DEEP DIVE: Solidarity Cinema
Details
I was wondering what to do for a 4th of July-esque DEEP DIVE for the month of July. I wanted to do a Road Trip one but it feels contrived and my heart wasn't quite in it; I don't feel like celebrating America because as an American, I frankly don't think we have much to be proud of right now. Instead one of my lovely and genius Deep Divers brought up the idea of resistance cinema, which got me thinking about solidarity as resistance in cinema. These films remind us that while it may look bleak sometimes, we have agency and dignity and collectively have more power than we realize, a fact that's often violently shut down in a society that rewards hyper individualism.
We're looking at a bleak look into the future from the past and then two different aspects of resistance via organization. These ain't the wishy-washy One Battle After Another type films, let me tell ya. Let's dive in!!
Films:
Punishment Park (Peter Watkins, 1971):
Synopsis: A pseudo-documentary purporting to be media coverage of a film crew of a team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, rebellious and dissident types across the desert.
STREAM: FREE on Tubi, FREE on Youtube
Harlan County, USA (Barbara Kopple, 1976):
Synopsis: A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
STREAM: HBO Max, FREE on FACEBOOK (yes you read that correctly)
Comrades (Bill Douglas, 1986):
Synopsis: The story of "The Tolpuddle Martyrs". A group of nineteenth century English farm laborers who formed one of the first trade unions and started a campaign to receive fair wages.
STREAM: FREE HERE
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Please try to watch all the films! If you can only watch some, you're still welcome to join. Please let me know if you have any trouble finding them! Bring a jacket just in case it gets windy!
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Resources:
Peter Watkins profile on They Shoot Pictures Don't They
Peter Watkins on Punishment Park
Write-up on Harlan County USA (SPOILERS!)
Write-up on Comrades (SPOILERS!)