11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

[Old Pio]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

I thought Thirteen Days was wonderfully done fwiw.

Righto. Another favorite. As a Chicagoan I especially liked the scene where JFK tells O'Donnell to cancel on Mayor Daly. O'Donnell demurs and JFK says you're afraid of him. O'Donnell says: "You're GD right I'm afraid of him." JFK says: "I'm not" and walks off the screen as if to call Da Mare. O'Donnell says to Bobby: "Watch this." An instant later JFK's in Chicago shaking Daly's hand! Mayor Daly was the first person JFK invited to spend a night in the Lincoln Bedroom.

 

[Kepler]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

There were a lot more classic films in that period that are on the AFI list. A few that come to mind are The Manchurian Candidate, Fail Safe, and Dr. Strangelove. The commies were the bad guys, we wore the white hats and all was well.

The Cold War has certainly been captured. I'm talking about the period of chaos that followed it. About the only great movie or novel about that period is Apocalypse Now, and while that may be the closest we'll get to a definitive Vietnam movie it's far greater as a kind of timeless Greek tragedy more than about any one context. Sticking with movies, The Candidate is actually a very good movie about the politics of the period (it could almost be about the 2008 election for that matter), and The Graduate is a pretty good movie about the unmooring of the culture. Easy Rider is mostly interesting as an artifact of what people at that time considered to be great -- it's unwatchably dated now as anything more than a dramaturgical exercise, like reading "Catch in Rye" when you're not a teenager. In the Heat of the Night is a great film -- we seem to have done race right.

Heck, maybe the greatest movie about that period will turn out to be Fritz the Cat.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

Our government is so bloated, corrupt and pathetic it may take a "Dark Day" to make our leaders get thier heads out of their butts. By "Dark Day" I don't mean assissination, I mean an event greater than 911. Something that will get us back to the basics of a government by the people, for the people; not a government by the politicians, for the corporations.

Color.....Black and white, unfortunately, cleanses the reality from the film. Being in my 40's and being a History lover, I've seen tons of film on WWII in B&W and have read many books with B&W pics in them. Anytime I saw a color picture, it really struck a nerve - "wow, this was real".

 

[Kepler]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

Our government is so bloated, corrupt and pathetic it may take a "Dark Day" to make our leaders get thier heads out of their butts. By "Dark Day" I don't mean assissination, I mean an event greater than 911.

Disasters make governments grow. If you want a smaller government, wish for a hundred years of peace.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

Disasters make governments grow. If you want a smaller government, wish for a hundred years of peace.

Frankly I wonder if a two party system is good for efficient govt. Rather than citizens be focused on choosing from a handful of policy platforms, the two party system is helping to develop ideology where many come to 'hate the enemy' and where bad government can hide by pointing the finger at the other guy.

 

[Kepler]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

Frankly I wonder if a two party system is good for efficient govt. Rather than citizens be focused on choosing from a handful of policy platforms, the two party system is helping to develop ideology where many come to 'hate the enemy' and where bad government can hide by pointing the finger at the other guy.

You say this as if the two party system isn't an invention to allow a small cadre to rule while giving people the illuson of choice.

Which, of course, it isn't. Don't be silly.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

Frankly I wonder if a two party system is good for efficient govt. Rather than citizens be focused on choosing from a handful of policy platforms, the two party system is helping to develop ideology where many come to 'hate the enemy' and where bad government can hide by pointing the finger at the other guy.

The problem is most of America is not hardcore Republican or Democratic, but most of the politicians are. There are the hardcore righties and lefties, but most of us are in the middle, being forced to choose from the right or the left. Also, the word "compromise" is absent from the vocabularies of politicians. Everyone focuses on who is "winning" and "losing" in politics. The best political situation is where both sides lose a little and win a little (except on massively severe moral issues like Slavery). Even on aborotion, I'm 100% against it (not a big suprise there, eh?), but that doesn't mean I won't vote for someone who is pro-abortion. I voted for Kerry.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: 11/22/63: A Dark Day in American History

The problem is most of America is not hardcore Republican or Democratic, but most of the politicians are. There are the hardcore righties and lefties, but most of us are in the middle, being forced to choose from the right or the left. Also, the word "compromise" is absent from the vocabularies of politicians. Everyone focuses on who is "winning" and "losing" in politics. The best political situation is where both sides lose a little and win a little (except on massively severe moral issues like Slavery). Even on aborotion, I'm 100% against it (not a big suprise there, eh?), but that doesn't mean I won't vote for someone who is pro-abortion. I voted for Kerry.

Lost me right at the end there.