In honor of the 81st annual Academy Awards® , we compiled a list of 81 films that inspired dialog on important social issues and exemplify the transformative power of movies. Here are our 81 choices, in no particular order:

81. All The President’s Men

80. The Grand Illusion

79. Maria Full of Grace Read the rest of this entry >>

Spike Lee’s Malcolm  X follows the life and death of one of the most militant leaders and charismatic spokesmen of the black liberation movement.  Denzel Washington’s  career defining portrayal of the controversial and influential leader earned the actor a nomination for Best Actor.

takepart by learning more with Facing History and Ourselves.
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To Kill a Mockingbird

For my last 81 for 81, I chose my number 1 personal favorite film that I think pushed the envelope in terms of content and message.  I first saw this Oscar® winner (based on the story by Harper Lee) as a child, as many people do, and it changed the way I looked at the world, as I’m sure it does for many people. The story of a daughter recollecting her father’s defense of a black man who has been wrongly accused of rape is a true testament to doing what’s right. A clear example of standing up against injustice and prejudice, Atticus Finch is every little girl’s hero (and should be!)

I distinctly remember watching the final court room scene where Atticus proves that Jim is innocent when he has him catch a ball to prove which hand is his dominant hand - and thus that he couldn’t have committed the murder.   Atticus Finch’s closing argument has inspired many and will continue to do so for years to come.  And because this is my last 81 for 81, I’m going to be a bit indulgent and go ahead and past the entirety of that speech. Read the rest of this entry >>

The Lives of Others was one of my favorite movies of 2007, which is why I was surprised to hear rumors of a remake a little while ago.  Set in East Germany in 1984, the film follows the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), a highly skilled officer working for the Stasi, East Germany’s all-powerful secret police. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, The Lives of Others confronts the totalitarian excesses of the East German state.

takepart by learning more about wiretapping laws from Privacy Rights.

I’ve always admired the zeal and compassion of Jimmy Stewart’s characters, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is a great example of his earnest passion.  Nominated for eleven Oscars and the winner of Best Writing for an original story in 1939, the film offers idealistic hope in the face of political corruption and scandal.  Hmmm, I wonder why the film resonates today?

takepart by learning more about cleaning up Washington with the Public Campaign.

Elephant

I thought maybe if I waited till the eve of the Oscars to write this 81 for 81 that I might send some good luck to director Gus Van Sant (who I hope wins tomorrow).  Elephant, based on the Columbine shootings,  is very different than his Oscar nominated Milk, especially considering both films are telling true stories and end with murder.

Instead of a straight film about why the shootings at Columbine happened, Van Sant moves through the school and simply observes:

Winner of two top prizes at Cannes, Gus Van Sant’s fictionalized drama about the Columbine massacre was generated by conversations with the teenage actors about their own lives, and reportedly none of the dialogue was scripted. Perhaps as a result this offers little insight into the motivations of teenage mass murderers, unless one counts such threadbare ideas as a TV documentary about Nazism idly watched by the killers. What interests Van Sant is why no one saw the massacre coming, and his exciting and rigorous structure follows several characters in overlapping trajectories and time frames (a method derived from Bela Tarr’s Satantango) so that we’re constantly noticing details we missed earlier. The effect is riveting and telling--not always realistic (none of the characters carry cell phones) but often enlightening. [Jonathan Rosenbaum]

Read the rest of this entry >>

If there was ever a film to make journalism look sexy, All The President’s Men would be that film.  Nominated for eight Oscars® and winner of four, the 1976 film follows Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (played by Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) as they uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon’s resignation.  I first watched All The President’s Men for a journalism class in college, and was inspired by the film’s celebration of truth triumphing over power.  The film has a gritty, frenetic energy, which unravels the complicated investigation like a great crime thriller.

Special birthday nod to Hal Halbrook, the actor who played Woodward and Bernstein’s top-level secret source “Deep Throat” who helped bring down the Nixon administration.

takepart by learning more about investigative journalism in the public’s interest from The Center For Public Integrity.

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Grand Illusion

I saw Renoir’s amazing film for the first time over the holidays at the Cleveland Museum of Art and I immediately fell in love with it. It’s a war film (kind of) that truly manages to express the beauty of life:

A film about war without a single scene of combat, Jean Renoir’s 1937 masterpiece about French and German officers during World War I suggests that the true divisions of that conflict were of class rather than nationality. The point is embodied in the friendship between two aristocratic officers, a German (Erich von Stroheim, in his greatest performance in a sound film) and a Frenchman (Pierre Fresnay), both of whom ultimately become sacrificial victims after a nouveau riche Jewish officer (Marcel Dalio) and a French mechanic (Jean Gabin) manage to escape from Stroheim’s fortress to freedom. The relationship between the mechanic and a German widow (L’Atalante’s Dita Parlo), who barely speak each other’s language, is no less moving. The film doesn’t have the polyphonic brilliance of Renoir’s The Rules of the Game, made two years later, but it’s still one of the key humanist expressions to be found in movies: sad, funny, exalting, and glorious. [Jonathan Rosenbaum]

As I said in my 81 for 81 look at All Quiet on the Western Front, war is too often glamorized today and what I love about The Grand Illusion is that it manages to express the downside of war without putting any combat on screen - taking away any coolness the violence and destruction would have. Read the rest of this entry >>

Citizen Kane

Until recently, I was one of those *adults* who still hadn’t seen Citizen Kane. Shame be mine. I suppose I felt dwarfed by its colossal reputation, having topped the list of the 100 greatest U.S. movies of all time two polls in a row. It was as if some authority was telling me how to think and feel anew and I just wouldn’t have it. Change is not the difficulty, but rather the resistance to it…

I believe the first hinting at the film’s genius starts with its playful trailer, narrated by its star, co-writer, and director, Orson Welles aka “Boy Genius.” It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. In 1941, the year of the film’s release, Welles broke all the molds of his time…at 25 years of age (whaaa!?). By incorporating his radio (and theater) experience into that of film, he showcased a talent as unique and vital as his legacy.

Now here is a man understood the power of his own voice.

Read the rest of this entry >>

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth follows Al Gore’s fervent crusade to stop climate change in its tracks by exposing myths, sharing evidence and inspiring people on how they can make a difference. This film ignited a movement and earned Al Gore an Oscar®, a Nobel Peace Prize and countless other accolades. It is by far one of the most terrifying films you will ever see. But it will also empower you to shift your thinking and your habits to make an impact on this global crisis. takepart with An Inconvenient Truth

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