[lbo-talk] "great" "conservative" movies

socialismorbarbarism socialismorbarbarism at gmail.com
Sat Feb 14 13:13:35 PST 2009


"3. Metropolitan (1990) - Never seen it."

Yes, Whit Stillman, the cultural voice of the Bush I administration and its memory... But why "Metropolitan"? When it came out, one could believe (OK, OK, I fell for it) that it was a sympathetic but still unsparing portrayal of a certain silly and mostly useless segment of the American ruling class. The fact that a film even showed an American ruling class and its mores was a bit startling, and I suppose still would be.

No, the standout right-wing Stillman flick is "Barcelona," where one learns that the viewer is supposed to admire these people. OK, "Barcelona" sucked, but that doesn't seem to disqualify other films on this list.

Did some googling, and there is a Stillman-dedicated blog (still just three films completed for Whit), but there is a Stillman book, apparently from academe, with a great title: "Doomed Bourgeois in Love: Essays on the Films of Whit Stillman ."

http://www.whitstillman.org/2009/02/14/metropolitan/

OK, as for what is left off that list: No "Saving Private Ryan"? What's NR's problem? FDR was president? The flick shows you need competent, committed, large-scale government action, not to mention serious social commitment, to actually win a war? NR's side lost? In fact, why not more Spielberg flicks?

And, really, why not "The Deer Hunter" (1978), a milestone of the anti-60's backlash?

On 2/13/09, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> <http://www.thesamedame.com/2009/02/national-review-movie-geniuses.html>
>
> The National Review = Movie Geniuses
>
> Film Criticism has reached its pinnacle in the form of The National
> Review's "Best Conservative Movies of the last 25 Years." Batman isn't
> Bruce Wayne, but George W. Bush. The White Witch in "The Chronicles of
> Narnia" is "a cross between Burgermeister Meisterburger and Kim Jong Il." I
> can't wait to hear what they say about Slimer!
>
> The National Review wants you to buy a digital subscription to see all the
> write-ups right now, as they gradually unveil the list on this blog.
>
> ...



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