Death of a Nation is a tough film to review objectively. There is a certain irony in this film. I happen to like Dinesh D'Souza. I also happen to hate criminalizing politics. D'Souza is the closest thing we have in America to a political prisoner (although he has served his time now). It's chilling to me. While D'Souza technically committed a crime, it was a minor campaign financing crime that pales in comparison to the big money that flows through the back corridors of Congress. Dinesh was targeted. And for any American, regardless of your political affiliation, this should be disturbing. The fact that he has the balls to come back after the left after being silenced by them is reassuring.
So let's deal with the hundred pound gorilla first. There is a lot of talk of Hitler in this film. It is in response to the constant attacks on Trump as a "fascist." I abhor modern comparisons to Hitler. It is the epitome of intellectual laziness. It is usually laughable. But D'Souza introduces Hitler in response to the absurd comparisons inevitable in any Trump discussion involving the political left in America. Most people who make that claim have no idea what fascism is. So D'Souza explains it. He does a great job of explaining the historical roots of fascism in Italy and alter with the Na (national) Zi (socialist) party. The Nazis were national socialists. Sound familiar? Yeah...that would be the party of Bernie Sanders and the new darling of the Democrats, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
I have only seen modestly intelligent discussions from critics regarding this film. Most discount it out of hand without directly addressing the content. For those critics who deemed this film mildly boring, I would agree. The film is not nearly as seamless in its thought process as one would expect from an academic like D'Souza. But bells and whistles aside, the content was actually fairly accurate. Of course the left is going to balk. They don't want to be tied to their own past and particularly don't want to be tied to slavery, the KKK, eugenics and other progressive ideals. But they are. Sorry. It's the truth. Plain and simple. D'Souza takes direct aim at the counter-arguments about how "the parties shifted" in the sixties. It is a lie. Or, at least, it is not entirely accurate. When one views progressive and liberal policies, there is always a massive gray area in which to dance around the issues. But look at eugenics. We are still practicing that in America's abortion clinics where abortion is selective and has nothing to do with health. That brand of eugenics is targeted at the lowest classes in America. One day, I am certain conservatives will be blamed for that as well. That is the advantage of controlling the media and academia. You can rewrite history with Orwellian flare and get away with it. But the truth is there for anyone who chooses to fact-check this film. While there will likely be some fodder for the left to cling to, most of the whining is going to be over subjective classifications rather than substantive arguments based on fact.
D'Souza attempts to keep his film interesting by incorporating re-enactments into his thesis. It succeeds in making the film less boring, but there is a concrete academic feel to this film that fails to fully engage the viewer. I am not sure where this film failed me cinematically, but I think it was the totality of it. It was partly the flow of ideas and partly the rough transitions. I liked the dramatized portions, but the film could have been a bit cleaner with better editing and a smoother transition between ideas. Having said that, D'Souza lays out his arguments convincingly. It is driving the left insane. I have to laugh at the "critics" I have read who are so obviously biased by their own political perspective that they refuse to even acknowledge or attempt to debate what it is they disagree with. They simply resort to ultimatums and generalizations about those who might like this film, using pejorative terms to describe anyone who might actually like this film. Count me in that category. This film is imperfect, but it offers plenty of food for thought. Much of it historic fact. Because D'Souza spins history his direction, he must be a lunatic, right? When you aren't capable of dissent or honest debate, you are probably a fascist. Let that sink in. Antifa? Fascist. Those who silence conservative voices? Fascist. Trump? Nationalist. Not a fascist. Sorry. Worth watching regardless of your political bent. But not exceptional. 7/10.
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A completely non-spoiler review, when spoilers were needed. LOL
I haven't read or watched D'Souza other stuff. It would be great if we could get someone like Brad Bird (a closet conservative) to take on these projects and make them entertaining. The original The Incredibles was a perfect movie, in my opinion and didn't even require a loved one to die, as Disney is so apt at doing. The Incredibles 2 had SJW crap pushed into it, but Bird still managed to keep control of his message.
It would be also nice, if some of these wealthy conservatives or even libertarians would bankroll some movies in order to make them high enough quality and distribution for mass consumption.
Agreed. The Atlas Shrugged films were tepid but could have been awesome. I have seen some awesome Christian films like Risen, so it can be done.