Politics affect art? Who knew?

Often, a work of art - painting, novel, film - comes about as a either an overt or a less direct response to a political climate or crisis. If that artwork is then observed at a later time by someone who is ignorant of the original context, much of the meaning of that artwork can be lost.

Instead of being a powerful statement, a Guernica risks becoming a jumble of meaningless images.

The Onion's AV Club - long known for their thoughtful, humorless explorations of media culture - posted an article recently on 11 Films That Responded Well to National Crises, giving a bit of background to these films. Knowing the background to some of the films allows a viewer a much richer understanding of the film, sometimes granting a deeper appreciation of the document.

I can personally recommend #s 5,6,9, and 10 as being outstanding films - though I question just how much of #10 truly was in response to post-9/11 malaise.

My enjoyment of #2 likely would have been improved had I actually considered the context of the film instead of just viewing it through the modern lense of slick, smooth filmmaking.

Remember to think before you watch, folks...

Unless, that is, you're watching Zoolander, in which case you're fully free to shut off your brain.