Post by marxist08 on Feb 4, 2008 23:53:30 GMT -5
Here are some of my favorite documentaries:
"The Take": this is a film by the author Naomi Klein (author of "No Logo"). In it, she looks at the workers' movement in Argentina. After World Bank trade policies caused the nation's economy to crash and the factory doors to close, the factory workers decided to take matters into their own hands. They took control of the closed factories and democratically controlled the production and distribution of all of the products. An example of true socialism in action!
"Born Into Brothels": Photographer Zana Briski travels to Calcutta's "red light district" to see the conditions that the children of the prostitutes must live in. While documenting their suffering, she decides to teach the kids how to take pictures and tell their own stories. The kids turn out to be talented photographers and try to use their skills with cameras to escape their dangerous environment.
"Shut Up and Sing": Although I'm not a country music fan by any means, I found this documentary to be very powerful and interesting. It follows the Dixie Chicks after the Redneck Right labelled them "traitors" and started boycotting them for exercising their right to free speech. It shows the importance of entertainers staying true to themselves and being willing to sacrifice everything except their values and beliefs. These women definitely have my respect and I even started to enjoy some of the music by the end of the flick!
"Zizek!": Anyone who's interested in philosophy has gotta check out this documentary. Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek is often called the "wild man of theory" and an "academic rock star" and this film shows why. Zizek, a self-proclaimed Lacanian Marxist, feels just as comfortable telling dirty jokes and playing with his son's toys as he does arguing for a Marxist revolution or discussing Lacanian psychoanalysis. Even if you aren't well-read when it comes to philosophy or psychoanalysis you'll be able to learn a lot from "Zizek!"...and you'll laugh a lot along the way!
"The Take": this is a film by the author Naomi Klein (author of "No Logo"). In it, she looks at the workers' movement in Argentina. After World Bank trade policies caused the nation's economy to crash and the factory doors to close, the factory workers decided to take matters into their own hands. They took control of the closed factories and democratically controlled the production and distribution of all of the products. An example of true socialism in action!
"Born Into Brothels": Photographer Zana Briski travels to Calcutta's "red light district" to see the conditions that the children of the prostitutes must live in. While documenting their suffering, she decides to teach the kids how to take pictures and tell their own stories. The kids turn out to be talented photographers and try to use their skills with cameras to escape their dangerous environment.
"Shut Up and Sing": Although I'm not a country music fan by any means, I found this documentary to be very powerful and interesting. It follows the Dixie Chicks after the Redneck Right labelled them "traitors" and started boycotting them for exercising their right to free speech. It shows the importance of entertainers staying true to themselves and being willing to sacrifice everything except their values and beliefs. These women definitely have my respect and I even started to enjoy some of the music by the end of the flick!
"Zizek!": Anyone who's interested in philosophy has gotta check out this documentary. Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek is often called the "wild man of theory" and an "academic rock star" and this film shows why. Zizek, a self-proclaimed Lacanian Marxist, feels just as comfortable telling dirty jokes and playing with his son's toys as he does arguing for a Marxist revolution or discussing Lacanian psychoanalysis. Even if you aren't well-read when it comes to philosophy or psychoanalysis you'll be able to learn a lot from "Zizek!"...and you'll laugh a lot along the way!