Crave's Best Political Movies
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A nation divided. A war of ideals. It sounds a lot like reality and it sounds a lot like a movie. Indeed, the history of cinema is fertile with motion pictures with political storylines and lofty social ambitions. Ever since we discovered that the moving image has a distinct power over the masses, artists and governments have been using films to convey their message… for better and often for worse.
Compiling a list of the best political movies in history is a daunting task. We had to allow for films that espouse ideas and ideals that don’t necessarily match our own. We had to consider a film’s quality as a political document and/or statement as a separate entity from its overall quality (the so-called “best movie ever made” only ranks at #49 on this list for that very reason).
And we had to cast a wide net, so this Big List was voted upon and written by a half dozen film critics: Crave‘s William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold, The Wrap‘s Alonso Duralde, Linoleum Knife‘s Dave White, Blumhouse‘s Alyse Wax and Collider‘s Brian Formo. They each nominated 50 films, ranked from #1-50, and we tabulated those votes to come up with the following Top 50 Best Political Movies Ever. (Stick around at the end, when we’ll reveal our 50 runners-up as well.)
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49 new
Citizen Kane
1941, in 39 top lists Check -
89 new
Apocalypse Now
1979, in 37 top lists Check -
48 new
Casablanca
1942, in 39 top lists Check -
1 new
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop...
1964, in 37 top lists Check -
66 new
Metropolis
1927, in 36 top lists Check -
51 new
Barry Lyndon
1975, in 24 top lists Check -
81 new
Children of Men
2006, in 12 top lists Check -
101 new
Night of the Living Dead
1968, in 20 top lists Check -
65 new
To Kill a Mockingbird
1962, in 18 top lists Check -
25 new
The Great Dictator
1940, in 25 top lists Check -
9 new
La battaglia di Algeri
1966 — a.k.a. The Battle of Algiers, in 29 top lists Check -
19 new
Duck Soup
1933, in 24 top lists Check -
102 new
Dawn of the Dead
1978, in 15 top lists Check -
79 new
V for Vendetta
2005, in 10 top lists Check -
15 new
Il conformista
1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check -
4 new
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939, in 15 top lists Check -
2 new
All the President's Men
1976, in 21 top lists Check -
82 new
The King's Speech
2010, in 13 top lists Check -
3 new
The Manchurian Candidate
1962, in 15 top lists Check -
24 new
The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951, in 12 top lists Check -
33 new
JFK
1991, in 13 top lists Check -
75 new
Das weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte
2009 — a.k.a. The White Ribbon, in 10 top lists Check -
29 new
Z
1969, in 17 top lists Check -
16 new
The Act of Killing
2012, in 9 top lists Check -
96 new
Being There
1979, in 15 top lists Check -
44 new
Argo
2012, in 8 top lists Check -
18 new
Zero Dark Thirty
2012, in 8 top lists Check -
32 new
Starship Troopers
1997, in 9 top lists Check -
12 new
They Live
1988, in 7 top lists Check -
55 new
Die Ehe der Maria Braun
1979 — a.k.a. The Marriage of Maria Braun, in 11 top lists Check -
92 new
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014, in 3 top lists Check -
90 new
The Last Emperor
1987, in 14 top lists Check -
8 new
Lincoln
2012, in 5 top lists Check -
36 new
Soy Cuba
1964 — a.k.a. I Am Cuba, in 16 top lists Check -
72 new
Snowpiercer
2013, in 2 top lists Check -
93 new
Die Blechtrommel
1979 — a.k.a. The Tin Drum, in 14 top lists Check -
62 new
Hunger
2008, in 6 top lists Check -
34 new
Triumph des Willens
1935 — a.k.a. Triumph of the Will, in 16 top lists Check -
20 new
Milk
2008, in 3 top lists Check -
14 new
Malcolm X
1992, in 7 top lists Check -
7 new
Election
1999, in 7 top lists Check -
103 new
Day of the Dead
1985, in 4 top lists Check -
99 new
Le chagrin et la pitié
1969 — a.k.a. The Sorrow and the Pity, in 11 top lists Check -
98 new
Krótki film o zabijaniu
1988 — a.k.a. A Short Film About Killing, in 12 top lists Check -
56 new
The Lion in Winter
1968, in 4 top lists Check -
27 new
Selma
2014, in 7 top lists Check -
28 new
Good Night, and Good Luck.
2005, in 4 top lists Check -
97 new
The Queen
2006, in 4 top lists Check -
35 new
Team America: World Police
2004, in 5 top lists Check -
57 new
Marie Antoinette
2006, in 4 top lists Check
Last updated on Jul 12, 2017; source