Politics affects every part of our daily lives. Its reach is general and wide, dictating everything from the cleanliness of our water, land and air to more personal and interpersonal affairs. Though movies can be enjoyed simply as entertainment, film as a medium is an inherently political tool, a product of a creator’s unified ideology and assumption about the world we live in. Every Friday night for 9 weeks beginning September 6, TCM presents a selection of films featured on the New Republic’s list of the 100 Most Significant Political Films of All Time. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz will share an open dialogue with politicians, journalists, film critics, writers, musicians, scholars and filmmakers across party lines to explore the historical context and message of each film and their impact on society.
Making Change traces more than 100 years of cinema, beginning with the highly controversial The Birth of a Nation (1915) and featuring a more contemporary dialogue on politics in the James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro (2016). The films featured throughout the 9 weeks run the gamut of documentary (Harlan County U.S.A., Hearts and Minds), fiction (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, All the King’s Men), comedy (The Great Dictator, Being There), drama (Lincoln, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang) and thriller (The Parallax View, The Battle of Algiers).
The films in our showcase do not represent the best of their kind nor a definitive “right or wrong” political message. The messages of each film also may not reflect the views of TCM or its guests. Our special programming is merely a representation of how movies can spark discussion, inspire change, influence thought and alter the course of history. The goal is not to divide. On the contrary, we seek to foster an environment for open dialogue that demonstrates how we the people can engage in softening political divisions thus recognizing the humanity in one another.
Full Schedule of Film Selection with Guest Presenters Below:
Friday, September 6 - Night One
8:00 PM - The Battle of Algiers (1966) with Michael Tomasky
10:15 PM - All the King’s Men (1949) with Steven Spielberg
12:15 AM - The Great Dictator (1940) with John Turturro
2:30 AM - Fail Safe (1964)
4:30 AM - Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot (1958)
6:00 AM - Salt of the Earth (1954)
Friday, September 13 - Night Two
8:00 PM - Reds (1981) with Bill Maher
11:30 PM - The Parallax View (1974) with Kyle Smith
1:30 AM - Germany Year Zero (1948) with Alexander Payne
3:00 AM - Gabriel Over the White House (1933)
4:30 AM - Battleship Potemkin (1925)
6:00 AM - The Fog of War (2003)
Friday, September 20 - Night Three
8:00 PM - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) with Spike Lee
9:45 PM - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) with Stacey Abrams
12:15 AM - Hearts and Minds (1974) with Phil Mattingly
2:15 AM - The Lives of Others (2006)
4:45 AM - Born in Flames (1983)
6:15 AM - Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Friday, September 27 - Night Four
8:00 PM - Three Days of the Condor (1975) with Maureen Dowd
10:15 PM - I Am Not Your Negro (2016) with Sara Sidner
12:00 AM - The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) with Melissa Etheridge
1:30 AM - The Last Hurrah (1958)
3:45 AM - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
5:30 AM - The Tin Drum (1979)
Friday, October 4 – Night Five
8:00 PM - The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) with Sally Field
10:00 PM - The Best Man (1964) with Josh Mankiewicz
12:00 AM - I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) with Lonnie Bunch
1:45 AM - City Hall (1996)
3:45 AM - Strike (1925)
5:15 AM - High and Low (1963)
Friday, October 11 - Night Six
8:00 PM - A Face in the Crowd (1957) with Barry Levinson
10:15 PM - Wag the Dog (1997) with Diane Lane
12:00 AM - The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) with Abby Phillip
1:45 AM - JFK (1991)
5:00 AM - Z (1969)
7:15 AM - Night and Fog (1956)
Friday, October 18 - Night Seven
8:00 PM - The Birth of a Nation (1915) with Jamelle Bouie
11:30 PM - Lincoln (2012) with Robert Gates
2:15 AM - Malcolm X (1992)
6:00 AM - Primary (1960)
Friday, October 25 - Night Eight
8:00 PM - All the President’s Men (1976) with Steven Spielberg
10:30 PM - Citizen Kane (1941) with Frank Luntz
12:45 AM - Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) with Lizzie Borden
4:15 AM - Olympia Part One: Festival of Nations (1938)
6:15 AM - Olympia Part Two: Beauty of the Festival (1938)
Friday, November 1 - Night Nine
8:00 PM - Being There (1979) with Andy Garcia
10:30 PM - The Candidate (1972) with Kaitlan Collins
12:30 AM - Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) with Lee Grant
2:15 AM - The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
4:00 AM - Weekend (1967)
