Crave's Best Political Movies

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Created by Panunzio.

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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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  1. 9 new

    La battaglia di Algeri

    1966 — a.k.a. The Battle of Algiers, in 29 top lists Check
  2. 19 new

    Duck Soup

    1933, in 24 top lists Check
  3. 21 new

    Land and Freedom

    1995, in 6 top lists Check
  4. 25 new

    The Great Dictator

    1940, in 25 top lists Check
  5. 34 new

    Triumph des Willens

    1935 — a.k.a. Triumph of the Will, in 16 top lists Check
  6. 48 new

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
  7. 71 new

    Bloody Sunday

    2002, in 2 top lists Check
  8. 86 new

    Conspiracy

    2001, in 0 top lists Check
  9. 87 new

    Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media

    1992, in 2 top lists Check
  10. 89 new

    Apocalypse Now

    1979, in 37 top lists Check
  11. 93 new

    Die Blechtrommel

    1979 — a.k.a. The Tin Drum, in 14 top lists Check
  12. 99 new

    Le chagrin et la pitié

    1969 — a.k.a. The Sorrow and the Pity, in 11 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jul 12, 2017; source