Fascism on Film Podcast

'Swing Kids' and the Disneyfication of fascism

Swing heil! That's right, kids, in 1993, a little over six months before Steven Spielberg premiered "Schindler's List," Disney's short-live Hollywood Pictures came out with "Swing Kids," a film that attempts to tell the world something about fascism, but misses the mark. 
Still, for all its schmaltz, does "Swing Kids" have something to say? James and Teal examine a film that does have some effective moments.

'Sophie Scholl: The Final Days' and the high price of resistance

"Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" is a devastating and tragic look at a true-life hero of the German resistance movement, The White Rose. To see the machinations of Nazism at work and its willingness to destroy its citizens who dare to resist tyranny is difficult to watch. This film is a powerhouse.

'Army of Shadows': A sobering look at resisting fascism

Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece, "Army of Shadows," is a gripping slow-burn look at the operations of the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation. Melville strips away the glamor and sentimentality of the resistance movement to show how unrewarding it can be to do ones duty when one's country is under occupation. 
The film avoids nearly all conventions of the typical spy thriller, and makes its audience work for clues and answers. It's a true gut-punch.

'The Bridge': Hitler's youth pay the ultimate price

Bernhard Wicki’s powerful 1959 German anti-war film, "The Bridge" shows the tragedy and futility of following fascism to its final end. A group of high-school boys in a small German town during the final days of the war, can't wait to get into the fight for Germany, only to discover, far too late, that all they've been taught were lies.
This week's film, "The Bridge" doesn't contain any shine, gloss, or dancing to David Bowie at the end. It's one of the most tragic looks at the destruction that fascism brings to its people. 

'JoJo Rabbit': You know, fascism for kids.

Silly "JoJo Rabbit," fascism is for kids. Every National Socialist knows that the way to sustain a reign of 1,000 years is through the corruption of the little ones.
In this week's episode, James and Teal look at 2019's Oscar-winning film for Best Adapted Screenplay, "JoJo Rabbit." Writer-director Taika Waititi moves the dramatic and controversial material of the book to a decidedly more comedic tone. But through the laughs, does "JoJo" have a lesson to teach?

'Network': When the corporations take over the airwaves

Not even Sybil the Soothsayer could have predicted how much Paddy Chayefsky and Sidney Lumet's 1976 film "Network" would mirror today's world of infotainment and the corporatization of media. 
"Network" is a film that continues rewarding repeat viewing, as it offers up new ways to examine the U.S. population's fascination with realty television, and how the lines obscure between truth, fiction, and the vox populi. 
If you've never before seen "Network" there may never be a better time to watch this masterful look at the power of television and those behind-the-scenes willing to go to any length to corrupt it for the sake of ratings and stockholders.

'The Great Dictator': Farcical fascism

"The Great Dictator" kicks off Season 3 of Fascism on Film. Charlie Chaplin takes on Hitler and the Nazi's in a biting satire that is noted today for its historical importance in cinema. But does it hold up as a farce or has time diminished its power. James Kent and Teal Minton examine how funny or unfunny fascism can be with this look at "The Great Dictator."
 

'Melania': When a propagandist message fails to materialize

In a special one-off episode of Fascism on Film, we take a look at the pay-to-play Amazon-purchased documentary, "Melania" which fails as both documentary and as MAGA propaganda. It isn't sure of its subject or who its intended audience is for. 
James and Teal break down every inaugural dress measurement and bizarre soundtrack music cue for this dreadfully dull filmmaking undertaking.
Watch "Melania" at your peril, or just listen to this podcast episode.

'I'm Still Here': When they come for you

In the Season 2 finale of "Fascism on Film," James and Teal break down the 2024 film, "I'm Still Here." Walter Salles' look at Brazil under military dictatorship in the 1970s is a chilling reminder that what was once another nation's past, strikes an eerily similar note to what we've allowed ourselves to occur in the present. "I'm Still Here" tells the true story of one Brazilian family that seemingly has it all until one day, authoritarianism catches up with them.
Enjoy this episode, and James and Teal will return in 2026 with an all new season. 

'A Special Day': The Machismo Meet-Cute of 1938

 1977's "A Special Day" is a heartfelt romance of Hitler and Mussolini’s infamous cementing of their two nations culminated in a 24-hour Roman holiday. No, but it is set on the same day as that day-long event. However, in the Roman suburbs, we get a different meeting of two mismatched strangers, Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren bring a story of humanity and heartbreak set amidst the backdrop of a political ideology that doesn’t allow homosexuality. "A Special Day" is a masterwork of cinema, and a dive into a world under fascism's rule.