DVD Diva: Political Movies

With all the political fervor and verbal sparring taking place in anticipation of the upcoming Presidential election, here are some well-known political movies that you may find of interest– some serious, some humorous, and some a bit frightening.

[Click on each title to view that item in the catalog and to place a hold.]

• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: An idealistic, small town senator heads to Washington and suddenly finds himself single-handedly battling ruthless politicians who are out to destroy him. [More at the Internet Movie Database]
• All the President’s Men: Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation. [More at IMDb]
• The Manchurian Candidate: (1962) A former Korean War POW is brainwashed by Communists into becoming a political assassin. But another former prisoner may know how to save him. [More at IMDb]
• All the King's Men: A political demagogue governor of a Southern State believes that every man has his price and that the end justifies the means. [More at IMDb]
• Primary Colors: Jack Stanton is a virtually unknown Southern governor on a quest for the White House. Running against the odds, Stanton needs all the help he can get from his extremely colorful political team. [More at IMDb]
• The Candidate: While Richard Nixon is on his way to re-election by a landslide, a young, honest, idealistic lawyer begins to learn the truth about running for office. [More at IMDb]
• JFK: The story of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, whose investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy became an obsession. [More at IMDb]
• The Contender: As soon as a woman is nominated to replace the deceased vice president of the U.S.A., her political enemies search her private life for ways to bring her down. [More at IMDb]
• The American President: Andrew Shepherd is a consummate politician and a man of integrity, who also happens to be a widower. He is swept off his feet by a lobbyist, Sydney Ellen Wade. Now all that stands between true love and re-election is the approval of the American public. [More at IMDb]
• Dave: Kevin Kline stars as an off-the-wall, temporary replacement for the missing president. [More at IMDb]
• Bulworth: Believing his career is over, Senator Jay Bulworth takes out an enormous insurance policy and a contract on his own life. His impending death fills him with an outrageous desire to break the rules and tell it like it is. [More at IMDb]
• Wag the Dog: When the President is caught in a sex scandal less than two weeks before the election, "Mr. Fix-it" decides they need a war to distract the public and he calls on Hollywood's top producer to create it. [More at IMDb]