The Leonard Lopate Show

Bill Moyers on Democracy

TV journalist Bill Moyers assesses the health of democracy in America today. His new book is Moyers on Democracy.

• Comments [14]
• Email
• Save

The Man Who Loved China

Bestselling journalist Simon Winchester’s new book, The Man Who Loved China, tells the true story of a Cambridge scientist who fell in love with a Chinese student in the 1930 and went on to devote his life to writing a whopping 17-volume history of China.

Event: Simon Winchester will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, May 6 at 7:30 pm
Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble

• Comments [4]
• Email
• Save

A Jockey's Love for Barbaro

Jockey Edgar Prado was riding Barbaro in the 2006 Preakness when the horse stumbled and shattered a leg; he says that Barbaro was his "friend, teammate, and hero." His new book is My Guy Barbaro. Mr. Prado also rode in this past Saturday’s Kentucky Derby and saw firsthand that race’s tragic end when Eight Belles had to be put down.

Listen to Leonard’s recent interview with the filmmakers of “The First Saturday in May,” a documentary about training horses for the Kentucky Derby

• Comments [1]
• Email
• Save

Political Projections: Remakes

Political films are among the most frequently remade films in Hollywood. We compare the originals and remakes of “All the King’s Men” and “The Manchurian Candidate” to see how each depicts the politics of the time in which it was made.

Philip Gianos of California State University, Fullerton, is the author of Politics and Politicians in American Film. Independent scholar and journalist Gaspar Gonzalez is co-author of What Have They Built You to Do?: The Manchurian Candidate and Cold War America.

The movies we'll discuss are:

“All the King’s Men” (1949) – Robert Rossen directed this classic political film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren, a thinly veiled portrait of Depression-era Louisiana governor Huey Long.

“All the King’s Men” (2006): Steven Zaillian wrote and directed this remake, which remains largely faithful to the original version.

“The Manchurian Candidate” (1962): John Frankenheimer directed this classic political thriller that, when first released, was considered far ahead of its time.

“The Manchurian Candidate” (2004): Jonathan Demme directed this remake, updating its themes and plotlines to address the Bush Administration’s war on terror.

Watch the films, and then weigh in: How do you think the remakes compare to the original versions? How are the films shaped by the politics of the times in which they were made?

• Comments [1]
• Email
• Save