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Libertarian Movies, Films & Documentaries

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James Stewart: Libertarian Film Hero

May 20, 2025

James Stewart — born May 20, 1908 — made many films over his long acting career. Included among these are seven films of interest to libertarians, likely the record to date for any individual actor, and a record not just in quantity but in depth of libertarian content: two of his films are ranked among the Top 25 Libertarian Films ever made. His films touch upon multiple libertarian themes, from government corruption, to social tolerance, to the importance of a free press, to gun rights, to opposition to the draft.

Stewart’s first libertarian film was Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a now-classic from Hollywood’s Golden Age about an ordinary American appointed to the Senate who is nearly destroyed by a corrupt political machine. Think all hope for liberty is lost? Need some inspiration? This is the film to watch. This hero’s quixotic battle of one against the ill-informed many is an image with which many libertarians will identify. It’s a powerful film, which at its first opening was the subject of considerable controversy. When the Washington Press Club sponsored the film’s debut, inviting four thousand politicians, politicos, and other guests, the premiere backfired. Some of the guests were offended by the film’s criticism of Washington, arguing that it would hurt the country’s morale. Columbia Pictures was subsequently offered several million dollars to shelve the film but released it anyway.

A year later, in 1940, Stewart starred in The Mortal Storm, which follows the rise of National Socialism in prewar Germany as it divides family and friends, each choosing sides according to personal convictions. This is one of the first films to portray Nazism critically; up to this point, Hollywood had taken a neutral position or even a sometimes sympathetic attitude toward fascism. What makes The Mortal Storm particularly noteworthy is its dramatization of the social domino effect that takes place once authoritarian rule reaches a certain critical mass, as ordinary people align themselves with even the most malignant power for fear of incurring its wrath. In such an environment, tolerance and the truth are the first casualties. When this film was released in 1940, Hitler was so offended by it that he banned it in all territories occupied by Germany, rather a lot of territory at the time.

In 1948, James Stewart starred in Call Northside 777, based on a true story about a heroic reporter who cleared an erroneously convicted man. It’s a heartwarming tribute to a free press and a reminder of its importance as a check on government, as the reporter must lock horns with the justice system to free the man the courts unjustly put behind bars. Call Northside 777 is something of a film noir. Direction is at times inspired, particularly with regard to its use of cinematography that makes the most of its early docudrama style.

This was followed in 1950 with Harvey, about an eccentric man who believes he is constantly accompanied by a giant rabbit, which of course no one else can see. So his sister attempts to have him institutionalized. The theme here is social tolerance, and it’s expressed through one of the most charming comedies of confusion ever filmed. James Stewart plays his leading role to the hilt and is supported by many wonderful performances in smaller roles, including that of Josephine Hull, who spends the entire film in near hysterics to great comic effect. This is a well written story full of good will and humor that implicitly defends the freedom of eccentrics to be eccentric.

James Stewart had a lifelong interest in aircraft, and volunteered for the Air Force in WWII, serving heroically, taking great risks in missions over heavily-defended Axis territory. In No Highway in the Sky, he played an eccentric engineer who reveals a fatal flaw in the design of a commercial airliner. Unlike today’s shallow and unlikely portrayals of evil businessmen forever in conflict with creative genius, in this film all involved in the manufacturing process are of good will, but with conflicting perspectives derived from their different areas of knowledge. This is a good example of the creator-as-hero theme. It’s also a very enjoyable film, a drama with a light comedic touch and a positive view of the human character.

In 1952, Stewart played the lead in Carbine Williams, a biopic about Marsh “Carbine” Williams, the ingenious self-made inventor who ultimately earned seventy patents for weapons design, including one for the M-1 Carbine. This light, short-barreled rifle, adopted by the U.S. in World War II for troops previously armed with pistols, saved the lives of countless GIs. Marsh was also a strong-willed man who believed deeply in his own freedom, so much so that he openly defied Prohibition and its enforcers and was incarcerated as a result. It was while in prison that he developed some of his most important inventions. Stewart is ideal in his portrayal of Williams, projecting a character of great determination and toughness through subtleties of expression, speech, and even posture. It’s a satisfying film that Second Amendment fans in particular will not want to miss.

In 1965, in the middle of the Vietnam War, James Stewart made an anti-draft film, Shenandoah, about a Virginia farmer who defies both the Confederate and Union armies to steer a neutral course for his family through the American Civil War. The anti-draft and antiwar elements are prominent, very satisfying, and must have struck a chord with many when the film was released. The story is alternately humorous and moving, with a first-rate performance by James Stewart, who steals the show as the cantankerous but caring father, a tough man with a deep love for his wife and children. It was the runner up for “Best Libertarian Picture” at the 1994 First International Libertarian Film Festival.

Stewart was a staunch Republican, with sometimes libertarian instincts. Per Wikipedia, he once had a political argument with arch-leftist Henry Fonda, ending in a fistfight, and he campaigned for libertarianish presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and for Ronald Reagan. His choice in film roles says much about him — no other actor to date has contributed so much to libertarian film. He died in 1997. President Bill Clinton commented at the time that the country had lost a “national treasure … a great actor, a gentleman and a patriot.” He got that right.

Links

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Cambodian Day of Remembrance: Five Films to Honor the Dead

May 20, 2025

Pol Pot and his gang of Khmer Rouge socialist comrades murdered 25% of Cambodian citizens, in total somewhere around two million lives, in the span of just five years (1975-1979). Cambodia declared May 20th to be a day of remembrance to honor these dead.

Pol Pot was taught the wonders of agrarian socialism while attending college in France, and returned home with a determination to build that utopia — whatever the cost. Per Wikipedia, “[The Khmer Rouge] planned to create a form of agrarian socialism founded on the ideals of Stalinism and Maoism. The subsequent policies caused forced relocation of the population from urban centers, torture, mass executions, use of forced labor, malnutrition, and disease.”

The five films below are among the few to touch on this subject. The Killing Fields  (1984) was the first major film to tell of this democide, and for many it was the first they had heard of it. It was followed two years later by the Disney film The Girl Who Spelled Freedom (1986), which told the true story of Linn Yann, a young Cambodian girl who impressed the nation by winning the US spelling bee championship just a few years after her arrival. Much later, two documentaries were made, Enemies of the People (2009) and Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll (2014). In 2017, Angeline Jolie released the documentary, First They Killed My Father.


Enemies of the People

“This is patient, persistent, probing and fearless journalism of the highest order and it shocks to the core. ”
–Time Out

“Enemies of the People is another disquieting testament to the fact that ordinary individuals under extreme pressure will carry out the most monstrous crimes.”
–New York Times


The Girl Who Spelled Freedom

This Disney film tells the true story of Linn Yann, a young girl who escaped the killing fields of Cambodia, immigrated to America, and four years later became the U.S. national spelling bee champion. For a film made 30 years ago, it’s remarkable how popular this film remains; it currently scores a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. More details here.


The Killing Fields

In The Killing Fields, a New York Times correspondent and his Cambodian guide brave the dangers of war and socialist atrocity to report the truth, and to protect each other. This true story was the first many had ever heard of the Cambodian democide. The film was nominated for Best Picture. More details here.

“Himself a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, lucky to have escaped with his life, Ngor subsumes himself in the role in a way that makes one wonder that he made it through filming without losing his mind.”
–Eye for Film

“Few feature films have captured a nation’s agony more dramatically than Roland Joffé’s The Killing Fields.”
–Radio Times


Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll

“A film not just for the musically obsessed, Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten is a poignant and an important reminder that art matters, especially when one is facing the abyss.”
–Austin Chronicle

“This is eye-opening and frequently moving, elevated by sharp editing that imaginatively juxtaposes major events in government and entertainment history.”
–Chicago Reader


First They Killed My Father

Angelina Jolie produced a film for Netflix about the devastating Cambodian democide carried out by the Khmer Rouge (“Red Khmers,” followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea in Cambodia), led by Pol Pot, who dreamed of remaking Cambodia into an agrarian socialist paradise. In the process of “remaking” Cambodia, Pol Pot deliberately massacred a quarter of the Cambodian population. The film will be based on the book by the same name and is available on Netflix.

R. J. Mitchell: Happy Angel Birthday!

May 20, 2025

British aeronautical engineer R. J. Mitchell was born on May 20th, 1895. He is little known today, but as the inventor of the Spitfire fighter plane, he is said to have done more to turn back the Nazi menace than anyone other than Churchill. What makes his story all the more remarkable is that his heroism was largely single-handed and alone, occurring in the mid-1930s before the governments of England and the US were fully awake to the dangers of Nazi Germany.

Alarmed at rapid German rearmament, and without government funding or support, he decided on his own to prepare for German aggression by designing the most deadly fighter plane of his time. However, in the midst of his work, he was diagnosed with cancer before he’d even finished the plans. He nonetheless persevered in completing his remarkable design, literally spending the last cancer-ridden months of his life putting the final touches on his “impregnable wall against the barbarians.” When the Spitfire was finally built, it surpassed even his own expectations for agility and deadliness. It was such an effective fighter, it was the only Allied warplane that was kept in production for the entire duration of the war, and was a key factor in saving the free world from National Socialism. He is celebrated in the film Spitfire.

Tillie Majczek: The Mom Who Toiled 11 Years to Free Son Remembered in Film

May 11, 2025

Tillie Majczek. That’s a name to remember on Mother’s Day. She scrubbed floors for 11 years to raise the money to free her son from a false murder conviction — and succeeded. Her story, and that of the reporter who took up her cause, is told in the 1948 film Call Northside 777. It’s a sweet story and a tribute to a free press.

Friedrich Hayek: Happy Angel Birthday!

May 8, 2025

Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek (aka F. A. Hayek) was born on May 8th, 1899. He was a formidable defender of human liberty and warned early of the dangers of centralized power associated with socialism. Here are six short films to celebrate his birthday.

hayek

May 1: Victims of Communism Day | Ten Films to Honor the Dead

May 1, 2025

Perhaps as many as a hundred million people were victims of communism in the last century, deliberately rounded up, shot, starved, or simply forced to march into snowy wasteland until dead, exterminated by communist regimes.

The most comprehensive statistical source for democide statistics, Death By Government, puts the toll at 106 million. Necrometrics estimates that Stalin and Mao alone killed 60 million. Wikipedia, defining democide more narrowly, puts the toll between 21 million and 70 million. The Museum of iCommunism estimates 100 million murdered. The Black Book of iCommunism estimates 80 to 100 million.

But these are just statistics. As psychologists have pointed out, it’s impossible for the human mind to grasp the magnitude of that level of horror through sheer numbers. Just as Schindler’s List was instrumental in getting the public to come to finally terms with the Holocaust, it is perhaps through film that death toll of communism can best be understood.

Every May 1st for the last several years, Ilya Somin has written an editorial for the Washington Post declaring the “May Day” so beloved by the Left to be renamed “Victims of Communism Day.” I concur, and so, while socialists blissfully celebrate their worker’s paradise this May Day, indifferent to the human cost of their political philosophy, I propose that well-meaning people consider watching a film on the subject, both out of respect for those lost and to be intellectually armed against the ignorance of those still in denial. Here are some recommendations.


Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism

If you don’t know much about the origins and history of socialism, start here — you could hardly do better than this eye-opening and comprehensive documentary. It chronicles socialism’s rise and fall, and tells much of the untold story of how it all began. By the way, did you know that socialism was first tried in Indiana, long before Marx even wrote a word on the subject? You’ll learn about that, and more, in this engaging film. Full review.


China | Mao’s Great Famine

Could 45 million people be murdered — the single greatest man-made holocaust in human history — and yet the event pass nearly unrecorded? Up until this point, yes. But a handful of historians are at last ripping the lid off of both the crime and the cover-up of the Great Leap Forward, the deadliest stage of Mao’s socialist inferno, in five recently-published books (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)…and in the groundbreaking documentary Mao’s Great Famine, the subject of this review. This persuasive film provides a rare glimpse through the razor-wired gates of a “workers’ paradise” in its purest state. Full review.

“Not many survived the famine, and of those who did, few have spoken out. Mao’s Great Famine compiles never before seen footage from the famine with testimonies of [survivors].”
–Patheos


China | Hard to Believe

Forced organ harvesting of political prisoners in China was first exposed in 2006 in a short undercover investigative clip by the BBC (among others), but it wasn’t until recently that this horrifying practice started to get the full attention of filmmakers. In 2014, director Leon Lee released Human Harvest, in which he filmed two Nobel Prize winners soberly and carefully investigating the question of Chinese organ harvesting. Their unhappy conclusion — that China is indeed harvesting live prisoners on a “just in time” basis — gave intellectual gravitas to the human rights campaign to stop this practice. A second documentary, Hard to Believe, was made in 2015 backing them up. It aired on PBS and won numerous awards.

“This documentary is extremely important for those involved in organ donation and transplantation, human rights, healthcare, ethics, and the law…The credentials of the interviewed experts are impeccable.”
–Journal of Bioethical Inquiry


USSR | The Soviet Story

The untold story of Soviet mass murder of an estimated 7 million Ukranians is documented through rare archival photographic footage and interviews with survivors. This holocaust is one of the biggest under-reported crimes of the twentieth century, under-reported because left-leaning intellectuals were uncomfortable with the parallels such genocide obviously implied between the Soviet communism and Nazism. Those parallels get laid out cold here.

“…gripping, audacious and uncompromising.”
–The Economist


USSR | In the Crosswind

“In the Crosswind chronicles a sinister and oft-forgotten chapter in the history of communism: in June, 1941, Soviet forces purged the populations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, executing the men and transporting the women and children to Siberian labor camps.”
–Filmatique

“No topic continues to haunt the Estonian national psyche more than the Soviet deportations. Every family of today was affected, in one way or another, by what Helde calls the ‘Soviet Holocaust.'”
–East European Film Bulletin


USSR | Stalin: Inside the Terror

“This is a BBC2 documentary from 2003 and probably one of the best on Stalin and communism. The archive footage is very good and it draws upon some excellent evidence from close witnesses, including Stalin’s own family.”


North Korea | Yodok Stories: North Korea

“Yodok Stories is a documentary film directed by Polish documentary screenwriter and director Andrzej Fidyk and produced by Torstein Grude. Today, more than 200,000 men, women and children face torture, starvation and murder in North Korea’s concentration camps.”
–Wikipedia


Cuba | Improper Conduct

Cuban refugees detail Castro’s persecution of “undesirables,” particularly gay men. The stories that survivors relate of the labor camps to which they were sent are consistent, shocking, and very credible. This documentary was awarded the Grand Prix at the Twelfth International Human Rights Festival and is one of the very few on this site to earn the highest score in both libertarian content and production quality. Full review.

“The movie’s tone is civilized, but the testimony is as savage as it’s convincing.”
–New York Times


Cambodia | Enemies of the People

“This is patient, persistent, probing and fearless journalism of the highest order and it shocks to the core. ”
–Time Out

“Enemies of the People is another disquieting testament to the fact that ordinary individuals under extreme pressure will carry out the most monstrous crimes.”
–New York Times


East Germany: Youth Shot at Berlin Wall

peter fechterHe was only one person, one 18-year-old who was killed trying to escape communism, but the moment he was killed the Berlin Wall became real because everyone near the wall saw him die. In a poignant record of the tragedy, British Pathe provided this unnarrated, silent 3-minute clip.

“Peter Fechter (14 January 1944 – 17 August 1962) was a German bricklayer from Berlin in what became East Germany in 1945. He was 18 when he became one of the first victims of the Berlin Wall’s East German border guards while trying to cross over to what was then West Berlin.”
–Wikipedia

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This site is a collection of films and documentaries of particular interest to libertarians (and those interested in libertarianism). It began as a book, Miss Liberty’s Guide to Film: Movies for the Libertarian Millennium, where many of the recommended films were first reviewed. The current collection has grown to now more than double the number in that original list, and it’s growing still.

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