Poverty in the movies
Michael
in the movies" (in my native tongue Norwegian). I wonder whether you could
help me start by suggesting movies that should be included in such an essay.
Any suggestion of any political persuasion would be appreciated. It will be
a very straightforeward essay which does justice to all (or at least many)
sides of the argument.
steve
What is "the argument"?
--
"Those who are merciful to the cruel will be cruel to the merciful."
from the Talmud
Michael
the thing. I just need some references to get started. I am not trying to
promote any political argument. I just want to offer a glimpse into a few
classics that deal with the subject. Nothing ambitious, I promise you. I
know my "intellectual" limitations. I will of course see the films myself
before I start writing, and that will expand my knowledge of movies. An
added bonus, I guess.
"steve" <st...@steve.com> skrev i melding
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Kingo Gondo
"Michael" <michae...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:gbb915$rq1$1...@registered.motzarella.org...
The Grapes of Wrath is the obvious American film.
Pather Panchali is a GREAT Indian film that addresses the subject.
But my favorite would have to be Umberto D.
Von Fourche
>I am sorry, there will be little "argument" because of the limited length
>of the thing. I just need some references to get started. I am not trying
>to promote any political argument. I just want to offer a glimpse into a
>few classics that deal with the subject. Nothing ambitious, I promise you.
>I know my "intellectual" limitations. I will of course see the films myself
>before I start writing, and that will expand my knowledge of movies. An
>added bonus, I guess.
>
Isn't one of the greatest poverty films - the Grapes of Wrath?
Kingo Gondo
"Kingo Gondo" <kingo_nos...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:4bmdnU00beq5rkTV...@earthlink.com...
Christ, how could I forget Bicycle Thieves--also a worthy choice.
David Matthews
_OLIVER TWIST (1948)_ might be a good start.
Dave in Toronto
George Peatty
wrote:
> Isn't one of the greatest poverty films - the Grapes of Wrath?
The Joads are gonna look like the Clampetts of Beverly before this latest
economic crisis resolves itself .. especially if we're collectively stupid
enough to elect the Democrats ..
art...@yahoo.com
Sounder
Perhaps El Norte (About Illegal Immigrants in the US)
steve
On 23-Sep-2008, "Michael" <michae...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am sorry, there will be little "argument" because of the limited length
> of
> the thing. I just need some references to get started. I am not trying to
> promote any political argument. I just want to offer a glimpse into a few
> classics that deal with the subject. Nothing ambitious, I promise you. I
> know my "intellectual" limitations. I will of course see the films myself
> before I start writing, and that will expand my knowledge of movies. An
> added bonus, I guess.
I'll give you a few links (netflix and IMDB) to some classics, some that
deal with poverty directly and others that are about poor folks. Not sure
if these are what you have in mind.
steve
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Les_Miserables/70071790?trkid=190393
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Our_Daily_Bread_Other_Films_of_the_Great_Depression/833162?trkid=190393
"Las Hurdes" (1933 Bunuel)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023037/
"Hallelujah" (1929)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019959/
death from above
there be tons.
capra classics such as meet don juan and mr deeds goes to down.
los olividados
land without bread (didn't see)
imamura films of the 50s and 60s.
kurosawa's stray dog and other early 50s films
oshima's Boy (didn't see)
bicycle thieves, umberto D, and other italian neo-realist films
hunger (norwegian mooie you prolly know about)
accatone
nights of cabiria
lower depths
bresson's Mouchette
some movies try to bring our attention to poverty. they are about
existing poverty.
some movies romanticize poverty, as if to say, 'we believed in the
essentials when we were poor'.
some movies are nostaglic about poverty.
some are angry.
some are about poverty in the past tense.
some are in the present tense.
some are about poverty amongst us.
some are about poverty in foreign lands.
some say poverty is ennobling.
some say poverty is corrupting.
Bad Sleep Well is interesting because it's about a Japanese guy who
climbed out of poverty of post war era. We see the relation between
poverty and wealth. How one's influence by one touches on the other.
same with the corleones in godfather. Vito grew up poor but became
rich.
some movies make the culture of poverty exciting. many old gangster
films about poor kids trying to get to the top of the world. consider
stuff like PUblic enema, scarface, and once upon a time in america.
there is also poverty as physical condition vs poverty as state of
mind. many cowboys and settlers in westerns must struggle and have
only basics but they don't feel poor. they feel freedom and hope. but,
some people who have much more today feel poor because they have less
than rich folks.
there is spiritual poverty vs material poverty. poor folks with
spiritual wealth and smarts rise to the top. rich folks with
spiritual poverty may end up like edie sedgwick.
death from above
and, don't forget your own poverty of smarts.. how can anyone with any
wits be 'tricked into' writing an essay on poverty in movies? did a
jew pull a good one on you?
by the way,.. more themes.
some poverty movies are inspirational, as if to say, we can climb out
of poverty.
but, some are pessimistic as if to say, there is no way out. (usually,
if you're a negro among negroes, you're hopeless. but, if you're a
poor jew with freedom and wits, you'll be richer than most goyim
within a generation.)
also, some movies are about trying to escape from poverty. but, some
movies are about people seeking poverty as a way of life, to cleanse
their souls. some turn to poverty to help the poor. some turn to
poverty to reject all material desires. take a look at Siddharta
movie. not all that good, but Sid seeks poverty because for him, it
means simplicity, truth, and being liberated from desire.
steve
On 23-Sep-2008, George Peatty <peattyg...@copper.net> wrote:
> > Isn't one of the greatest poverty films - the Grapes of Wrath?
>
> The Joads are gonna look like the Clampetts of Beverly before this latest
> economic crisis resolves itself .. especially if we're collectively stupid
> enough to elect the Democrats ..
The democrat (and complicit or passive republican) stupidity is now a
historical lesson playing out before our very eyes. But will anyone learn
from it? Not likely. Especially not in an election year. It's sad.
I stocked up on gold and precious metal stocks a couple years ago,
so...bring on that economic crisis!
steve
death from above
Some movies just use poverty as backdrop or excuse for fun violence.
Emperor of North and Hard Times(Bronson mooie).
Kingo Gondo
"George Peatty" <peattyg...@copper.net> wrote in message
news:ijdid415qquv6rqsp...@4ax.com...
Georgie, when is Jesus gonna come back and haul your fat, dumb ass to heaven
so we no longer have to read your tremendous insights into world affairs?
Please tell me the Rapture will be soon, Georgie. Hurry up and go like a
thief in the night already.
Michael
will start ordering or renting the movies soon. What I usually do, is that i
find one movie for each decade, 1930s,40s, 50s etc. and make a magazine-type
short factual piece with some nice images. I might focus on one group or one
director. I must limit the scope somehow. I am rather attracted to the
italian realists of the 40s because of that great old film Bycicle Thieves
or to the subject of "homelessness" in the movies because of its
contemporary appeal. I have not decided yet. Anyway, thanks again.
"death from above" <cerebur...@hotmail.com> skrev i melding
news:ba5334a7-7f17-41aa...@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
David Matthews
Dave in Toronto
Kingo Gondo
"steve" <st...@steve.com> wrote in message
news:KZaCk.1024$pW5...@fe085.usenetserver.com...
>
> On 23-Sep-2008, George Peatty <peattyg...@copper.net> wrote:
>
>> > Isn't one of the greatest poverty films - the Grapes of Wrath?
>>
>> The Joads are gonna look like the Clampetts of Beverly before this latest
>> economic crisis resolves itself .. especially if we're collectively
>> stupid
>> enough to elect the Democrats ..
>
> The democrat (and complicit or passive republican) stupidity is now a
> historical lesson playing out before our very eyes. But will anyone learn
> from it? Not likely. Especially not in an election year. It's sad.
>
> I stocked up on gold and precious metal stocks a couple years ago,
> so...bring on that economic crisis!
Stocks.
You dumbfuck--you are supposed to STOCK up on GOLD and PRECIOUS METALS,
period. The actual elements, not their fucking "stocks".
Christ, didn't you get the memo?
Also, AKs and ammo. In the post-meltdown version of "rock/ paper/scissors",
your AK will trump everything. Go deep in at least one caliber--no less than
3 guns and 15,000 rounds. A couple of shotguns and handguns would be nice a
garnish.
Hurry!!!
le...@my-deja.com
Check out Ron Howard's THE CINDERELLA MAN (2005), an excellent movie
about the Great Depression and its effect on an individual family.
I've seen very few movies about poverty that really capture as well as
this one what hunger and cold are really like for a family suffering
through it.
Richard Schultz
: On Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:21:08 -0400, "Von Fourche" <khon...@hotmail.com>
: wrote:
Remind me -- what was the party in power when the government was running
surpluses? What party came to power and let the country into the largest
deficits in history, fueled in part by its being the only government in
history to cut taxes during a war? (Or rather, by having led the country
into a completely unnecessary war with no idea of how that war was going to
be paid for, other than its providing billions of dollars of largesse in
the form of bid-free contracts to a company that just happened to have
ties to high government officials such as the Vice-President)
For that matter, which party has historically been in power during those
periods when government regulatory agencies fail to regulate? (Hint:
think of the 1980's S&L crisis, which bears a strong resemblance to the
current one)
-----
Richard Schultz sch...@mail.biu.ac.il
Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Opinions expressed are mine alone, and not those of Bar-Ilan University
-----
"You don't even have a clue about which clue you're missing."
Richard Schultz
: I have been tricked into writing a small essay about depections of "poverty
I haven't seen it on anyone's list yet, so I'll mention _My Man Godfrey_.
-----
Richard Schultz sch...@mail.biu.ac.il
Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Opinions expressed are mine alone, and not those of Bar-Ilan University
-----
"French bread makes very good skis"
Janice
Idiocracy
~`~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lookingglass
"Michael" <michae...@gmail.com> wrote
> Thank you for all your suggestions everybody. I have made a little list
> and will start ordering or renting the movies soon. What I usually do, is
> that i find one movie for each decade, 1930s,40s, 50s etc. and make a
> magazine-type short factual piece with some nice images. I might focus on
> one group or one director. I must limit the scope somehow. I am rather
> attracted to the italian realists of the 40s because of that great old
> film Bycicle Thieves or to the subject of "homelessness" in the movies
> because of its contemporary appeal. I have not decided yet. Anyway,
> thanks again.
You also might want to view the documentary DARK DAYS.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235327/
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Marc-Singer/dp/B00005NSY6
Manfred Polak
Hollywood's best known silent movies on this topic are "The Tramp" and
"The Crowd". A meta-movie on poverty is "Sullivan's Travels". The best
foreign view on the US great depression I have seen is Luis Trenker's
"Der verlorene Sohn". Don't know if there is an subtitled version, but
the US part of the film (about one half) is in English.
Manfred
Flasherly
> I have been tricked into writing a small essay about depections of "poverty
> in the movies" (in my native tongue Norwegian). I wonder whether you could
> help me start by suggesting movies that should be included in such an essay.
> Any suggestion of any political persuasion would be appreciated. It will be
> a very straightforeward essay which does justice to all (or at least many)
> sides of the argument.
Goodly numbers, although straightforward is somewhat stifling.
Anthony Quinn in La Strada or Zorba the Greek are wonderfully
established examples of a cant to films to address a fundamental
spirit of humanity for applicable wealth of a form quality regards
less by measure. Charlie Chaplin, though, may be where you need look
into a visionary medium intended innately most impressionable, as
simplistically as possible to directly assess a broader identifiable
sense mass appeal qualifies. I wouldn't either be adverse to looking
at François Truffaut or for Russian examples;-- Genghis Khan or -
Mongol: The Beginnings-, a more of recent example, is a mythical
treatment and Russian perspective from a controversial historian's
viewpoint;-- A canonic life the steppes of Mongolia can only be
expected to provide, but for impositions by Mongols exercised unjustly
against other Mongols is certainly one to purvey an insular poverty
Genghis nobly addressed.
I don't believe you want to paint yourself into corner by attempting
to argue a sake of depicting poverty without the noblesse justice
obliges. A moot point in itself lacking to point by advancement
history cedes in attending the danger of status quo, that any
condition, as it must to advance, contains within some extent of a
germinal poverty, be it ever so humble, predisposed to lend itself to
criticism.
--
A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of
nothing. -Oscar Wilde
steve
On 23-Sep-2008, sch...@mail.biu.ack.il (Richard Schultz) wrote:
> Remind me -- what was the party in power when the government was running
> surpluses? What party came to power and let the country into the largest
> deficits in history, fueled in part by its being the only government in
> history to cut taxes during a war? (Or rather, by having led the country
> into a completely unnecessary war with no idea of how that war was going
> to
> be paid for, other than its providing billions of dollars of largesse in
> the form of bid-free contracts to a company that just happened to have
> ties to high government officials such as the Vice-President)
I wish people would pay more attention to the underlying causes and not
simply to who is in power when the problems occur. Clinton came into power
as we were continuing to benefit from the tax cuts and stable money supply
Reagan pushed for. Reagans lower tax rates resulted in economic growth and
much higher absolute revenue. Congress spent it all and then some, and both
parties were to blame for that. Bush 1 agreed to raise taxes...shame on
him. Likewise, virtually Clinton's first act was to ask for and recieve a
modest rise in tax rates. Neither was an economy killer, but certainly not
beneficial. Clinton himself proclaimed early and often that it would not be
possible to balance the budget before 2007-2012, so he was a surprised as
anyone when the dot com boom resulted in increased revenues and a balnced
budget (ignoring SS liability, that is). But he left office on the cusp of
an economic downturn which Bush inherited. 7 months later the country was
hit by the 9-11 attack. The economy did well, considering, but that wasnt
Bushes doing and more than the dot com boom or bust was Clintons doing.
I wont disagree with you about the war or the very real possibility of
corruption. However..
Clinton was responsible for weakening economic safe guards in the housing
market in two ways. He strengthened the Community Reinvestment Act
provisions, making it more difficult for banks to escape the mandate to
issue highly questionable loans (CRA was essentially legalized extortion
against any banks that wanted to expand). If I am not mistaken, Clinton was
also responsible for pushing FNMA and MAC into backing loans with weaker
standards. Many repubs rasied red flags about these problems over the last
5 years, but were opposed by dems or ignored entirely by both parties.
Those two things plus the cheap money pushed by Bush are the fundmantal
reasons why the housing market ran amock. Both parties bear culpability,
not simply who happens to be holding the bag when the bottom falls out. But
some repubs saw this coming and said so while dems blithely let it happen.
Give them credit for that much.
> For that matter, which party has historically been in power during those
> periods when government regulatory agencies fail to regulate? (Hint:
> think of the 1980's S&L crisis, which bears a strong resemblance to the
> current one)
These problems are failures of regulation, and they do not happen quickly.
The best regulation is no regulation, however, not all regulatory schemes
are equally bad. Current regulation, in place for a decade, now, coupled
with indescriminant guarantees and cheap money, created the perverse
incentives that resulted in mass irresponsible borrowing and lending.
Unlike the S&L crisis some time ago (which I know little about), this crisis
happened with no money down.
And the govt should not bail anyone out. Regulation (a reality that wont go
away) should be restructured to eliminate perverse incentives to write risky
loans. A simple requirement of 20-30% down to qualify for a govt guarantee
would go a long way towards maintaining stability. Democrats probably wont
stand for that, though, because it would disproportionately affect lower
income types. In other words, they want irresponsible lending and they want
the govt to gurantee those loans..and they want a sound mortgage market.
That's having cake and eating it.
steve
Baldoni
> I have been tricked into writing a small essay about depections of "poverty
> in the movies" (in my native tongue Norwegian). I wonder whether you could
> help me start by suggesting movies that should be included in such an essay.
> Any suggestion of any political persuasion would be appreciated. It will be a
> very straightforeward essay which does justice to all (or at least many)
> sides of the argument.
Anything written by Charles Dickens or Spike Lee. Also "The Night Of
The Hunter" depicts poverty very well.
--
Count Baldoni
Janice
> . . .
> You also might want to view the documentary DARK DAYS.
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235327/http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Marc-Singer/dp/B00005NSY6
Excellent suggestion. Also, "There Are No Children Here," made-for-TV
movie documentary based on the book of the same name by Alex
Kotlowitz.
Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickle and Dimed" has been made into a play, but
no screenplay as yet that I know, unfortunately.
~`~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Oberman
>The Grapes of Wrath is the obvious American film.
>
>Pather Panchali is a GREAT Indian film that addresses the subject.
>
>But my favorite would have to be Umberto D.
"Babes in Toyland" deals with poverty, in its own special way. In
fact, you could view the film as an overarching metaphor of
consumerism & poverty.
Many of the '30s satires, like "My Man Godfrey," touch on themes of
poverty & unemployment.
____
It's a good thing he died when he did. Otherwise, he'd have set the entire Bible to music.
-- Delius, on (the prolific) C.H.H. Parry
unklbob
> in the movies" (in my native tongue Norwegian). I wonder whether you could
> help me start by suggesting movies that should be included in such an essay.
> Any suggestion of any political persuasion would be appreciated. It will be
> a very straightforeward essay which does justice to all (or at least many)
> sides of the argument.
Hard Times
Grapes of Wrath
Paper Moon
Coal Miner's Daughter
Tortilla Flat
Soylent Green
Cinderella Man
Angels with Dirty Faces
among many
Kingo Gondo
>
> "steve" <st...@steve.com> wrote in message
> news:KZaCk.1024$pW5...@fe085.usenetserver.com...
>>
>> On 23-Sep-2008, George Peatty <peattyg...@copper.net> wrote:
>>
>>> > Isn't one of the greatest poverty films - the Grapes of Wrath?
>>>
>>> The Joads are gonna look like the Clampetts of Beverly before this
>>> latest
>>> economic crisis resolves itself .. especially if we're collectively
>>> stupid
>>> enough to elect the Democrats ..
>>
>> The democrat (and complicit or passive republican) stupidity is now a
>> historical lesson playing out before our very eyes. But will anyone
>> learn
>> from it? Not likely. Especially not in an election year. It's sad.
>>
>> I stocked up on gold and precious metal stocks a couple years ago,
>> so...bring on that economic crisis!
>
> Stocks.
>
> You dumbfuck--you are supposed to STOCK up on GOLD and PRECIOUS METALS,
> period. The actual elements, not their fucking "stocks".
>
> Christ, didn't you get the memo?
Too late, dumbshit:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/692c787e-8f50-11dd-946c-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1
Wealthy investors drain supplies of gold by hoarding bullion bars
By Javier Blas in Kyoto
Published: October 1 2008 03:00 | Last updated: October 1 2008 03:00
Investors in gold are demanding "unprecedented" physical levels of bullion
bars and coins and moving them into their own vaults as fears about the
health of the global financial system deepen.
Industry executives and bankers at the London Bullion Market Association
annual meeting said the extent of the move into physical gold was unseen and
driven by the very rich.
"There is an enormous pick-up in investment demand. I have never seen a
market like this in my 33-year career," said Jeremy Charles, chairman of the
LBMA. "The gold refineries cannot produce enough bars."
The move comes as fears grow among investors over the losses at investment
vehicles previously considered almost risk-free, such as money funds.
Philip Clewes-Garner, associate director of precious metals at HSBC, added
that investors were not flying into gold simply because they saw it as a
haven amid Wall Street's woes. "It is a flight into gold because it is a
physical asset," he said.
"Vault staff are also doing overtime," another banker at the LBMA meeting
said, adding that investors in some countries were paying premiums of up to
$25 an ounce above the London spot price to secure scarce gold bars.
Spot gold prices in London yesterday traded at about $900 an ounce, more
than 25 per cent above the level before Lehman Brothers' collapse. Although
some traders said the rush into physical gold could boost prices, others
cautioned that prices were depressing jewellery demand, capping any price
gain. Industry executives said gold refineries and government mints were
working at full throttle to keep up with investor demand, but acknowledged
they were suffering from shortages, particularly on coins.
Johan Botha, a spokesman for the Rand Refinery in South Africa, which
manufactures the Krugerrand, the world's most popular gold coin, said the
plant was now running at full capacity seven days a week. "Even so, now and
then we have shortages," he said.
The Austrian mint, which manufactures the Vienna Philharmonic, a popular
gold coin in Europe, said it had extended work to the weekends to
accommodate soaring demand.
Last week, the US mint suspended the sale of its American Buffalo coin after
it ran out of stocks.