Satyajit Das Questions the Label of 'Political Films' in Two-Part Essay
In a two-part analysis featured on Naked Capitalism, former banker Satyajit Das offers a critical perspective on how political films are categorized. The initial segment, titled 'On Cinema: Political Films Part 1 – Maybe?', contends that numerous films deemed political, such as 'All The President's Men' (1976) by Alan J. Pakula and Mike Nichols' 'Primary Colors' (1998), are inaccurately classified. Das considers Frank Capra's 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939) to be overrated and points out Robert Redford's 'The Candidate' (1972) for its iconic quote, 'What do we do now?'. He also discusses thrillers like 'The Parallax View' (1974) and 'Taxi Driver' (1976) as representations of Cold War anxiety and alienation, while critiquing Ken Loach's works as propagandistic. The essay draws from the New Indian Express.
Key facts
- Satyajit Das, former banker and author, wrote a two-part essay on political cinema.
- The first part focuses on films that appear political but may not be.
- The essay is published on Naked Capitalism and adapted from the New Indian Express.
- Das critiques the categorization of films as 'political'.
- He discusses films like 'All The President's Men', 'Primary Colors', 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'The Candidate', 'The Parallax View', 'Three Days of the Condor', 'The Manchurian Candidate', 'Taxi Driver', and Ken Loach's works.
- Das argues that many so-called political films are actually about journalism, human weaknesses, or thrillers.
- The second part will look at films less obviously political but potentially more so.
- Das's latest book, 'The Everything Bubble', is due in 2027.
Entities
Artists
- Satyajit Das
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Pablo Picasso
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Alan J. Pakula
- Bob Woodward
- Carl Bernstein
- Robert Redford
- Dustin Hoffman
- Mike Nichols
- Joe Klein
- Bill Clinton
- Billy Bob Thornton
- James Carville
- Adrien Lester
- Mykelti Williamson
- John Travolta
- Frank Capra
- Jimmy Stewart
- Jean Arthur
- Claude Rains
- Michael Ritchie
- Warren Beatty
- Gordon Willis
- Sydney Pollack
- Faye Dunaway
- Max von Sydow
- Cliff Robertson
- John Houseman
- John Frankenheimer
- Frank Sinatra
- Laurence Harvey
- James Gregory
- Angela Lansbury
- Janet Leigh
- Martin Scorsese
- Robert de Niro
- Michael Chapman
- Cybill Shepherd
- Jodie Foster
- Ken Loach
- Vittorio De Sica
Institutions
- Naked Capitalism
- New Indian Express
Locations
- United States
- Washington
- New York