Political Rewind: Film Critic A. O. Scott On The Movies That Taught Him About Our Democracy
Thursday on Political Rewind:\xa0As businesses\xa0across the country\xa0begin\xa0to reopen with the lifting of COVID-19 public health restrictions, many Americans are looking forward to returning to their local movie theaters.\n\nGoing to the movies has long been one of\xa0America's favorite\xa0pastimes. 2018 saw 1.3 billion movie theater admissions in North America, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.\xa0That\xa0was\xa0a\xa05.3% gain in admissions over the previous year.\n\nSo it should be no surprise that film plays an influential\xa0role in animating our national mythology, and shaping our perceptions of what is fair, just and good.\n\nAs New York Times chief film critic A.O. Scott writes in his recent piece, \u201cWhat I Learned About Democracy From the Movies,\u201d he received as much of his education about American life from what he saw on the big screen\xa0as he did from teachers and parents.\n\nBut in the past several years, through the 2020 election and its tumultuous aftermath, Scott says he struggled to make sense of the chaos around him.\n\nSo Scott turned to the movies and wrote about seven films he believes reveal something about our nation\u2019s intrinsic\xa0ideals. The list includes "Thelma & Louise," "Sullivan\u2019s Travels," "Dawn of the\xa0Planet of the Apes" and\xa0"A\xa0Face In The Crowd."\n\nScott joined us to discuss those films, and what they tell us about the\xa0values ingrained in popular culture.\n\nPanelists:\n\nA.O. Scott \u2014 Chief Film Critic, The New York Times