After" because it was TV. But wow, talk about your leftwing punditry.

Then you got "The Day After Tomorrow" but this list is for GOOD movies.

Other quasi leftist pap can include: Ferngully, The Abyss, An Inconvenient Truth, The Happening, The Deerhunter, Million Dollar Baby, The Life of David Gale and Pay It Forward come to mind.