In
times like these, with right-wing populism, partisanship, and
anti-intellectualism on the rise throughout the West, it is more important than
ever that we utilize our art to push forward with the work of building a better
future for ourselves and for our children.
It is classic modus operandi for aspiring autocrats to crack down on
artistic expression and dissent, because they know that it provides one of the
most fertile grounds imaginable for expanding the human consciousness, and
there is nothing more terrifying to those who would rather turn back the clock
to an imaginary, more “glorious” past.
We’ve
already seen the first salvos of this in the United States, where Trump is
resolutely following the heels of the Putins, Erdogans, and Politburos of the
world by recommending eliminating federal funding for the arts, while egging on
the long-running right-wing conspiracy theory that the liberal Hollywood “elite”
seek to push an extreme progressive agenda on “real Americans,” and that this
must be stopped at all costs.
Everywhere
we turn, there is fear, anger, hatred, and ignorance. And yet, I feel excited and encouraged by the
opportunities these trying times present to us.
We’ve been down these dark roads before, and on many an occasion people
have risen admirably to the challenges they faced. One of our greatest collective traditions is
to use our storytelling crafts to light candles within the darkness that,
together, can paint a path forward for us when it at first seems there is none.
We
are each now called upon to do our part, and as a historian who loves cinema, I
intend to do mine by spreading the word about just a few of the great films that
can provide us comfort, inspiration, and ideas, or provoke us to think deeply
about a side of the human experience we hadn’t considered before. The time for small thinking is long
gone. Let’s embrace with abandon our
pasts and our arts, and let our imaginations run wild with the possibilities
proffered to us by Fate.
With
this, I am pleased to formally announce the start of a new long-running series
on this blog; Films for the Trump Years.
In each installment (I am currently planning one a month, unless
circumstances compel me to do more or less), I will look at one or a handful of
movies- many historically-based, but also some fictional- that I feel have
something to offer to our current cultural dialogue and reflect on why I
recommend taking the time to see them.
I
already have an extensive list of movies I plan to include, but recommendations
and suggestions are welcome at any time, as there are obviously whole worlds of
movies I haven’t yet seen, and by the end of this I’d like this list to be as
expansive as possible.
That
said, I have already settled on my first film, Avu DuVernay’s marvelous Selma, and should be up by the end of
the month. Until then, stay strong, hold
fast to truth, and never stop fighting.
May
we all live long, and prosper.
-Noah Franc
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