American History & Culture--SEEN
Movies & TV Shows Essential to understanding America
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- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'History, Culture: Media. Loosely based on the Rupert Murdoch of his day, William Randolph Hearst. A movie that changed movies all over the world. Don't miss.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Culture, adapted History: Mafia/organized crime. The trilogy of Godfather films changed cinema forever. Mafia mythology illustrates the shadow side of the American Dream: how some immigrants "make it" in America.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.Culture, adapted History: Mafia. The beginning of the Mafia, how poor immigrants from southern Italy got power and respect. Some new actor named Robert DeNiro shows up.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoDiane KeatonAndy GarciaFollows Michael Corleone, now in his 60s, as he seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire.Mafia. The dark culmination of the myth. If you're going to keep it all in the family, you may have to get rid of some family.
- StarsSam WaterstonMary Tyler MooreRichard MulliganAfter arriving in Washington in 1861 after his election, Abraham Lincoln struggles with personal and political problems during his Presidency.History, Civil War. A good adaptation of Gore Vidal's Lincoln. This gives a window into Lincoln as a shrewd politician with a difficult personal life.
Sam Waterston and Mary Tyler Moore are outstanding. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.History, Civil War. Political machinations of Lincoln (a moderate) and Thaddeus Stevens (a radical) versus the conservatives over the emancipation of African Americans.
- StarsPaul GiamattiLaura LinneyJohn DossettThe life of one of the USA's Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation's first 50 years.History: Revolutionary War & American Republic. There are very few really good movies or series about the time period of the Revolutionary War. Outstanding cast and script.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.History, Culture, Civil War. Great movie. Racist and biased history, but this how the South tells itself how mean Northerners are.
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsGregory PeckJohn MegnaFrank OvertonAtticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.Culture: Law, Racism, The South. A fictionalized look at an event in the 1930s that captures something of the sense of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. Probably one of the greatest movies of all time.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.Culture, Law. This is not about a point in time, but this film focuses on something that is the foundation of American law and culture: the assumption that you are innocent until proven guilty. Also a great movie.
- CreatorNorman LearStarsCarroll O'ConnorJean StapletonRob ReinerA working class man constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.Culture. This topical and political comedy series changed American TV forever.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsDustin HoffmanRobert RedfordJack Warden"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.History, 1970s. The end of the Nixon presidency, and the erosion of the law and order candidate.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.History: Slavery. This is really about the experience of a free man who is tricked and sold into slavery. Probably the truth was even worse than this shows.
- DirectorKasi LemmonsStarsCynthia ErivoJanelle MonáeLeslie Odom Jr.The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.History: Slavery, Civil War. Harriet Tubman was born into slavery and had a head injury. She was also the most successful conductor for the Underground Railroad. This is somewhat fictionalized and Hollywoodized, but is okay as an introduction to this remarkable woman.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenTom BerengerWillem DafoeChris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.History, Vietnam. Made seven years after Apocalypse now. More accessible than Apocalypse now. Like all American movies, more about Americans than Vietnamese.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsKevin CostnerGary OldmanJack LemmonNew Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.History, President Kennedy. Fairly watchable, although the history presented is unreliable. Made almost 30 years after Kennedy's assassination, an open wound that continues to affect us now.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsGregory PeckDorothy McGuireJohn GarfieldA reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism, and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.Culture. Not many movies set in America explore anti-semitism, which runs deep and hidden.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.Cultural landmark and the beginning of gay culture seeping into the mainstream. Talk about LBGTQ?!!!
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsMyrna LoyDana AndrewsFredric MarchThree World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.Very few movies acknowledged the difficulty of adjusting to life after WW2. Oscar-winning and excellent.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaJane DarwellJohn CarradineAn Oklahoma family, driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl, joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.History, Culture: the Depression. Adapted from a John Steinbeck novel, also well worth reading.
- CreatorDavid ChaseStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoNew Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.Culture: Mafia. About a well-meaning guy who's also kind of a sociopath. Changed TV forever.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreRoger B. SmithRhonda BrittonAfter General Motors closes its factory in Flint, Michigan, eliminating 35,000 jobs, filmmaker Michael Moore undertakes a quixotic quest to interview General Motors' chairman, Roger B. Smith.History: Recent. Funny Michael Moore documentary that is asnapshot of the gutting of working-class America by one of its many reps, Roger B. Smith of GM.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsLaura DernSwoosie KurtzMary Kay PlaceAn irresponsible, drug-addicted, recently impregnated woman finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate when both parties attempt to sway her to their respective sides.Culture: Culture Wars. The religious right vs. progressives vs. a drug-addicted pregnant mother. A dark comedy.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.Culture: Florida, Poverty. How people with few resources get by, living week to week in transient hotels. The Floating World of America.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.Culture: Guns. Michael Moore documentary. Like all his work, probably more notable for his chutzpah than accuracy. But asks some interesting questions about the American obsession with guns.
- DirectorArthur PennStarsDustin HoffmanFaye DunawayChief Dan GeorgeJack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.Culture: Westerns. An updated and irreverent look at a key point in the battle between Native Americans & US troops through the eyes of an everyman.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.Culture: Westerns. Fictional white guy turns Indian. At least they had real Indians in this Western, and they're the good-er guys.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.History: Greed and Finance. This guy is still in operation, although he's clearly a sociopath.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.Culture: Mafia. This beautifully cast and scripted movie is both dark and funny. Perhaps an easier introduction to Mafia culture than The Godfather.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDanny AielloOssie DavisRuby DeeOn the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.Culture: Race. This non-historic movie still captures the sense of rage, impotence, and frustration that fuels inner-city riots.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsHenry FondaDana AndrewsMary Beth HughesWhen a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.Culture: Westerns, Law & Scapegoating. Americans celebrate frontier justice, but sometimes it's not very just.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsChris CooperJames Earl JonesMary McDonnellA labor union organizer comes to an embattled mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company.History: Labor & Union Organizing. One of the few films about organizing miners.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsSally FieldBeau BridgesRon LeibmanA young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
- 19641h 35mPG8.4 (519K)97MetascoreDirectorStanley KubrickStarsPeter SellersGeorge C. ScottSterling HaydenAn unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.Culture: Atomic. There's never been a movie like this before or since.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenDon TaylorOtto PremingerAfter two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.Culture: WWII, Scapegoating.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.Culture: Hollywood. You can't go wrong with a Billy Wilder film.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsDavid StrathairnGeorge ClooneyPatricia ClarksonBroadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.History: Communist Witch Hunt, Media. Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsFrank LangellaMichael SheenKevin BaconA dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.History: the Presidency. Trump's predecessor hopes to exonerate his legacy in a set of interviews.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsBryan CranstonDiane LaneHelen MirrenIn 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.History: Red Scare, Media. Dalton Trumbo is blacklisted and has to make ends meet somehow.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsWoody AllenZero MostelHerschel BernardiIn 1953, a cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.Culture: Red Scare, Media. In 1953, a cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsJames DeanNatalie WoodSal MineoA rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.Culture: Youth Rebellion, James Dean. A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. Heavy on the Freudian symbolism.
- DirectorJerome RobbinsRobert WiseStarsNatalie WoodGeorge ChakirisRichard BeymerTwo youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Culture: New York, Puerto Ricans, Romance. Romeo and Juliet in the dark alleys of New York. Maybe one of the best musicals ever.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsDamian ChapaJesse BorregoBenjamin BrattBased on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on step-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo.Culture: Chicanos, Los Angeles.
- DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGeorge ClooneyJohn TurturroTim Blake NelsonIn the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.Culture: American roots music & the blues told as the story of Ulysses. Funny & educational.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydCab CallowayJake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
- DirectorRob MarshallStarsRenée ZellwegerCatherine Zeta-JonesRichard GereTwo death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.
- DirectorLuis ValdezStarsDaniel ValdezEdward James OlmosCharles AidmanWhen barrio leader Henry Reyna and his friends are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence, activist lawyers Alice Bloomfield and George Shearer fight the blatant racially motivated miscarriage of justice to win them their freedom.Culture: Race, Style, and Police Brutality. The Chicano Zoot Suit arrests of the 1940s.
- DirectorRamón MenéndezStarsEdward James OlmosEstelle HarrisMark PhelanThe story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.Race. A teacher insists his impoverished Chicano students can excel academically.
- DirectorWayne WangStarsTamlyn TomitaRosalind ChaoKieu ChinhThe life histories of four East Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other.Race. Practically the only well-known movie in America about Asians who aren't martial arts experts.