well, comrades, I’d like to pick your brains. It is time again for me to wrack my brains for a theme for my writing courses for next semester, and in my half-assed way I have come up with a title but no content. “Film and Global History”–how’s that for vague and overweening? anyway, what I want is a combination of readings (literary, essays, commentary) and films that explore the relations between recent global history and film, particularly films that might look at American experience from an international point of view. So far the only film I have decided on is the remarkable documentary (now available on DVD) The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On . any suggestions? I am wary of the earnest historical film (which many of them would love!)–say, those of the Schindler’s List variety–so I’d particularly like black comedies, absurdist farces about horrific events, obscure avant-garde exercises and squirm-inducing documentaries. if you know of readings and films that would work particularly well together, let me know.
my memory is an empty bag, but something that comes to mind now is a mighty heart, which does a terrific job of showing the pain US foreign policy causes globally, and, also, eschews the temptation (which i would have totally indulged) to make the other look like the innocent doe-eyed victim.
and i just saw costa-gravas’s Z, which is a relentless satire on how power doesn’t give a shit about truth (though i confess that it took me about two weeks to watch it, ten slow minutes a night).
and man push cart is very much on my mind.
Are you interested only in films about the American experience, or are you thinking of using other histories? If the latter, then you might consider Colonial Misunderstanding by Jean-Marie Teno, which is a documentary about the German colonization of Southwest Africa in the mid 19th century.
Now I see you want “recent.” Oops. Just brainstorming:
–Greil Marcus’s Lipstick Traces
—Man of Marble by Andre Wajda (I love this movie)
–Warren Beatty’s Reds
—Battle of Algiers
–There was a decent Frontline documentary on Tiananmen Sqaure, called “Tank Man.”
–Gio’s suggestion of Z made me think of Godard’s Tout va bien, which is much more accessible than his other films about the same topic, such as One Plus One. Is there any good stuff out there on the May/June 1968 events?
–There’s a new documentary out on Joe Strummer. Haven’t seen it, but I’m guessing it may be relevant if you’re looking to tie music into your course.
–You say you’re wary of Spielberg, but I think Munich is terrific.
–Hilla Medalia’s To Die in Jerusalem
I’m going to post on this in the next day or so but Shane Meadows’ This is England is fricken amazing. I’d also suggest Michael Haneke’s Code Unknown. And Jane Campion’s The Piano offers up a lot to talk about. Also films by Claire Denis. Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant is also a personal favorite.
In the black comedy category: ‘Life is Beautiful’.
oh . . . John Sayles’ Casa de los Babys fits. And Alex Garland’s novel The Beach might be worth a look.
Ooh . . . I forgot about the anthology 11″ 9′ 01, the French produced collection of short films (each eleven minutes, nine seconds and one frame in length) which offer a global response to the events of 9/11. We’ve talked about that before on this blog.
Hmmm…?
The only Oliver Stone film I can stomach: Salvador.
Maybe I could push in other directions:
Children of Men–I like the idea of an imagined future as perverse historiography; maybe Blade Runner, too? Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46? I haven’t seen it, but…
In fact, I’d be interested in how genre films might work. What about Hostel? What about the range of Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan thrillers?
I did quite like the recent Iraq doc No End In Sight, and there’s a slew of other films (fictional and nonfictional), and some interesting non-fiction and essays… plenty of material to dig into? Maybe tie to the last Gulf War–and Three Kings?
Apocalypse Now. I guess not so recent, but still.
Sounds cool, whatever direction you take….
thanks all for your suggestions. so far I am leaning toward No End in Sight for Iraq, possibly Battle of Algiers because it puts the torture/insurgents vs. guerillas dynamic in the forefront—all of these suggestions I’ll take to heart, except maybe The Piano (sorry, Jeff)–I just have a no naked Harvey Keitel rule.
Not even ‘Bad Lieutenant’? That’s a harsh rule!
I like Bad Lieutenant , but I don’t want to frighten the kids!