TCM Screening ‘The Most Significant Political Films of All Time’

In the run-up to Election Day, TCM is going after the movie lovers’ popular vote by showing 50 films over nine successive Fridays under the banner Making Change: The Most Significant Political Films of All Time.

The series runs Sept. 6 to Nov. 1 — four days before America votes for its next president — and features TCM host Ben Mankiewicz in conversation with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Lee Grant, Sally Field, Andy Garcia, Melissa Etheridge, John Turturro, Bill Maher, Alexander Payne, Diane Lane, Josh Mankiewicz, Barry Levinson, Maureen Dowd, Stacey Abrams and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Watch the trailer here.

Making Change showcases half of the movies unveiled by The New Republic in the rankings it released in June 2023. The films on TCM span the years 1915 to 2016 (from D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation to Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro); the whole thing kicks off with the No. 1 film on the list, The Battle of Algiers (1966).

(While you’re at it, check out THR’s list of the top 20 political movies, recently curated by chief film critic David Rooney.)

“I learned at an early age that, whether we like it or not, politics intersect with our culture every day,” Ben Mankiewicz (younger brother of Josh) said in a statement. “And the movies, since before the arrival of sound, have long served as a barometer of our political climate.

“This series brings an eclectic mix of filmmakers, actors, political figures and journalists to TCM to discuss a varied selection of brilliant movies. Along the way, we’ll discuss how great films have managed to predict political culture, to reflect it and to challenge it.”

Here’s the full schedule, along with the guest presenters and New Republic rankings (all times Eastern/Pacific):

Friday, Sept. 68 p.m. The Battle of Algiers (1966) (co-hosted by The New Republic‘s Michael Tomasky – No. 1)10:15 p.m. All the King’s Men (1949) (Steven Spielberg – No. 59)12:15 a.m. The Great Dictator (1940) (John Turturro – No. 26)2:30 a.m. Fail Safe (1964) (No. 99)4:30 a.m. Ivan the Terrible: Part Two (1958) (No. 85)6 a.m. Salt of the Earth (1954) (No. 31)

Friday, Sept. 138 p.m. Reds (1981) (Bill Maher – No. 41)11:30 p.m. The Parallax View (1974) (Kyle Smith – No. 47)1:30 a.m. Germany, Year Zero (1948) (Alexander Payne – No. 97)3 a.m. Gabriel Over the White House (1933) (No. 30)4:30 a.m. The Battleship Potemkin (1925) (No. 7)6 a.m. The Fog of War (2003) (No. 56)

Friday, Sept. 208 p.m. Dr. Strangelove (1964) (Spike Lee – No. 3)9:45 p.m. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) (Stacey Abrams – No. 11)12:15 a.m. Hearts and Minds (1974) (Phil Mattingly – No. 39)2:15 a.m. The Lives of Others (2006) (No. 19)4:45 a.m. Born in Flames (1983) (No. 43)6:15 a.m. Bicycle Thieves (1948) (No. 52)

Friday, Sept. 278 p.m. Three Days of the Condor (1975) (Maureen Dowd – No. 72)10:15 p.m. I Am Not Your Negro (2016) (Sara Sidner – No. 58)12 a.m. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) (Melissa Etheridge – No. 88)1:30 a.m. The Last Hurrah (1958) (No. 57)3:45 a.m. Night of the Living Dead (1968) (No. 35)5:15 a.m. The Tin Drum (1979) (No. 92)

Friday, Oct. 48 p.m. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) (Sally Field – No. 81)10 p.m. The Best Man (1964) (Josh Mankiewicz – No. 69)12 a.m. I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932) (Lonnie Bunch III – No. 95)1:45 a.m. City Hall (1996) (No. 80)3:45 a.m. Strike (1924) (No. 25)5:15 a.m. High and Low (1963) (No. 84)

Friday, Oct. 118 p.m. A Face in the Crowd (1957) (Barry Levinson – No. 10)10:15 p.m. Wag the Dog (1997) (Diane Lane – No. 54)12 a.m. The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) (Abby Phillip – No. 37)1:45 a.m. JFK (1991) (No. 34)5 a.m. Z (1969) (No. 15)7:15 a.m. Night and Fog (1956) (No. 21)

Friday, Oct. 188 p.m. The Birth of a Nation (1915) (Jamelle Bouie – No. 5)11:30 p.m. Lincoln (2012) (Robert Gates – No. 24)2:15 a.m. Malcolm X (1992) (No. 22)6 a.m. Primary (1960) (No. 38)

Friday, Oct. 258 p.m. All the President’s Men (1976) (Steven Spielberg – No. 4)10:30 p.m. Citizen Kane (1941) (Frank Luntz – No. 33)12:45 a.m. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) (LizzieBorden – No. 36)4:15 a.m. Olympia Part One: Festival of Nations (1938) (No. 86)6:15 a.m. Olympia Part Two: Beauty of the Festival (1938) (No. 86)

Friday, Nov. 18 p.m. Being There (1979) (Andy Garcia – No. 71)10:30 p.m. The Candidate (1972) (Kaitlan Collins – No. 20)12:30 a.m. Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) (Lee Grant – No. 12)2:15 a.m. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) (No. 2)4 a.m. Weekend (1967) (No. 94)