Part 5:
Lifestyles of the Bourgeoisie

The movies on this list are well-suited to watching as a group to stimulate political discussions, and may be especially pertinent in the wake of the Seattle WTO demonstrations. Most can be found on video at the Seattle Public Library, or independent video stores.

*highly recommended
**a "must see"

Here's some background for the Seattle Round of the WTO: A view into the abuses and oppression that the free trade "captains of industry" are trying to preserve

*A PLACE IN THE WORLD Adolfo Aristarain 1992 Multinational company moves into an Argentinian town, promising wealth to the poor farmers.

**THE BAD SLEEP WELL (Japanese) Akira Kurosawa 1960 Officials of a large corporation cover up a corruption scandal.

*BOUDOU SAVED FROM DROWNING Jean Renoir 1932 (French) Contrasting lifestyles of vagabond and wealthy bookseller who "saves" him

*CITY OF HOPE John Sayles 1992 Emotionally intense story following the intersecting lives of several urban residents.

COUP DE GRACE Volker Schlondorff 1976 After the Russian Revolution, the losers continue their hopeless battles.

THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID Luis Bunuel 1964 Beautifully-filmed movie of a morally corrupt wealthy family.

THE GRANDE BOURGEOISIE (Italian) Ideas of morality and murder of an abusive spouse destroy an influential family.

HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD Shows the power of this banking family.

THE IDLE CLASS Charile Chaplin 1921 Very funny view of life of the rich.

IF Lindsay Anderson 1968 Rebellious young men at an upper-crusty boarding school have their day at the end.

INSPECTOR GENERAL Satire of political corruption in czarist Russia.

INTOLERANCE DW Griffith 1916 Epic film showing clearcut cases of injustice, although racism is accepted, due perhaps to the film's liberal viewpoint.

IVAN THE TERRIBLE (Russian) Eisenstein 1944 History of the first Czar of Russia.

*LAS MADRES: THE MOTHERS OF PLAZA DE MAYO (Argentina) 1977 Documentary of 14 women whose children were killed by U.S.-backed gov't, and then began a movement protesting in front of the presidential palace. (see also THE OFFICIAL STORY)

THE LAST EMPEROR Bernardo Bertolucci 1987 Peter OToole

L'AVVENTURA Michelangelo Antonioni 1960 A view into the life of the leisure class.

L'ELLISSE Michelangelo Antonioni Bourgeois lifestyle revealed. Gives a view into the lives of people who profit from subjugation of Africans.

LE DINER DE CONS (French) 1998

*MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT 1968 Examines conflicts of wealthy class in Cuba after 1959 Cuban Revolution.

A MATTER OF DIGNITY Michael Cacoyannis 1957 A beautifully filmed story giving a view into the addiction to money.

*MODERATO CANTABILE 1959 Superb cinematography in story of bored wealthy woman who tries to find meaning in her life.

OBLOMOV Nikita Mikhalkov (Russian) 1971 Comic-drama of the life of a wealthy Russian during 19th century.

**THE OFFICIAL STORY Luis Puenzo (Argentina) 1985 The life of a prominent family sometime after a US supported coup. (see also LAS MADRES)

RASPUTIN Elem Klimov 1977 Describes Rasputin's relationship with Czar Nicolas II and his impact on Russian history.

RULES OF THE GAME (LA REGLE DU JEU) (French) Jean Renoir 1939 Satire on decadence of pre-WWII aristocracy.

**SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Japan) Kenji Mizoguchi 1954 Moving depiction of struggle for freedom, which helped cause the fall of feudalism and rise of capitalism.

STRIKE Sergei Eisenstien 1924 The brutally defeated strike under the Czar.

THRONE OF BLOOD Akira Kurosawa 1957 Based on Hamlet