Prof. Joe Meyer's Poli. Sci. 1

Leadership Course Project Movie List

Meet John Doe, Citizen Cain, The War Room (documentary), The Candidate, Malcolm X, Hoffa, Nixon, Truman, Ghandi, Elizabeth, The Contender, Bob Roberts, Wag the Dog, Thirteen Days, Welcome to Sarajevo, Do the Right Thing, Stand and Deliver, Roger and Me, Network, Wall Street, And Justice for All… , Chocolat, Hotel Rwanda, Lagaan, Crash.

Pick films you have not seen, unless one of these happens to be your favorite.  

DO NOT TELL THE PLOT.

Use the films and all you learned in the class and all you know to develop a complete definition of leadership in our democracy.  Don't say what others have said - give it your own thought.  You know people who are leaders, you may consider yourself a leader, you have followed others...

Answer any or all of the questions listed in the syllabus (or assignment page) about this project.  You can apply the "tactics of persuasion" to the main characters in the movies.  You can compare the fictionalized accounts to reality, you can do anything that demonstrates to me that you have thought long and hard about leadership.

Here's a brief break-down about each movie:

"Meet John Doe" (NOT Meet Joe Black) - is a Frank Capra movie (the guy who directed Mr.. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life) - black and white - pre world war two - about a "Hobo" that is made into a media star in the days before TV - I bet this movie gets remade soon.  This is a good companion with Network, Wag the Dog, Roger and Me, Elizabeth.

"Citizen Cain" - some say it's the greatest movie in English - about a rich guy who runs for office as a people's man.  If you have never seen this movie, you should, remember all the camera angles and such were invented by Wells (the director) and everyone has copied him.

"The War Room" is a '92 documentary about Bill Clinton's first run for President.  It's a great look inside a campaign.

"The Candidate" is a Robert Redford mid-'70's movie - shot to look like a little like a documentary - which shows us the inside of a campaign - this is a great companion with The War Room, Citizen Cain, Bob Roberts and Wag The Dog.

"Malcolm X" - Spike Lee's best film - remember all these historical biographies are FICTION - they are fictionalized accounts meant to portray the person in some specific light.  Compare these fictionalized accounts and see if these people used "the tactics of persuasion".

"Hoffa" - directed by Danny De Vito and written by David Mahmet - Hoffa's leadership is more than just violence and the threat of it - there's more going on than that.

"Nixon" - Anthony Hopkins is directed by Oliver Stone in a dramatic account of Nixon and his many personal "demons".

"Truman" (HBO production) staring Gary Sinese - a fictionalized but truthful bio-pic which will teach you much about Truman even if you think you know something about him.

"Ghandi" is a master piece of a movie and his story has a great deal to tell us about leadership.   But is that relevant in our culture today?

"Elizabeth" is also a beautifully well done movie - She is a leader thrown into the position and she develops an interesting strategy - She becomes a very important person.  Are the leadership lessons relevant in our democracy?

"The Contender" is a well written drama about a women nominated for a federal position who refuses to discuss her personal sex life while she was in college.  A strong woman is also at the core of this movie.  It's a great exploration of trust, leadership, privacy and the public's right to know. 

"Bob Roberts" is a fake documentary about a guy (Tim Robbins wrote, directed and stars) who does many unorthodox things while running for office.  It's a great movie about campaigns and the power of image.

"Wag the Dog" is a "dark comedy" - it's not realistic but it demonstrates the power of TV news, like Network.

"Thirteen Days" is new to the list - Oliver Stone's look at the Cuban missile crisis focusing on JFK and his close aides.  (A great book about this era, Essence of Decision by Graham Allison).  This is a great look at one President's style and the value of the people around him.

"Welcome to Sarajevo" may be the hardest film to watch on the list.  It's about the siege of Sarajevo, a story that must be told.  Sarajevo was a city like any around the world, it hosted the winter Olympics in the '80's but the civil wars of the Former Yugoslavia have destroyed that city.  There may be no leadership examples in this movie - that may be the point.  This is a gruesome but great movie.  A real challenge to any one's definition of leadership.

"Do the Right Thing" is also an challenging movie to find examples of leadership, but that doesn't mean we can't learn lessons from it.  It's about all the little things that lead to a riot (made before the LA riots).

"Stand and Deliver" is about the East LA Math Teacher who teaches more than Math.  Is a leader a Hero? Or a Mentor? Or are the students leaders?  Notice many students drop out and can't hang.

"Roger and Me" is a documentary (pretty funny and sad) about the search for the CEO of General Motors as it pulls out of Flint, Michigan.  This is a pleasant film with a pointed tongue.  Maybe a lack of leadership is it's point.

"Network" is a great movie staring several great actors.  It's about a news anchor who becomes so powerful and popular that his network finally kills him.  This is a great film to watch with many on this list.

"Wall Street" is the third Oliver Stone film on the list - not because I think he's a great director (I don't) but he takes on subjects other don't.  This movie does more than just capture the "greed filled go-go '80's."  It's a great exploration of corporative responsibility and other issues like that.  Watch this with Roger and Me and the CEO of GM looks like less of a bad guy.

"And Justice for All..." is one of my favorite movies. Starring Al Pacino, it's a quirky dark comedy about a lawyer who... This film is also a challenging movie in terms of leadership.  You really have to watch it to see what I mean.

"Chocolat" is a charming movie about a woman who sells chocolate candy and oh so much more...I won't spoil it buy saying more.

"Hotel Rwanda" is a true story of the actions of a hotel employee during the six weeks of bloody human carnagein Rwanda.

"Laggan" is a "Bollywood" musical that is about the locals playing the british in a cricket match, or is it about much more? You be the judge. If you have never seen a Hindi musical, pick this one!

"Crash" may be the best movie about LA ever made - or maybe its just a collection of sterotypes dressed as real people, you be the judge,

When you pick three, four, or more movies to view, mix and match many types.  Don't just watch all bio-pics.

You can watch movies other than those on the list and discuss them in part three, but you must watch and make reference to at least three films on the above list.