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Last modified: 08/20/08
* 1980 Presidential Campaign Ads; Devlin Archive, University of Rhode Island; 1998; 36m. VHS 6238
Compilation of political commercials from the 1980 primary and general U.S. presidential election campaigns.
* 1988 Presidential Campaign Commercials; C-SPAN/ Purdue University Public Affairs Video Archives; 1989; 56m. VHS 2414
Two journalists review presidential television campaign spots and discuss issues surrounding the 1988 television campaigns of both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Selected television spots from the Bush and Dukakis campaigns are shown.
* Presidential Campaign Ads 1992; Dept. of Speech Communication, University of Rhode Island; 1993; 86m. VHS 2510
Collection of 116 political television spots from the U.S. presidential election campaigns from 1992. Includes ads from the primary campaigns and the general election.
* 1994 Campaign Commercials; C-SPAN/Purdue University, Public Affairs Video Archives; 1995; 20m. VHS 4944
Includes Senate, congressional, and gubernatorial commercials from 1994 political campaigns.
* 1996 Presidential Campaign Ads; Devlin Archive, University of Rhode Island; 1996; 120m. VHS 6217
Campaign commercials from the 1996 presidential campaigns of Clinton, Dole and Perot.
* Negative Ad Show Tape; Devlin Archive, University of Rhode Island; 1996; 89m. VHS 6233
Compilation of negative political commercials from the 1952 to 1996 U.S. presidential election campaigns.
* Types of Presidential Ads, 1952-1996; Devlin Archive, University of Rhode Island; 1998; 49m. VHS 6240
Compilation of political commercials from the 1952 to 1996 U.S. presidential election campaigns. Various types of advertisements, such as documentary humorous, testimonial and attack, are covered.
* 1952-1996 Collection of Longer Ads; Devlin Archive, University of Rhode Island; 1996; 149m. VHS 6237
Compilation of longer political commercials from the 1952 to 1996 U.S. presidential election campaigns.
* Debating Our Destiny: 40 Years of Presidential Debates; MacNeil/Lehrer Productions/PBS Video; 2000; 117m. VHS 7376
Footage highlights 40 years of televised presidential debates and post-debate interviews with presidential candidates since 1960.
* Debate Podium Watch; C-SPAN Archives; 2004; 91m. DVD 1358
In the first of three debates between the presidential candidates, President Bush and Senator Kerry answer questions about foreign policy, homeland security, operations in Iraq, efforts to combat terrorism, nuclear weapons proliferation, and which candidate is more qualified to lead the country
* American Blackout; Guerilla News Network / Disinformation Co.; 2006; 86m. VHS 4056
Examines the contemporary tactics used to control our democratic process and silence political dissent. Chronicles the patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 while following the story of African-American Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
* Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?; New Video; 2006; 85m. DVD 4782
When 29-year-old Jeff Smith decides to run for the congressional seat of the retiring Democratic party leader Richard Gephardt, his family and friends think he’s crazy. With no political experience, no name recognition, and no money, how can he possibly hope to defeat Russ Garnahan, the wealthy son of a Missouri political dynasty and the favorite of the political establishment and media?
* Counting on Democracy; Bullfrog Films; 2002; 60m. VHS 9140
Investigates the disenfranchisement of voters in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election.
* Election 2000: The Fleecing of America; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; 2001; 30m. VHS 8194
The sensational 2000 presidential election that made “butterfly ballot” and “chad” household words caused an uproar over the malfunctioning mechanics and the validity of America’s electoral process. What is being done to see that major voting irregularities cease to occur again? David Gergen, adviser to four former presidents; David Leahy, supervisor of elections for Miami-Dade County; and Mark Seibel, managing editor of The Miami Herald, suggest ways to reform America’s voting system.
* Democracy in a Different Voice: with Lani Guinier; Media Education Foundation; 1995; 45m. VHS 4056
Lani Guinier entered the 1993 nomination process for assistant attorney general for civil rights as a respected civil rights attorney and legal scholar. But her nomination was derailed when she was vilified by the right wing, misrepresented in the media, and prevented by the White House from publicly defending her views. Here, Lani Guinier outlines her real views on democracy and voting.
* Florida Fights Back!: Resisting the Stolen Election; National Film Network; 2003; 50m. DVD 2892
Grassroots filmmakers tell you what happened in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, from guerrilla protests to confrontations with politicians to interviews with investigators.
* Hacking Democracy; New Video / HBO / Public Interest Pictures; 2007; 81m. DVD 3394
Takes a nonpartisan, clear-eyed look at the secrecy, cronyism, and incompetence of elections in present-day America as it captures a citizens' movement intent on taking back elections and democracy itself.
* History on Hold; CBS Video; 2000; 45m. VHS 7577
An episode of the television program 48 hours, originally broadcast on November 10, 2000. The closeness of the presidential election in Florida is covered. Many opinions as to the likely outcome are given.
* Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style; Midnight Films; 2004; 90m. VHS 9462
Filmmaker Paul Stekler takes a behind the scenes look at two 2002 elections in Texas, one for state representative and the other for governor.
* The Shame of a City; Dacua Communications; 2006; 93m. DVD 4447
Chronicles the 2003 mayoral race in Philadelphia between Democrat incumbent John F. Street and his challenger, Sam Katz, a Republican.
* Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election; Shout Factory / Public Interest Pictures; 2004; 90m. DVD 1198
The riveting story about the battle for the presidency in Florida and the undermining of democracy in America. What emerges is a disturbing picture of an election marred by suspicious irregularities, electoral injustices, and sinister voter purges in a state governed by the winning candidate's brother. Special features include: the voter purge; media malfeasance; response to a stolen election ; critical perspectives; rise of corporate dominance.
* Voting in America; Swell Cinema; 2004; 71m. DVD 1250
Nine short documentaries about why some people don't vote and how others are trying to change their minds. Contents: A brief history of voting / Francesca Talenti — Still struggling / Johnny Symons — Voting in the district / Charlene Gilbert — Blackfire / Aiyana Elliott — Choose to choose / Christiane Badgley — Texas : majority, minority / Anne Lewis — 17 / Lily Ng and Lee Gardner — Out of the closet, into the booth : the gay vote in America / Tom Shepard — Long division : the next big threat to democracy / Josh Kurz & Chris Metzler.
* Who Counts?: Election Reform in America; Issues TV / PBS Video; 2002; 60m. VHS 9278
This program centers around the presidential election of 2000 and interplays video footage from the post-election day with skits from Darrell Hammond.
* Journeys With George; Purple Monkey Productions / HBO; 2003; 76m. DVD 1196
An unprecedented, all-access pass to candidate George W. Bush in the months before he won the closest and most controversial presidential election in history. The documentary looks at the contradictions and seductions of big-time political reporting.
* Modern Presidential Campaigns; Alliance Video Production / Educational Video Group; 1993; 288m. VHS 5230
Documents the major candidates, crucial issues, and events (conventions, inaugurals, commercials, speeches, debates) of every presidential campaign in the United States from 1920 through 1990. Four videocassettes. Contents: v. I. The modern era begins, 1920-1944 (ca. 49 min.) — v. II. From train to television (79 min.) — v. III. Turbulence, populism & power politics (81 min.) — v. IV. Packaging the candidates: Images & sound bites (80 min.).
* One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern; Street Legal Cinema / First Run Features; 2005; 125m. DVD 2704
Presidential candidate George McGovern ran against Richard Nixon in 1972 and lost, but his bold grassroots campaign energized young Americans to a degree never before seen.
* The War Room; USA Films / Pennebaker Associates, Inc.; 1993; 96m. DVD 1262
Follows the first Clinton presidential campaign, from the New Hampshire primary to the victory party 10 months later. At the center are the two men most responsible for Clinton's victory — James Carville, the campaign manager, and George Stephanopoulos, the communications director.
* Dylan's Run; Squeak Pictures / National Film Network; 2005; 95m. DVD 2924
Originally produced as a documentary film in 2002. The experiences of Dylan Glenn in his quest to become the first African-American Republican from the Deep South to be elected to Congress since the Reconstruction.
* The Shame of a City; Dacua Communications; 2006; 93m. DVD 4447
Chronicles the 2003 mayoral race in Philadelphia between Democrat incumbent John F. Street and his challenger, Sam Katz.
* Street Fight; Bullfrog Films ; 2005; 82m. DVD 2403
Follows the bare-knuckles race for Mayor of Newark, N.J. between 32 year-old Cory Booker and four-term incumbent Sharpe James, the undisputed champion of New Jersey politics. Fought in Newark's neighborhoods and housing projects, the battle pits the young challenger against an old style political machine that uses any means necessary, including harassment and police intimidation, to crush its opponents.
* Mandate: The President and the People; Kunhardt Productions, Ltd.; 2006; 35m. DVD 2793M
From George Washington to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this film examines the relationship between the presidency, mass media, and public opinion.
* Presidential Polls; Purdue University Public Affairs Video Archives; 1988; 30m. VHS 4528
Joe Denneny of KPC Research fields questions on the reliability and validity of presidential preference polls taken during the 1988 primary campaign.
* Running Mate: Gender and Politics in the Editorial Cartoons; E.K. Miller Productions; 1993; 48m. VHS 5050
Analyzes gender imagery in editorial cartoons from the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign, when Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman nominated for Vice-President by a major party. Also includes interviews with Ms. Ferraro and cartoonists Signe Wilkinson, Tom Toles, and M.G. Lord.
* Television and the Presidency; Gruber-Peters Ailes Communications; 1984; 98m. VHS 2567
Actor E.G. Marshall and political analyst Theodore H. White host a study of the impact of television on the way presidential campaigns are conducted. Includes television footage of campaigns from the period of Eisenhower to Reagan.
* The 30-Second President; PBS Video; 1988; 55m. VHS 1767
Discusses the media and presidential elections, specifically advertising approaches to election campaigns and their effect on perceptions of the candidate. Includes ads used by Eisenhower, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon and Reagan.
* Alice Paul: We Were Arrested Of Course; EPH Productions; 1995; 28m. VHS 4573
Set against the backdrop of World War I, this video chronicles the fight for women's suffrage. It centers around the unlikely leadership of Alice Paul, a Quaker. Through the use of archival photos, period music, and dramatic reenactments, the story is told about a group of women suffragists, led by Paul, who picketed the White House in 1917.
* America's Victoria: Remembering Victoria Woodhull; Zoie Films / Women Make Movies; 1995; 57m. VHS 5281
Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to campaign for US President in 1872. America's Victoria is a wonderful chronicle of the life of one of the most important and unrecognized women in US history. Although she was a radical suffragist, she refused to restrict her Presidential campaign to the issue of women's suffrage. Instead, she advocated a single sexual standard for men and women, legalization of prostitution, and reform of marriage. Combines rare archival images, Woodhull’s own words, and illuminating interviews with contemporary feminist Gloria Steinem to present a fascinating portrait of this remarkably brave woman.
* An American Revolution: Women Taking Their Place; Third Wave Television; 1998; 28m. VHS 6056
Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott led a 72 year battle for women's rights and the right to vote. In June of 1997, the statue honoring these three women was raised from the Basement Crypt of the US Capitol to the Rotunda. It had been in the basement for 76 years. This is its story and the story of the three American revolutionaries who take their place in American history.
* First Vote; Delaware Humanities Forum / University of Delaware; 1996; 53m. VHS 5042
Arguments for and against women's suffrage in Delaware are described in words and songs.
* Freedom On My Mind; Clarity Educational Productions; 1994; 110m. VHS 8979
Documentary of the civil rights movement and the events surrounding the Mississippi Voter Registration Project of the early 1960's. Combines archival footage with contemporary interviews.
* Home of the Brave; Bullfrog Films; 2003; 75m. DVD 1801
Documentary on the civil rights activist, Viola Liuzzo, who was murdered in 1965 as she campaigned for black suffrage in Selma, Alabama, and its effect on her family.
* Iron-Jawed Angels; HBO Home Video; 2004; 123m. DVD 4152
The dramatized story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, leaders of the suffragist women who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. They broke from the mainstream women's rights movement to create a more activist wing, daring to push the boundaries to secure women's voting rights in 1920.
* Mississippi and the 15th Amendment; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; 2000; 58m. VHS 7497
A college student, a schoolteacher, and a fellow of the National Science Foundation were all three ruled illiterate by the local circuit clerk and ineligible to vote. Filmed in 1962, this program reveals the double standards and the dangers faced by African-Americans registering to vote in Mississippi. Interviews with local officials, segregationists, lawyers, clergy and citizens on both sides of the color line expose what amounted to a tacit conspiracy to deprive certain people of their constitutional right to stand up and be counted.
* Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony; Florentine Films / PBS Home Video; 1999; 210m. VHS 7197
The dramatic, little-known story of one of the most compelling friendships in American history. Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony were born into a world ruled entirely by men. By the time their lives were over, they had changed for the better the lives of a majority of American citizens. Their personal relationship was often turbulent but they never wavered in their shared belief that equality was the birthright of every woman, and for more than half a century led the fight to make that dream a reality.
* The Perfect 36; Hungry Ear Productions; 1995; 60m. VHS 4672
A musical documentary of the final battle to win voting rights for American women performed at the Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, Tennessee.
* 75th Anniversary, 1920-1995: Delaware Celebrates a Woman's Right to Vote; DuPont Visual Communications; 1995; 17m. VHS 4605
Historians, the descendents of suffragettes, and female politicians from Delaware discuss the lives and experiences of some of Delaware's suffragettes and the suffragette movement.
* Sisters of Selma; PBS; 2006; 60m. DVD 3490
A look back at 1965 and the unsung soldiers of the voting rights marches. Catholic nuns from across the country answered Martin Luther King's call to join the protests in Selma, Alabama. Examine their story and how the experience changed them forever.
* One Vote; Iris Films; 2004; 6m. DVD 1268
Interviews with American women about their voting habits and why women, particularly single women, should vote.
* Running in High Heels; 52 Women Films; 2005; 90 & 50 min. DVD 3673
Documentary explores various aspects of women, politics, feminism, fashion and tradition. The story follows the political campaign of Emily, an engaging but untried 29 year-old woman, as it poses the question: Should women vote for women, regardless of politics? Interwoven through Emily’s story is a chorus of powerful women from the left and right of American politics, from conservative old-timer Phyllis Schlafly to Rosalind Wiseman.
* All the President's Men; Warner Bros.; 1976; 138m. DVD 2590
True story of the Watergate break-in that led to the political scandal of the decade.
* The Best Man; MGM/UA Home Video; 1964; 103m. VHS 7360
Story of two candidates for their party’s presidential nomination. One is an intellectual with a sense of morality, the other an opportunist who would win at all costs. The deciding factor is the endorsement of the out-going president who thrives on political in-fighting and deplores indecision.
* Bobby; The Weinstein Company / Bold Films; 2007; 120m. DVD 3462
Film about the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. We see Kennedy’s acceptance speech after winning the California Democratic presidential primary, his death at the hands of gunman Sirhan Sirhan, and the chaos and despair that ensued. Centers around 22 people who were guests, staff, campaign workers, and reporters who were at the Ambassador Hotel on that June day.
* Bob Roberts; Artisan Entertainment / Paramount Pictures & Miramax Films; 2000; 102m. DVD 2266
A satirical comedy in which a radical folksinger turned senatorial candidate blends singing, music videos and scandal on the campaign trail.
* Bulworth; Twentieth Century Fox; 1998; 108m. DVD 2265
Believing his career is over, Senator Jay Bulworth takes out an enormous insurance policy and a contract on his own life. His impending death fills him with an outrageous desire to break the rules and tell it like it is.
* The Candidate; Warner Home Video; 1972 ; 110m. DVD 4647
An outspoken, idealistic young California lawyer is persuaded to run for the Senate, and finds himself up against a political machine.
* Election; MTV Films / Paramount Pictures; 1999; 103m. DVD 2212
Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a straight-A go-getter, is determined to be president of Carver High's student body. Popular teacher Jim McAllister decides to derail Tracy's obsessive overachieving by recruiting an opposition candidate.
* The Manchurian Candidate; MGM Home Entertainment; 1962; 129m. DVD 377
A U.S. Army platoon, captured in the Korean conflict, is whisked to Manchuria for three nightmarish days of experimental drug-and-hypnosis- induced conditioning that transforms the men into human time bombs. Returned to the United States as war heroes, one of them is used by his mother to promote her Joseph McCarthy-like husband's political career.
* Silver City; Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment; 2004; 129m. DVD 4732
Grammatically challenged, “user friendly” gubernatorial candidate Dicky Pilager has just launched a rosy campaign for the citizens of the New West. But things take an unexpected turn when the taping of an environmental political ad ends up with Pilager reeling in a corpse. Enter his ferocious campaign manager, Chuck Raven who hires idealistic journalist turned rumpled private detective Danny O’Brien to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family’s enemies. Danny's investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into a complex web of influence and corruption, involving high stakes lobbyists, media conglomerates, environmental plunderers, and undocumented migrant workers.
* State of the Union; MCA Home Video; 1948; 122m. VHS 1241
Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. An idealistic industrialist runs for the presidency and is in for some surprises.
* Wag the Dog; New Line Cinema; 1997; 97m. DVD 1
When the President is caught in a sex scandal less than 2 weeks before the election, “Mr. Fix-it” decides they need a war to distract the public’s attention and he calls on Hollywood’s top producer to create it.
