First Cousins

Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" and "Air Force One" with Harrison Ford have a lot more in common than you may think. According to director Michael Haneke in a NYT profile, both have "a distinct political agenda [and] a common goal — the total manipulation of the viewer. What’s terrible about the Harrison Ford film, though, especially terrible, is that it represents itself as simple entertainment." Haneke goes on to rip Hollywood-style storytelling, full of sly mind control. His argument, which I pretty much agree with, is that type of filmmaking was mastered by the Nazis, and it became very suspect by European directors. "As a result, film, and especially literature, began to examine itself. " In a nutshell, American films can lull you into becoming a compliant zombie, whereas foreign movies force you to think. (Images via weeklywire.com and 25frames.org)