Part 13 continued

Why the US is targeted by “terrorists”

poverty under neo-colonialism and capitalism

by Dr. John Ruhland

The movies on this list are well-suited for 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”

POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES

AFFLUENZA, 1997. American obsession with “things,” an obsession nurtured by capitalism.

ESCAPE FROM AFFLUENZA, 1998. Trying to escape American consumerism.

CORNER IN WHEAT D.W. Griffith, 1909. Short film by a filmmaker who pioneered in using film for social commentary.

THE FIRE THIS TIME Randy Holland, 1995. Documentary examining the causes of the 1992 LA Riots.

FOOLISH WIVES Erich Von Stroheim, 1922. A Von Stroheim masterpiece.

**THE GRAPES OF WRATH John Ford, 1940. Moving story of the plight of Oklahoma farmers during The Depression. Henry Fonda, John Carradine.

GREED Erich Von Stroheim, 1925. A true masterpiece.

HARVEST OF SHAME Edward Murrow, 1960. A moving documentary of the plight of American migrant workers.

HOOP DREAMS, 1994. Tremendous pressure put on urban poor who want to break the cycle of poverty through basketball scholarships.

*THE HURRICANE Norman Jewison, 1999. The story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a black man and a champion boxer who was framed for murder. Denzel Washington.

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

**LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER “Delinquent” youth is pressured into participating in “the system.” See also FINDING FORRESTER.

*MAD CITY Costa Gavras, 1997. A reporter sees the damage done by mainstream media, yet is trapped in the system. Robert DeNiro.

*THE MIGRANTS, 1973. Moving story of a family of migrant workers. Cloris Leachman, Sissy Spacek, Ron Howard.

MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR Robert Redford, 1988.

THE MISFITS John Huston, 1961. Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable.

THE NEW FRONTIER H.B. McCLure, 1934. Condescending US Gov’t propaganda film of Federal Emergency Relief Administration - “helping poor people.” (see also POWER AND THE LAND - 1940 film by Joris Ivens on the Rural Electrification Administration).

**NORMA RAE Delightful and moving story of a young woman who becomes a union organizer in order to help her community. Sally Fields.

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

*SLAM Mark Levin, 1998. Life of an inner-city man and poet.

*SUMMER OF SAM, 1999, Spike Lee. Shows the development of a hateful frenzy that can lead to lynching or acts of retaliation such as war.

STACKING Martin Rosen, 1987. A young woman comes of age in a farming community amidst serious family difficulties.

STREETWISE 1985. Documents the lives of homeless children in Seattle.

WHATS EATING GILBERT GRAPE? 1994. Story of an Iowa family.