Is it wrong for me to want to rent movies like "Birth of a Nation" and

[LynneSin]

"Battleship Potemkin" or "Triumph of the Will"?

I'm about as liberal as them come and I know these films have huge injustices with the type of propaganda offered in them. However, it's that type of propaganda that I find interesting - almost like wanting to better understand how such horrible powers were able to take over a country. Plus BOAN has a historical aspect of the fact that it revolutionized moving making.

Mind you, I adore classic foreign movies and hard-hitting documentaries on the gritty underbelly of society (Documentaries about drug addiction - I love em!!). I think I watch these depressing movies (the docs) because it makes me realize how good I have life.

But yet, there is that underlying concept, especially with BOAN and TOTW, that these were movies that supported such horrible ideas like Nazism and the KKK.

:shrug:

I do have Battleship Potemkin, but I hestitate with the other 2

[bleedingheart]

1. I don't see the harm in knowledge...that is what differentiates the left

from the right....

it is best to know thy enemy...

[DS1]

2. Well, you could comment on movies you haven't seen, just like the

rest of the rightwingers. Or you could watch them and form your own opinion. Or you could study the moviemaking as a subject aside from the content.

..

[bobthedrummer]

3. Of course not, I've seen all of those mentioned.

Censorship isn't democratic.

[Beware the Beast Man]

4. Absolutely not.

In terms of cinematography, those are all important, powerful films.

[On the Road]

5. Oh, Lynn, People Today HAVE to See "Brith of a Nation"

to understand what racism is all about. "To Kill a Mockingbird" doesn't do it justice. Most people alive today have no idea of the social atmosphere eighty years ago and don't understand the reasons for anti-discrimination laws, multiculturalism, etc.

I have never seen "Triumph of the Will," but maybe you'll inspire me. It's always educational to put yourself into someone else's shoes. To fight, you have to understand.

[LynneSin]

6. Yeah, but anytime they try showing the movie in theaters - it gets protest

I can understand why they protest, but many folks who want to see this movie are like me who want to understand the cultural aspect of the film

Now I feel like I'm renting porn and hiding in my bedroom to watch it (My dvd player is in the bedroom)

[On the Road]

8. It DOES Feel a Little Like Renting Porn

But a lot of film students see it. It's considered classic cinema. Just wear a beret to Blockbuster.

I went to a functionally segregated school in the South for three years, and it was an eye-opener. I never would have understood that culture otherwise. And "Birth of a Nation" is one of the few videos around that presents the world from that point of view.

[LynneSin]

9. No blockbuster - netflix queue

I won't add them until I'm ready to watch them. I can just bump them to the top next time I'm ready for a new batch of films

[On the Road]

14. And They Arrive in a Plain Brown Wrapper

That makes it easy.

[LynneSin]

18. Geez, more and more like porn

:eyes:

[jonnyblitz]

22. it is a must see. I watched it about 3 weeks ago.

i can't believe people would give you a hard time.

[sundog]

7. If you're interested in the history of film,

then it's essential to watch those flicks.

Films reflect the political & social period in which they were produced. They can either be used to reinforce or deconstruct political & social ideals.

[mark414]

10. no different from reading 'mein kampf'

which i've done...yikes

but it's historically important as are those movies...don't be ashamed

[LynneSin]

11. I don't think I could read Mein Kampf

:scared:

[mark414]

19. it was hard

especially all that "blame the jew" stuff

[tjwmason]

12. Whenever I see a portrayal of the far-right

It merely enhances my extreme distaste for them and all for which they stand.

Watching such films can be good, though also shocking.

[redqueen]

13. No, of course not.

I admit I'm too cowardly to watch, though. I can get upset somewhat easily.

[norml]

15. Birth of a Nation is a hoot, not too different from Gone With The Wind.

Battleship Potemkin is a great movie, and isn't all that controversial. I've not seen Triumph of the Will, except in bits. I'd like to see it because I enjoy studying propaganda, especially if it's well made.

[jmm]

16. I've seen them each about half a dozen times.

I've also read Mein Kampf and bought The Protocols of the Elders of Zion for various classes. Just because you want to understand propaganda doesn't mean you want to subscribe to it.

[Ellen Forradalom]

17. By all means, do. There is nothing wrong with learning.

Each is a compelling document of its time and place and the manner in which the creators chose and treated their material offers insights into a state of mind that can't be recreated by literal historical narrative. They may also relate to the present day in surprising ways.

[Ellen Forradalom]

20. Maybe you should ask Bertha Venation

:silly:

[jonnyblitz]

21. no. i have watched "birth of a nation" and own "triumph of the will'

I have a few other leni riefenstahl movies too. I am hardly a right winger.