Fav fictional political tv shoes and movies?

@katylava
Much I like about Sorkin. But all his characters tend to think and talk as tho they are just Sorkin variations. And way too many humanistic cliches instead of the profundity that might come from letting things be more creatively original and wide open.

That said, any writer or director has weak areas. Not to trash Sorkin, he can be amazing. His tendency to clever/witty sameness and predictability sometimes gets on my nerves tho.

A small illustration.

To me - Sorkin is not the guy you want for Crime and Punishment. But he does his area very well.

@grum It won’t? Now you’ve broken my heart. I like Braindead, also.

@PurplePawprints Unfortunately, yes.

http://deadline.com/2016/10/braindead-american-gothic-canceled-cbs-one-season-summer-series-1201838081/

@rockblossom oh that first one is one of the great shoes in politics. Not fictional though.

@ELUNO the wire absolutely had politics s a major recurring theme thru the whole show

@CaptAmehrican Oh I know, I just meant it wasn’t a political theme/centered series. (Like The West Wing, Veep, House of Cards, etc.)
I loved the whole “Littlefinger” arc.
Also,
/youtube sheeeit

@cranky1950 or maybe

@cranky1950
The beergarten “Tomorrow Belongs To Me” scene was the one that hit me hardest when I first saw Carbaret, or I still find it disturbing and compelling.

So much so that I’ve never forgotten the song lyrics after the first watching.

@f00l I had the same response.

@f00l Y’know, when you study it after the initial shock wears off you realize a lot of it is over acted as shit. Its just so overwhelming that you don’t catch it on the first or second go round.

@cranky1950
By overacted do you mean the entire film or that scene?

It is a musical, I think to some extent it’s supposed to be performed in a broad and obvious manner. Stylized scripted forms are often performed theatrically instead of “naturally”. And I think that can carry over to the filmed versions.

Regarding that scene, not sure I find it too overdone. I have read descriptions of Germany during the mid-thirties.
I think many normal Germans found that the National Socialists offered “believable” paths to national pride and “believable” persons and groups to blame. Many Germans bought into the promises and the visions without understanding what was behind them - they only saw the surface images of a German future. Later in, they had already bought in, and democracy had already been destroyed.

@f00l No that scene, the people used in the cameos, a couple them were really haming it up. The Cabaret was stylized on purpose I realize that.

@cranky1950
Re Tomorrow Belings To Me

I think the beer garden actors were directed to perform as they did. Both in the play (where the song is performed by adults, impromptu, to salvage a party) and in the film (according to help from google), the scene is intended to carry the audience all the way from the relative innocence of 1931 to the horror of 1939 over the duration of one song.

the song was recorded for the film by Broadway actor/siinger Mark Lambert (uncredited). This actor is said to have refused to dye his hair blond; so a German extra, Oliver Collignon (the “Nazi youth”) stood in for him on camera.

The Nazi Youth was deliberately cast young, making the perversion of innocence more emphatic. Added in is the pastoral emphasis - a sunny and beautiful relaxing day in a rural beer garden, with families and children. And a lovely traditional sounding ballad, which transforms into a fanatic’s march by the finale.

Could have been total symbolism overkill. To me, it still works. When I watch, I am horrified and fascinated.

Here is a slightly longer cut from the film, with a visual coda from Joel Grey as MC.

Here is a stage version.