Re: the Clinton years

[joanna bujes <jbujes@xxxxxxxxx>]

I don't know that I think in terms of "socialist art." But I know what
you're getting at. Here's a few -- off the top of my head -- there's
nothing systematic about this list except that I read or saw everything
on the list and thought it was great. Not all these are contemporary,
but I figure 20th century is contemporary. The problems haven't really
changed.

In films, see

The Bicycle Thief (Italy-De Sica) and, for a contrast, Beijing Bycicle
(China-recent)
Bitter Rice (Italy-??)
The Battleship Potemkin (USSR-Eisenstein)
The Apu Trilogy (India-Ray)
The Middleman (India-Ray)
Paths of Glory (USA-Kubrick)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (England)

In books, try

Fontamara (Ignazio Silone)
The Hour of the Star (Clarice Lispector)
My Life, The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya (Anton Chekhov)
The Road (Jack London)
Independent People (Harold Laxness)
The Resurrection (Tolstoy) -- this is an odd one, but shows how close an
aristocrat can come to something like socialist ideas.

...anyway, that's a start...

Best,

Joanna





bgramlich@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Joanna writes:
>
>
> > That is why, perhaps, art is the first weapon.
>
> Can you suggest any good socialist art? I've heard of a socialist realism movement in literature, but haven't found any specific authors. There are very few films that I know of that have a pro-worker, anti-capitalist bent, and the only one I can name off the top of my head is "Wall Street." I can't think of a painter aside from Diego Rivera. Who are some contemporary artists who grapple with the issues of workers' rights, socialism, and capital?
>
> The purpose of art is to make revolution appealing.
>
> Benjamin Gramlich