by John Ruhland

The movies on this list are well-suited to watching individually or as a group to stimulate political discussions. Most can be found on video at the Seattle Public Library, or independent video stores.

* HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
** A "MUST SEE"

Part 4: Mumia Abu Jamal, the death penalty,
and uses of state power to oppress

CASE FOR A REASONABLE DOUBT 1997 The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, an innocent African-American man on death row.

COMPULSION Richard Fleischer 1959 Stunning recreation of the 1924 Leopold-Loeb case where wealthy white teenagers, convicted of murder, were saved from death sentence.

WITH GLITTERING EYES (Greek) When Germans retaliate for death of a soldier, a man is forced to choose which of his three sons must die. A clear example of the horror of murdering people in order to oppress populations.

INTOLERANCE DW Griffith 1916 Epic film showing clearcut cases of injustice, including a man wrongly accused of murder. Racism is accepted, due perhaps to the pre-civil rights era, liberal viewpoint of the film.

ONA MOVE: INTERVIEW WITH MUMIA ABU-JAMAL Mumia is truly an extraordinary human being.

ROOTS Epic adaptation of Alex Haley's African Americans' history. Slavery - one of the primary causes of racism against blacks, and why blacks cannot get justice even today.

THE UNQUIET DEATH OF JULIUS & ETHEL ROSENBERG Alvin Goldstein 1974 Gives us insight into the the political nature of their murder.

Death due to desire for profits around the world

**LUMUMBA: DEATH OF A PROPHET (LUMUMBA: LA MORT DU PROPHETE) (French) 1992 A must-see documentary. The CIA is responsible for illegal "death penalty" around the world, to protect profits of U.S.-based multinational corporations.

EL NORTE Original, and PBS American Playhouse version 1983. Two Guatemalans flee to America to escape death squads trained by U.S. government agencies.

RELAX, IT'S JUST SEX 1999 P.J. Castellaneta. The only popular movie which gives an honest view of the causes of AIDS. Those people who died due to the AIDS drugs serve as a warning for people who will be encouraged to take the antivirals after being diagnosed as having Hep C. Anyone who wants to be prepared for the onslaught of corporate propaganda in the area of Hepatitis C would do well to watch this movie.

The state as oppressor

CHILDREN OF THE CAMPS Documents experiences of Japanese-American children survivors of U.S. WWII concentration camps. Over 50% of the internees were children.

**COME SEE THE PARADISE Alan Parker 1990 Two lovers, one is drafted, one is put in U.S. internment "camp."

*GERMINAL Claude Berri 1993 Masterpiece. Realistic depiction of an early miners strike.

**HARLAN COUNTY, USA 1976 Academy award winning documentary of United Mine Workers strike in Kentucky. HATE (French) Matthieu Kassovitz 1995 Powerful film about life in the 'hood, including the police brutality.

INCIDENT AT OGLALA Michael Apted, Robert Redford Documentary on Leonard Peltier's frame-up.

**ISHI, THE LAST YAHI 1992 WGBH Documentary which is noteworthy in that it is not condescending to Native Americans nor treats them as extinct.

*MATEWAN 1987 James Earl Jones Battle of Bear Creek, early miners strike.

*THE MOLLY McGUIRES 1970 Radical mine workers movement.

**THE ORGANIZER Mario Monicelli 1963 Early unionizing effort in Italy. Positive, exciting and upbeat, with many important organizing lessons.

**SALT OF THE EARTH 1953 Striking mineworkers (entire movie, as well as its director and actors, were blacklisted).

**WEDDING IN GALILEE (Hebrew/Arabic) Michel Khleifi 1987 Young Palestinian couple married despite tensions with Israeli occupying forces.

**WHERE THE SPIRIT LIVES 1989 Government schools for Native American children.