Certain Rules and Regulations and Procedures: The ILX Political-Film Poll Results Thread

I missed this but the results look interesting (except for being there which i hate). I haven't seen 10 of the ones that have made it so far. I would have voted for Bob Roberts, Harlan County, Kane and The Leopard for sure.

colonel blimp - a great film only improved by churchill's disdain for it

love the movie but its politics are its worst part -- advocating for torture and retaliatory civilian bombings IMO

Hmm it's been a while since I've seen it. Just love the friendship at the centre of it.

The retaliatory bombings, yes I can see where it kinda argues for that. But I don't remember much about torture?

The friendship that ensures between two people who should be enemies is surely part of its good politics?

I was going to hold off on this till tomorrow, but may as well push it through while Robert Mueller grabs some lunch.

20. Advise & Consent (1962)
52 points/4 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-20.jpg

I love this film. I still haven't totally figured out why I keep rewatching it every few months.

19. Chinatown (1974)
53 points/6 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-19.jpg

Didn't include this on my own ballot, which is not a reflection of how much I love it.

18. Z (1969)
54 points/5 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-18.jpg

16. (tie) A Grin Without a Cat (1977)
55 points/4 votes
(2 #1 votes)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-16a.jpg

16. (tie) Taxi Driver (1976)
55 points/4 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-16b.jpg

Don't mean to vote not-in-character, but I had the first on my ballot and not the second. I don't claim to understand every nuance of A Grin Without a Cat, but the tone registers--derisive, sardonic, disillusioned--and the four-hour cascade of footage is incredible.

15. Carlos (2010)
57 points/5 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-15.jpg

I changed my mind about not commenting on omissions from the IndieWire decade-end list; Carlos not being on there was a surprise.

I'm going to put this monologue on hold for a couple of hours--more Mueller.

I was one of the two #1 votes for A Grin without a Cat (entirely within character).

Also placed Advise & Consent within my top 10, maybe even top 5?

You had it third...Golfing tonight, so I gotta finish this up.

14. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
61 points/5 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-14.jpg

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

13. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
65 points/7 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-13.jpg

Earliest film on the list..I saw it in film class sometime between 1925 and 2019.

12. The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
66 points/5 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-12.jpg

11. JFK (1991)
72 points/7 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-11.jpg

Think I reached my limit last time I watched this; it looks worse to me every time out, mostly due to Costner.

Top 10.

10. Do the Right Thing (1989)
73 points/7 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-10.jpg

I had Malcolm X on my ballot.

xp "You're as crazy as your mama. Goes to show it's in the genes."

DTRT is probably the closest I came to voting for a movie just because I love it, regardless of its qualifications as a "political" movie, which it does fuiud.

I love how much ILX loves JFK.

9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (2007)
74 points/7 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-09.jpg

8. The Rules of the Game (1939)
83 points/6 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-08.jpg

Yesss!

I know these things aren't supposed to unfold like a race, but I'll have to step up the pace for the last few.

7. Paths of Glory (1957)
86 points/9 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-07.jpg

I think this was one of two in the top seven that picked up a lot of votes towards the end. One of my two favourite war films, along with Casualties of War.

Bummed I missed this poll!

Without overdoing it, I tried to get it out there--a nominating thread and voting thread preceded this.

6. All the President’s Men (1976)
88 points/6 votes
(2 #1 votes)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-06.jpg

#1 on my own list, although it's really more a film about journalism (which, admittedly, it deifies) than politics.

I believe I did give Pakula two slots on my ballot. But if not, I def prefer Parallax.

Looks like you just had Parallax.

5. Nashville (1975)
104 points/7 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-05.jpg

I left off Taxi Driver, which I really don't experience politically, but felt justified in voting for this (lower, though, than I would on a general list of favourites).

Ah yes, it was Spielberg and Watkins that got two slots each.

xp my #2

That still above captures everything that's so great about Jason Robards in ATPM.

4. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
104 points/12 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-04.jpg

Kept climbing and climbing, ended up with as many votes as the #1.

3. Election (1999)
107 points/10 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-03.jpg

In the four times I've done this, I try to finish my own ballot before very many come in. I don't want to end up tailoring my own list to influence the results. I didn't vote for Election because, as weird as this sounds, I don't experience it as a political film. I like it a lot--if I'd voted knowing how close it was to the top, I might have ended up giving it a few points (and then would have had to decide how many).

If you're following, you've probably figured out the top two by now.

2. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
109 points/11 votes

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-02.jpg

Speaking of great stills...

1. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
122 points/12 votes
(1 #1 vote)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/political-01.jpg

On my list for sheer audaciousness--because of the draggy Sinatra-Leigh scenes, I think it's a tiny bit overrated.

No point in a separate thread for individual lists--go ahead and post them here if you want. You should have a copy, but if you need your list, let me know. I'm in a bit of a rush now; I'll post the complete list later tonight.

51. (tie) Get Out (2017)
51. (tie) Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
50. In the Loop (2009)
49. Bob Roberts (1992)
48. Welfare (1975)
47. The Conformist (1970)
46. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
44. (tie) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
44. (tie) To Be or Not to Be (1942)
43. Grand Illusion (1937)
42. The Candidate (1972)
40. (tie) Casablanca (1942)
40. (tie) I Am Cuba (1964)
38. (tie) The Great Dictator (1940)
38. (tie) The Lives of Others (2006)
37. The Leopard (1963)
35. (tie) A City of Sadness (1989)
35. (tie) Army of Shadows (1969)
34. Rome, Open City (1945)
33. A Touch of Sin (2013)
30. (tie) Black Girl (1966)
30. (tie) Cabaret (1972)
30. (tie) The Parallax View (1974)
29. A Face in the Crowd (1957)
28. Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)
27. Hiroshima mon amour (1959)
25. (tie) Duck Soup (1933)
25. (tie) The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
24. Citizen Kane (1941)
23. Being There (1979)
22. Munich (2005)
21. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
20. Advise & Consent (1962)
19. Chinatown (1974)
18. Z (1969)
16. (tie) A Grin Without a Cat (1977)
16. (tie) Taxi Driver (1976)
14. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
13. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
12. The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
11. JFK (1991)
10. Do the Right Thing (1989)
9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (2007)
8. The Rules of the Game (1939)
7. Paths of Glory (1957)
6. All the President’s Men (1976)
5. Nashville (1975)
4. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
3. Election (1999)
2. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
1. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

I had never seen the Manchurian Candidate until a few years ago. The guys at the local video store had it on the in-store monitor and it was the nightmare/interrogation scene where it's switching back and forth between the little old ladies and the Soviet/Chinese intelligence officials and I was so struck by the Twilight Zone-ish quality of it, had no idea it contained anything so audacious. Fantastic film.

The weighted/more enthusiastic portion of my ballot (i.e. top 15) was:

1. A Grin Without a Cat
2. Nashville
3. Advise and Consent
4. Election (1999)
5. The Parallax View

6. Night of the Living Dead
7. Munich
8. Winter Soldier
9. La Commune
10. The Rules of the Game

11. JFK
12. The Battle of Algiers
13. Memories of Underdevelopment
14. BPM (Beats Per Minute)
15. I Am Cuba

Here's the Letterboxd version: https://letterboxd.com/jer_fairall/list/certain-rules-and-regulations-and-procedures/
(I've seen exactly half of the list)

My Top 10:

Election (1999)
Ballot Box Bunny
Citizen Kane
Dr. Strangelove
Dead Zone
Being There
Wag the Dog
The Great McGinty
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

I didn't vote because I didn't know how to circumscribe the 'genre' even for myself. A lot of the above strike me as primarily war films rather than political. (Anyway i might've singlehandedly put Bulworth into the top 51.)

The Sinatra-Leigh scenes in TMC are so fucking strange and ambiguous... they don't drag for me.

the only ones i haven't seen of the 52 are Welfare and Harlan County USA, which will be rectified shortly

I didn't vote because I didn't know how to circumscribe the 'genre' even for myself.

same

Same, but I slapped together an unsatisfying ballot anyway since clem asked so sweetly.

there were too many things that have been on my to-watch list for decades for me to vote

also Don's Party should have won, you cowards

i mean, all of Wiseman's docs are political

Any genre poll has amorphous boundaries. There were arguments with the comedy and horror polls, and there was second-guessing and uncertainty on the road-film poll too. To me that's interesting, not a problem. I started this thing with one definition, and I ended up loosening that up within about five minutes.

1. All the President’s Men – 23
2. The Candidate - 21
3. Advise and Consent - 18
4. The Champions - 17
5. Welfare - 16
6. Nixon - 15
7. Carlos - 14
8. Nashville - 13
9. The War Room - 12
10. Malcolm X - 11
11. A Grin Without a Cat - 10
12. The Weather Underground - 9
13. The Best Man - 8
14. Night of the Living Dead – 7
15. Watergate – 6
16. Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst - 5
17. The Times of Harvey Milk - 5
18. A Face in the Crowd - 5
19. Paths of Glory - 5
20. Hearts and Minds - 5
21. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) - 5
22. Primary Colors - 5
23. The Ides of March - 5
24. The Contender - 5
25. Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry - 5

Thanks for setting up the Letterboxd page, Jer.

Other films getting votes (just points, without breaking ties, without #1s, and without italics...too much work):

53. Gabriel Over the White House - 25 points
Matewan
Nixon
Germany, Year Zero
Burn After Reading

58. The Weather Underground - 24 points
Medium Cool
Punishment Park
La Commune

62. Malcolm X - 21 points
BPM (Beats Per Minute)

64. Meet John Doe - 20 points
The President Vanishes
Xala
Red Psalm
The Second Awakening of Crista Klages
Come and See
Hearts and Minds
Day of Wrath
If....
The Baader-Meinhof Complex
Lincoln

75. Wag the Dog - 19 points

76. The Best Man - 18 points

77. The Champions - 17 points
The Godfather Part II

79. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - 16 points
The Deer Hunter
Watergate
Nocturama

83. The Corporation - 15 points
In the Year of the Pig
The Great McGinty
Report
The Other Side
Winter Soldier

89. Seven Days in May - 14 points

90. Ballot Box Bunny - 13 points
The Battle of Chile

92. The War Room - 12 points
Point of Order

94. All Quiet on the Western Front - 10 points
Body and Soul
Intolerance
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
The Nasty Girl
The White Rose
Princess Mononoke
Chimes at Midnight
Ice
The Third Generation
The Human Condition Trilogy
Primary Colors
Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther
In the Line of Fire
Dick
A Report on the Party and the Guests
Deserter
23rd Psalm Branch
My Son John
West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty
From the Other Side
Race d'Ep: un siècle d'images de l'homosexualité
We Want Roses Too
Sekigun-P.F.L.P: Sekai sensô sengen
La guerre est finie
Fail Safe
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Fahrenheit 9/11
Week-end
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Black Panthers (1968)
Shin Godzilla
Election (2005)
Narita: Peasants of the Second Fortress
A Soft Note on a Sharp Scale
Too Early/Too Late
Being Gypsy
Here and Elsewhere
Germany in Autumn
Postwar History of Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess
Far from Vietnam
Le Gai Savoir
Death by Hanging
Hitler: A Film from Germany
Memories of Underdevelopment
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
All the King's Men
Milk
The Rise of Michael Rimmer
Amazing Grace

144. The Dead Zone - 9 points

145. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her - 8 points
Washington Merry-Go-Round

147. No - 7 points
Tanner
The Fireman's Ball

150. Pierrot le Fou - 6 points
The Normal Heart

152. Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry - 5 points
Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
The Contender
The Ides of March
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Missing
How to Survive a Plague
Magic Mike, XXL
Moi, un noir
It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse
Zero Patience

163. Alexander Hamilton - 4 points
Dave
The Birth of a Nation
The House of Rothschild
Zootopia

168. Wild in the Streets - 1 point

Bolded...meant to code non-proportional text. Carry on.