Pollsters are polling, surrogates are stumping, pundits are speculating, and candidates are debating. It’s after Labor Day and the 2024 US Presidential Election Season is in full swing. Instead of getting all riled up, like so many of us are prone to do, I thought it would be a lot more fun to start watching. So here are ten of the most highly rated election movies from the Cold War (and after). Pick one from the list below, make a big bowl of popcorn, and have fun streaming.
Several readers have contacted me for streaming locations. I’m noting where I’ve found them as of this writing, but please check for yourself. That said, here are the movies.
Election Films Released During the Cold War
State of the Union (1948)
(free on YouTube)
State of the Union is a compelling psychological drama adapted from Russel Crouse’s 1945 play of the same name. It stars Spencer Tracy as a potential Republican presidential candidate, motivated (and manipulated) by his scheming girlfriend Angela Lansbury. Katharine Hepburn appears opposite Tracy as his estranged idealist wife.
All the King’s Men (1949)
(free with ads on YouTube)
All the King’s Men tells the story of the rise and fall of a corrupt politician who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal. Based on Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1946 novel, the film portrays a vision of greed and passion that uses film noir tropes. Broderick Crawford leads as tragic gubernatorial hopeful Willie Stark, a character reminiscent of Huey Long, the governor of Louisiana during the time frame of the novel (late 1920s to early ’30s). The film was remade by Steven Zaillian in 2006 starring Sean Penn. Don’t care about elections but love film noir? Check out Cold War’s post on American film noir here.
The Best Man (1964)
(free on YouTube)
Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson star in this film based on a 1960 Gore Vidal play about the two front runners in a presidential primary. The story plays out at a fictional Democratic national convention. Fonda is standing in for twice-defeated Adlai Stevenson, a figure too noble to muckrake; Robertson is Vidal’s vision of Kennedy as a new breed of hateful, opportunistic fraud. One has integrity, one is ruthless, but both are vying for the former President’s endorsement. Lee Tracy earned his only Academy Award nomination for his supporting role as President Art Hockstader. You can read more about the actual 1960 Democratic primary here.
The Candidate (1972)
(for rent on Amazon, Apple, and YouTube)
In The Candidate, Robert Redford stars as Bill McKay, a candidate for the US Senate from California. The idealistic son of a former California governor, the Democratic party has tapped him to run as a token candidate in a seemingly unwinnable race. Since he has no hope of winning, McKay decides to enter the race just so he can say whatever he wants. His honesty is refreshing, but when he starts winning over the electorate the special interests come in to tweak the candidate’s brand for their own purposes.
Shampoo (1975)
(for rent on Amazon, Apple TV, and YouTube)
On Election Day, 1968, irresponsible hairdresser and ladies’ man George Roundy, played by Warren Beatty, is too busy cutting hair and dealing with his girlfriends and mistress to care much about politics. A large part of the film takes place against the backdrop of a party in Nixon’s honor, but the movie is really more about George (and society writ large) than elections. George is most probably one of those people who didn’t vote but still gets angry about where things ends up.
All the President’s Men (1976)
(for rent on Amazon and Apple)
I know, I know. All the President’s Men is not really an election film. But the story does result in a new president. The film is Alan J. Pakula’s adaptation of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s book about the events that led to the end of the Nixon presidency. In the film, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. If you like this movie, you might also enjoy The Post. It’s more recent, but covers much of the same subject matter.
Post Cold War Releases
Bob Roberts (1992)
(buy DVD on Amazon)
In Bob Roberts, a conservative folk singer turns his hand to politics, using dirty tricks and smear campaigns to gain an advantage over his opponent. Bob is adapted from a character Tim Roberts played in a folk-circle book-burning sketch on Saturday Night Live. He supposedly grew up on a commune and reinvented himself as an insider-trading Wall Street power player. Now a Pennsylvania candidate for US senate, he is a ‘poet’ and a ‘fencing enthusiast’ who picks guitar and croons pro-establishment tunes.
Primary Colors (1998)
(for rent on Amazon, Apple, and YouTube)
The movie Primary Colors is based on a very thinly veiled fictionalized novel version of Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign by columnist Joe Klein. John Travolta plays the womanizing but charming governor and presidential hopeful. Elaine May’s script mixes humor with realpolitik in a witty American road movie that reflects on the destiny of the Boomer generation.
The War Room (1993)
(watch on MAX)
The War Room documents the workings of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and the organization that ran it. The film tracks nine months of the run up to the election, following workers as they forge a new style of campaigning. An intimate portrayal of the nuts and bolts of phone calls and ad making in the context of scandals and affairs, it’s a reminder that Beltway insider James Carville and Clinton communications director George Stephanopoulos were once “young and hungry.”
Wag the Dog (1997)
(for rent on Amazon, Apple, and YouTube)
Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a Presidential sex scandal. Staging a fake conflict in Albania is seen as a way to bolster the incumbent’s numbers. Audiences in 1997 saw similarities to the Bill Clinton’s administration in terms of the Monica Lewinsky scandal/impeachment and the former president’s actions in Kosovo.
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Sources:
View the trailers on the Cold War Studies YouTube Channel.
Want more? Click here for a listing of Films Ranked | 50 Greatest Election Movies of All Times by IMDB.
https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-election-movies-midterms-presidential-campaign-politics-film/wag-the-dog-dustin-hoffman-anne-heche-robert-deniro-1997-2/
https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-american-election-films
Photograph: John Henderson (Flickr)
