Politics Goes to the Movies

Birth of a Nation (1915) -- the first movie to have a White House screening, sadly revealing Woodrow Wilson's writings and racial attitudes in the early 20th century.

Gabriel Over the White House (1933) -- a proto-fascist moment.

Mission to Moscow (1943) -- pro-Soviet propaganda (you read that correctly).

Duck and Cover (1951) -- civil defense documentary on saving yourself from the Bomb.

Red Nightmare (1962) -- DOD film asks: what if the Reds took over?

Fail-Safe (1964) -- after the Cuban Missile Crisis, a scary look at an accidental nuclear attack.

Dr. Strangelove (1964) -- a satirical look at an accidental nuclear attack.

Capricorn One (1978) -- in the paranoid 1970s, a fake Mars landing (start at 20 min.)

Deep Impact (1998) -- ten years early, we have an African-American president. That's the good news. The bad news is that a comet is about to destroy the earth.