Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Back in November somebody asked about films presenting Marxist ideas. I asked a friend and he has now found the information. ken h The History Book A new look at history from the bottom up by John Hess from Jump Cut, no. 6, 1975, pp. 7-8 copyright Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 1975, 2004 THE HISTORY BOOK (produced by Li Vilstrup and Jannik Hastrup; distributed by Tricontinental Film center) is a nine-part cartoon history of the world from the middle ages to the present. A Marxist history lesson, it shows the key historical developments from the point of view of the people rather than that of the kings, queens, bankers and generals who profited from the others’ hard work. The major dialectical movement from feudalism through mercantilism to capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism is clearly shown and explained. A humorous rat, a constant observer of these developments, narrates much of the history which is acted out by colorful cartoon characters. Paintings, lithographs, maps and, toward the end, still photographs and documentary footage are also used to add color and authenticity to the fast-paced account of our history. We see the development of the following historical developments ·trade in Europe ·the colonization of Africa by Portugal and the rest of Europe ·the titanic struggle between the merchants and the landowners (fought, of course, by peasants and workers) ·the development of the state ·the slave trade and its vicious effects on the slaves and the disastrous effect on Africa ·early industrialization ·the development of finance capital and how this leads inevitably to economic crises (as we well know today) ·the development of socialism, imperialism, the world wars, neo-colonialism, and the third world liberation struggles (in the latter parts, six through nine). Surprisingly, the film was made for the Danish school system by the Danish Government Film Office. It’s hard to imagine U.S. schools using a film which validates a socialist conception of world history. Even liberal ideas about morality and religion draw vicious denunciations in many parts of the country. Although the film will be kept out of most schools, it can and will be used in all kinds of political education—in colleges, unions, community and political groups. The first six or seven parts are particularly good for this use since they present clear, precise analyses of historical developments. At the same time, they give understandable explanations of Marxist concepts such as capitalism, class struggle, imperialism, exploitation, and colonialism. For example, the film clearly shows how urban congestion, the slave trade, and depressions are necessary aspects of capitalism. The film makes it clear why capitalism, even at its best, cannot exist without exploitation of workers, expansion of markets (the cause of imperialism) and periodic crises (depressions). This basic understanding must precede the effective struggle for a better organization of human potential and society. THE HISTORY BOOK has two serious problems which do not, however, invalidate the film. But they should be taken into consideration when the film is screened. First, the film’s intellectual level and thus its possible audience changes drastically from the beginning to the end. The first five or six parts could be used in elementary schools; the last four or five parts could not be so used. In the early parts the filmmakers assume no special knowledge of either history or of the basic historical and economic concepts. They very patiently explain and demonstrate the main points. In the latter parts, perhaps because of the availability of documentary footage, and definitely because of the filmmakers’ own partisan emotional involvement in certain third world struggles, the filmmakers assume much greater knowledge of history and current affairs and begin to speak to the already convinced. The whole film would have been much better, much more coherent and useful, had they resisted the temptation to use documentary footage and the desire to advocate their own particular narrow political interest. In spite of this flaw, all nine parts of THE HISTORY HOOK are interesting, engaging, and very informative. Its use will stimulate valuable discussion within any group and strengthen people’s knowledge of the world’s development. The second problem involves the filmmakers’ advocacy in the later parts of the film of an uncritical third worldism. The position that the third world liberation struggles are the center of, the heart of, the cutting edge of “The
Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * On 11/16/14 4:20 PM, Jeffrey Masko wrote: I've used /The American Ruling Class/ too as a performative documentary mode and it's worked well. Especially when looking at higher education as one of the ways we reproduce class structure in the U.S. One thing I would do differently is to put workers in the foreground. Lewis Lapham just didn't consider the need for putting them ahead of experts, no matter how qualified they were. I'd love to interview a radical subway worker et al. _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Hi, I just saw this and thought I'd put my 2 cents in. Frankly, David Harvey and/or Richard Wolff will bore the hell out of undergrads. I've had great success with films like Injury to One (Wilkerson) and Isle of Flowers (Furtado), which is on YouTube btw as ways to dealing with the subject without alienating them right away. If you want something more direct, Marx Unloaded is pretty good. soli- -jm On Sun, Nov 9, 2014 at 7:18 PM, Glenn Kissack via Marxism marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu wrote: POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Thanks to Ken, Michael and Paul for their very useful suggestions of documentary films. Glenn I think there are a large number of graphic or cartoon presentations of Marxist ideas. I have only seen a few and am not able to recommend one over another. ken h _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/mediacrusher%40gmail.com -- J.A. Masko College of Communications Penn State University State College, Pa 16801 “There are deeper strata of truth in cinema, and there is such a thing as poetic, ecstatic truth. It is mysterious and elusive, and can be reached only through fabrication and imagination and stylization.” -Werner Herzog, “LESSONS OF DARKNESS” _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * I should add that I am kicking around the idea of doing one myself. It would include a scene walking around Wall Street with Doug Henwood asking him to riff on the stock exchange building, answering questions about what a stock represents, etc. I think that lectures over Youtube are boring but they do serve a purpose. My inspiration would be a documentary that Doug already appeared in, one that is online: https://vimeo.com/46181665 _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * I think there are a large number of graphic or cartoon presentations of Marxist ideas. I have only seen a few and am not able to recommend one over another. ken h http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbTIJ9_bLP4 Manifestoon[edit] One of Drew's best known works is Manifestoon, a collage of classic cartoons edited to help illustrate the narration: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' Communist Manifesto. When the clips are re-contextualized, the subversive nature of the trickster character in classic cartoons is presented in a new perspective.[4] The video has been shown at large institutions such as Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and Barcelona Cultural Center and uploaded to web sites like theInternet archive[5] and YouTube.[6] Nicole Brenez, the curator of Cinematheque in France listed Manifestoon as one of the top ten films of the 1990s. [7] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdmxBtAW26o _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Thanks to Ken, Michael and Paul for their very useful suggestions of documentary films. Glenn I think there are a large number of graphic or cartoon presentations of Marxist ideas. I have only seen a few and am not able to recommend one over another. ken h _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Would anyone have an answer to this question I received today from a graduate student in Florida? Thanks, Glenn I hope you are doing well! I am searching for a good documentary film that talks about Karl Marx and Marxism(s). I thought you might know of a good one. It would be for the purposes of talking about the basics of M's theory and also some sort of general history of movements throughout eastern europe or other places, and to be shown to an undergraduate audience. I know of Stuart Hall's 1993 film Karl Marx and Marxism, but I think it has a huge number of problems. Would appreciate any recommendations. _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] documentaries about marx and marxism
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Glen Kissack asked about documentaries re Marxism. Here are some pedagogical videos by Marta Harnecker that are being used for political formation for organising in several Latin American countries and include discussion questions for each subtopic. [She has dubbed these into English as some people found English subtitles a problem.] They aren't exactly what the grad student was looking for but they may be useful for her/him and any others: http://videosmeplaen.wordpress.com/pedagogical-audiovisual/to-understand-capitalism/ http://videosmeplaen.wordpress.com/pedagogical-audiovisual/our-socialism-neither-a-replica-neither-a-copy/ http://videosmeplaen.wordpress.com/pedagogical-audiovisual/instruments-for-doing-politics/ [The text of this one was published on Links.] in solidarity, michael -- - Michael A. Lebowitz Professor Emeritus Economics Department Simon Fraser University University Drive Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6 Home: Phone 604-689-9510 Cell: 604-789-4803 _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Documentaries about Marx and Marxism?
POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Hi Glenn, I'd go with David Harvey's series of video lectures, Reading Marx's Capital. Go here: Reading Marx's Capital with David Harvey Also, Richard Wolff has material on his website: Professor Richard D. Wolff | Economics Professor. Best, Paul Eckstein Reading Marx's Capital with David Harvey Website of David Harvey, Distinguished Professor at The Graduate Center, CUNY View on david... Preview by Yahoo Professor Richard D. Wolff | Economics Professor Published on October 21, 2014VIDEO What is the real value of a dollar? You think that a dollar bill is money and that banks are where your cash is stored and safeguarded. Well, you’re wrong. View on www.rdwolff.com Preview by Yahoo On Saturday, November 8, 2014 5:41 PM, Glenn Kissack via Marxism marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu wrote: POSTING RULES NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Would anyone have an answer to this question I received today from a graduate student in Florida? Thanks, Glenn I hope you are doing well! I am searching for a good documentary film that talks about Karl Marx and Marxism(s). I thought you might know of a good one. It would be for the purposes of talking about the basics of M's theory and also some sort of general history of movements throughout eastern europe or other places, and to be shown to an undergraduate audience. I know of Stuart Hall's 1993 film Karl Marx and Marxism, but I think it has a huge number of problems. Would appreciate any recommendations. _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/pecorn%40yahoo.com _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
