One of the most beloved political films of all time, Frank Capra’s classic focuses on Jeff Smith, a reformist who is picked over the political machine stooge to fill a Senate seat with the hope that he can be easily manipulated.
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MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
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An indisputable classic of American cinema, Stanley Kubrick’s savage satire of the fears at the time of a nuclear conflict between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. is black comedy at its darkest.
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DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
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“All the President’s Men” is more of a film about journalism than about politics, the impact that journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward have had upon American political history is unquestionable.
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ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
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The only film on this list that doesn’t deal with national politics, Alexander Payne’s “Election” focuses instead on a high school race for student council president
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ELECTION (1999)
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“Wag the Dog” looks at politics from the point of view of the consultants — those individuals whose job it is when political candidates find themselves in trouble
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WAG THE DOG (1997)
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“The Manchurian Candidate” is much more about the brainwashing of a U.S. soldier who is manipulated into assassinating a Presidential nominee, and politics permeates the entire film
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THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
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In the age of Donald Trump, Kazan’s film so prescient in his depiction of a drifter who, under the guidance of a sharp-eyed producer, not only becomes a media star but an influential tastemaker on the political front
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A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957)
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“Bulworth” is equally sharp but on a grand scale. U.S. Sen. Jay Bulworth, about to lose a reelection campaign to a young upstart, decides to end his life, but so that his daughter can be set up financially
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BULWORTH (1998)
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“Lincoln” is not about the ballyhoo of campaigning but instead focuses on what Washingtonians call the “sausage-making” — the sometimes ugly process by which a bill, through compromising, cajoling and even blackmailing, becomes a law.
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LINCOLN (2012)
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This barely-disguised fictionalization of the rise of the colorful 1930s Louisiana governor Huey Long still stands as one of the great political films of all time.
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ALL THE KING’S MEN (1949)
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Tale of legislative bill-passing with romance as a widower American President who falls for an environmental lobbyist. Top performances, particularly by Douglas and Bening, you get one of the most fondly-remembered political films of all time.
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THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995)
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“Dave” proves that a film doesn’t have to be a serious think-piece to be politically perceptive. Thought by many to be the smartest political comedy ever made, “Dave” deals with the issue of Presidential image.
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DAVE (1993)
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“The Candidate” is a campaign-based political film, with the Oscar-winning script by Jeremy Larner focusing on the U.S. Senate campaign of California Democrat Bill McKay
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THE CANDIDATE (1972)
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It’s about old-school politics (very old school politics) and even has a cringe-worthy subplot about a politician who is outed for being gay and kills himself.
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ADVISE & CONSENT (1962)
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“The Ides of March” is not so much about governing but doing what needs to be done to get a chance to govern. A Pennsylvania governor who is running for President.