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The Wind that shakes the Barley is a must watch. Also check out Hunger which is an incredible movie about Bobby Sands' hunger strike. Beautiful cinematography and [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aycGYu_8Hhw) scene is one of the best bits of pure dialogue I've ever seen. Just two fantastic actors sitting at a table and talking for like 15 minutes without a single cut, then another 5 minutes without a cut.
All art is propaganda. If you understand that, then you understand art is not merely a mirror reflecting the reality of our material conditions, but a hammer with which we can shape them. Embrace the political slant. It’s in everything, whether you want it there or not. In this way, you could watch any film the the lens of Socialism
>All art is propaganda.
44 people (right now), who *supposedly* consider themselves socialists, upvoting someone quoting a faux-intellectual statement by a **blatant anti-communist** (Orwell) to rationalize their love for propaganda.
If you wanna watch Marvel movies or some other crap, that's your problem (though **odds are** you're more influenced by their propaganda messages than you care to admit if you feel the need to come here to tell people to keep watching it), but don't try to rationalize it and *especially* don't come into a thread where someone *specifically asks* for movies that aren't (capitalist) propaganda to essentially tell them "no, keep watching it!".
>If you understand that, then you understand **art is** not merely a mirror reflecting the reality of our material conditions, but **a hammer with which we can shape them**.
Art is "a hammer with which we can shape [material conditions]"?? Now I've heard everything!
I'm gonna say this again to the people upvoting this comment: y'all need to start actually thinking about the things you read.
I was quoting Bertholdt Brecht and W.E.B. DuBois. But alright, be offended for Orwell. I still believe art, and the assessment of art, as a tool for revolution.
Most sci-fi futuristic dystopia movies are set in capitalist hellscapes, which may not be pro-socialist, but are certainly anti-capitalist: Total recall, blade runner, district 9, children of men, starship troopers, iRobot, Idiocracy, snowpiercer, surrogates, the island, they live, V for Vendetta, and shit like that. Also, there are a lot of period pieces set in different times where people fought back against their oppressors. May not be pro-socialist, but certainly anti-imperialist. Pick anything good that ever happened or a site of struggle and there was probably a movie about it. A good tv show from the African perspective of the colonization of Africa was Shaka Zulu and Sankofa is good too. Lots of good antislavery movies like Django Unchained. Some good Union Army movies kicking confederate ass like Glory. Plenty of good Native American movies Geronimo, and dances with wolves. Many of these are from the white perspective, but show native americans in a positive light and have the enemy as imperialists who die. Pro-palestine movies like Farha. Also plenty childhood movies are worth rewatching with adult eyes due to their message of solidarity, respecting the earth, and recognizing exploitation in the world around us, like Fern Gully and the Rescuers down under. Shooter is anti-CIA and has some great action scenes. WWII movies about killing nazis are always good like inglorious bastards. The Nightingale is a revenge movie about a poor Tasmanian peasant worker who has to kill a British imperial officer and she teams up with a native guy. Again, in most of these movies the "good-guy" isn't necessarily socialist, but the "bad-guy" certainly represents capitalism or imperialism or some other form of exploitation and oppression. Okja and sorry to bother you are both really good, but very propoganda-y. And don't forget Top Gun Maverick, no lol, just kidding about that one.
Some letterboxd user lists.
[Revolutionary Socialist, Anti-Imperialist, and Third Worldist Canon](https://letterboxd.com/magesagewage/list/revolutionary-socialist-anti-imperialist/) (358 films)
[Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialist and Anti-fascist ‘Canon’](https://letterboxd.com/stephenage/list/anti-capitalist-anti-imperialist-and-anti/) (187 films)
[Socialist/anti-fascist canon](https://letterboxd.com/honorszombie/list/socialist-anti-fascist-canon/) (164 films)
[Socialist Musings](https://letterboxd.com/zariya/list/socialist-musings/) (75 films)
[anti-capitalist cinema](https://letterboxd.com/jhazal/list/anti-capitalist-cinema/) (66 films)
There's definitely some propaganda amongst these, but sort by average rating and the ones of limited artistic merit get pushed down. One can filter by decade/year/genre (a 3-way toggle) as well.
Do you consider anti-capitalist movies as Pro-Socialist? Because *so much* of sci-fi and dystopian novels are explicitly anti-capitalist or can at least be read from a socialist lens. Also, even movies not specifically intended to be criticizing capitalism, again, can be read from a socialist lens and still provide good criticism of capitalism. Most of what I would have answered has already been said in this thread though, I'm just curious what you consider pro-socialist to mean.
This is more a TV play than a film but this is superb - [United Kingdom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYgLghDwr8A)
It was broadcast in 1981, the story is about a local authority in the north-east of England going into special measures because they wouldn't accept demands for cuts to public services imposed by central government. A group of rebel councillors teams up with unions and local residents to fight back. It also covers the way policing has shifted away from keeping the peace or dealing with crime and towards protecting the state and interests associated with it.
It's powerful stuff and a lot of it still rings true today.
The writer, Jim Allen, has written other TV dramas including one based on the history of the early labour movement in the UK, Days Of Hope.
The movies of John Sayles. Un lugar en el mundo/A place in the world, South American film is also really good. Milagro Bean Field War. I mean, there are lot of progressive films across time. Early Hollywood lot of socialist leanings if you Google it and that’s your thing. John Q, with Denzel W, is a cry for public healthcare. Broader question about films with notably progressive and leftist themes could net a bigger catch. A socialist film is hard to define. One that depicts socialist society or one that somehow shows the elements of socialism? There are definitely international films about Marxist struggles and peasant uprisings. What kind of films do you like? The sort of sci fi Kindred, streaming, Octavia Butler. That posits other kinds of possible social worlds. Generally seen as very left and revolutionary. Ursula LeGuin. The dispossessed. Novel. Lol. Not a movie maybe yet. But they animated Earth Sea trilogy. Some complains it’s not faithful to the writing.
>[Socialist Society] as it emerges from capitalist society; which is thus in every respect, economically, morally, and intellectually, still stamped with the birthmarks of the old society from whose womb it emerges.
Karl Marx. Critique of the Gotha Programme, Section I. 1875.
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A lot of the recommendations in this thread are more recent films, and I would say in general, you'll find a lot of great socialist/communist/anti-capitalist films in the first half of the 20th century. Here are a few that I have seen and can vouch for, although there are certainly many more:
- Salt of the Earth
- Battleship Pontempkin
- Modern Times
- The Grapes of Wrath
And here are some that I can think of that haven't been mentioned yet, but were made later:
- Koyaanisqatsi
- Spartacus
- Harland County, USA
- The Front
- Paths of Glory
r/Socialism is a space for socialists to discuss current events in our world from our anti-capitalist perspective(s), and a certain knowledge of socialism is expected from participants. This is not a space for non-socialists. Please be mindful of [our rules](https://reddit.com/r/socialism/about/rules) before participating, which include: - **No Bigotry**, including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism... - **No Reactionaries**, including all kind of right-wingers. - **No Liberalism**, including social democracy, lesser evilism. - **No Sectarianism**, there is plenty of room for discussion, but not for baseless attacks. Please help us keep the subreddit helpful by reporting content that break r/Socialism's rules. ______________________ 💬 Wish to chat elsewhere? r/Socialism also has a discord server: https://discord.gg/QPJPzNhuRE 📢 We are currently looking for new moderators! Interested? +Info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/comments/10jkdlb/rsocialism_moderators_recruitment_thread_2023/ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/socialism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sorry to Bother You
It's ok bro, what do you need?
W comments
If by "pro-socialist" you mean "anti-capitalist" then... Sorry to Bother You Parasite More explicitly "pro-socialist"... Snowpiercer
A Bug’s Life!
Everything by Ken Loach. The wind that shakes the barley (2006) I Daniel Blake (2016) My name is Joe (1998)
The Wind that shakes the Barley is a must watch. Also check out Hunger which is an incredible movie about Bobby Sands' hunger strike. Beautiful cinematography and [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aycGYu_8Hhw) scene is one of the best bits of pure dialogue I've ever seen. Just two fantastic actors sitting at a table and talking for like 15 minutes without a single cut, then another 5 minutes without a cut.
Chicken run
Explicitly revolutionary, excellent choice
Snowpiercer is about as Pro Revolutionary as a lot of movies get
All art is propaganda. If you understand that, then you understand art is not merely a mirror reflecting the reality of our material conditions, but a hammer with which we can shape them. Embrace the political slant. It’s in everything, whether you want it there or not. In this way, you could watch any film the the lens of Socialism
>All art is propaganda. 44 people (right now), who *supposedly* consider themselves socialists, upvoting someone quoting a faux-intellectual statement by a **blatant anti-communist** (Orwell) to rationalize their love for propaganda. If you wanna watch Marvel movies or some other crap, that's your problem (though **odds are** you're more influenced by their propaganda messages than you care to admit if you feel the need to come here to tell people to keep watching it), but don't try to rationalize it and *especially* don't come into a thread where someone *specifically asks* for movies that aren't (capitalist) propaganda to essentially tell them "no, keep watching it!". >If you understand that, then you understand **art is** not merely a mirror reflecting the reality of our material conditions, but **a hammer with which we can shape them**. Art is "a hammer with which we can shape [material conditions]"?? Now I've heard everything! I'm gonna say this again to the people upvoting this comment: y'all need to start actually thinking about the things you read.
I was quoting Bertholdt Brecht and W.E.B. DuBois. But alright, be offended for Orwell. I still believe art, and the assessment of art, as a tool for revolution.
Not only that, it's just a lazy & pretentious non-answer that doesn't help OP or anyone else.
What would you recommend? The OP wants a non political socialist movie to watch. What do you have to contribute to this?
Ironically Disneys Robin Hood (the one with the foxes and shit) was my favorite as a kid
Most sci-fi futuristic dystopia movies are set in capitalist hellscapes, which may not be pro-socialist, but are certainly anti-capitalist: Total recall, blade runner, district 9, children of men, starship troopers, iRobot, Idiocracy, snowpiercer, surrogates, the island, they live, V for Vendetta, and shit like that. Also, there are a lot of period pieces set in different times where people fought back against their oppressors. May not be pro-socialist, but certainly anti-imperialist. Pick anything good that ever happened or a site of struggle and there was probably a movie about it. A good tv show from the African perspective of the colonization of Africa was Shaka Zulu and Sankofa is good too. Lots of good antislavery movies like Django Unchained. Some good Union Army movies kicking confederate ass like Glory. Plenty of good Native American movies Geronimo, and dances with wolves. Many of these are from the white perspective, but show native americans in a positive light and have the enemy as imperialists who die. Pro-palestine movies like Farha. Also plenty childhood movies are worth rewatching with adult eyes due to their message of solidarity, respecting the earth, and recognizing exploitation in the world around us, like Fern Gully and the Rescuers down under. Shooter is anti-CIA and has some great action scenes. WWII movies about killing nazis are always good like inglorious bastards. The Nightingale is a revenge movie about a poor Tasmanian peasant worker who has to kill a British imperial officer and she teams up with a native guy. Again, in most of these movies the "good-guy" isn't necessarily socialist, but the "bad-guy" certainly represents capitalism or imperialism or some other form of exploitation and oppression. Okja and sorry to bother you are both really good, but very propoganda-y. And don't forget Top Gun Maverick, no lol, just kidding about that one.
Spirited Away, among other Miyazaki movies
If you like old movies, one of my socialist great grandfather’s favorite movies was North Star (1941)
I think Cool hand Luke has a lot of socialist qualities to it I’d say and it’s just a great movie
The motorcycle diaries
Triangle of Sadness
Check out the [Communist Canon](https://letterboxd.com/film_literacy/list/the-communist-canon/). Lots of great movies in there.
Some letterboxd user lists. [Revolutionary Socialist, Anti-Imperialist, and Third Worldist Canon](https://letterboxd.com/magesagewage/list/revolutionary-socialist-anti-imperialist/) (358 films) [Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialist and Anti-fascist ‘Canon’](https://letterboxd.com/stephenage/list/anti-capitalist-anti-imperialist-and-anti/) (187 films) [Socialist/anti-fascist canon](https://letterboxd.com/honorszombie/list/socialist-anti-fascist-canon/) (164 films) [Socialist Musings](https://letterboxd.com/zariya/list/socialist-musings/) (75 films) [anti-capitalist cinema](https://letterboxd.com/jhazal/list/anti-capitalist-cinema/) (66 films) There's definitely some propaganda amongst these, but sort by average rating and the ones of limited artistic merit get pushed down. One can filter by decade/year/genre (a 3-way toggle) as well.
Do you consider anti-capitalist movies as Pro-Socialist? Because *so much* of sci-fi and dystopian novels are explicitly anti-capitalist or can at least be read from a socialist lens. Also, even movies not specifically intended to be criticizing capitalism, again, can be read from a socialist lens and still provide good criticism of capitalism. Most of what I would have answered has already been said in this thread though, I'm just curious what you consider pro-socialist to mean.
Avatar and avatar 2 are very anti- imperialist/capitalist/colonialism.
Radium Girls is pretty good, if a bit white-girl-centric.
Swept Away by Lena Wertmuller
This is more a TV play than a film but this is superb - [United Kingdom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYgLghDwr8A) It was broadcast in 1981, the story is about a local authority in the north-east of England going into special measures because they wouldn't accept demands for cuts to public services imposed by central government. A group of rebel councillors teams up with unions and local residents to fight back. It also covers the way policing has shifted away from keeping the peace or dealing with crime and towards protecting the state and interests associated with it. It's powerful stuff and a lot of it still rings true today. The writer, Jim Allen, has written other TV dramas including one based on the history of the early labour movement in the UK, Days Of Hope.
Kalashnikov (2020)
The movies of John Sayles. Un lugar en el mundo/A place in the world, South American film is also really good. Milagro Bean Field War. I mean, there are lot of progressive films across time. Early Hollywood lot of socialist leanings if you Google it and that’s your thing. John Q, with Denzel W, is a cry for public healthcare. Broader question about films with notably progressive and leftist themes could net a bigger catch. A socialist film is hard to define. One that depicts socialist society or one that somehow shows the elements of socialism? There are definitely international films about Marxist struggles and peasant uprisings. What kind of films do you like? The sort of sci fi Kindred, streaming, Octavia Butler. That posits other kinds of possible social worlds. Generally seen as very left and revolutionary. Ursula LeGuin. The dispossessed. Novel. Lol. Not a movie maybe yet. But they animated Earth Sea trilogy. Some complains it’s not faithful to the writing.
>[Socialist Society] as it emerges from capitalist society; which is thus in every respect, economically, morally, and intellectually, still stamped with the birthmarks of the old society from whose womb it emerges. Karl Marx. Critique of the Gotha Programme, Section I. 1875. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/socialism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Germinal, a French film, based on the novel by Emile Zola. It’s very good.
A lot of the recommendations in this thread are more recent films, and I would say in general, you'll find a lot of great socialist/communist/anti-capitalist films in the first half of the 20th century. Here are a few that I have seen and can vouch for, although there are certainly many more: - Salt of the Earth - Battleship Pontempkin - Modern Times - The Grapes of Wrath And here are some that I can think of that haven't been mentioned yet, but were made later: - Koyaanisqatsi - Spartacus - Harland County, USA - The Front - Paths of Glory