Making a choice among great works of art is, no doubt, a fool's errand. And yet, this weekend billions of us will turn our eyes to the unofficially anointed top competition for the best films in the world, Hollywood's Academy Awards, better known by their anthropomorphic name: the Oscars. In honor of this weekend's awards event, I decided to take a look through the history of cinema, in search of the best films on world politics. A fool's errand it was, trying to narrow down a long history of moviemaking into just a dozen great movies. But I persevered. The best works tell stories of human beings, almost subliminally revealing the politics that drive the narrative. They show how individuals shape history, and how history dominates the lives of all people, large and small.
Ahead of the Oscars, a Dozen Great Films About World Politics
