The movies that best capture the American spirit
The Austrians gave the world the orchestral symphony, the Italians opera, and the French ballet — just don’t mention that last one to the Russians. Cinema, the youngest of the great narrative arts, was born in several countries at once, though the French have tried to claim this one as well. But the real movies — not that pretentious avant-garde nonsense, but glamorous stars, studios, spectacle, and the Golden Age magic that produced such immortal lines as “Here’s looking at you, kid” — are American.
TL;DR
- American cinema, distinct from avant-garde forms, is defined by glamour, stars, studios, and Golden Age magic.
- "The Searchers" is praised for embodying the American western and celebrating imperfect men who built civilization.
- "One, Two, Three" is lauded as a comic defense of capitalism by contrasting it with communism's absurdity.
- "Three Days of the Condor" represents an important American instinct: skepticism of government power.
- "Top Gun" is described as spectacular American military glamour and a celebration of national bravado.
- "The Incredibles" is seen as a sharp defense of family, individual talent, and anti-bureaucratic freedom.
- "Hail, Caesar!" is an affectionate tribute to Hollywood as an American dream factory, defending its cultural significance.
- "The Death of Stalin" critiques totalitarianism by depicting the Soviet state as a bureaucratic clown show.
- These films collectively remind us that America is a hard-won inheritance of liberty and self-government.