Poliwood

“A little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.” Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, January 30, 1787. One documentary film serves to highlight Tinsel town’s liberal artists and celebrities as they exercise their political voice and power. Poliwood, directed by Barry Levinson, criss-crosses America during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Levinson’s Poliwood ambitiously interweaves several issues that he sees as important in Hollywood: How television has changed the nature of politics, the development of politicians as “actors” in shaping public opinion, and the increasing political polarization of America.

Poliwood serves to expose the hypersensitivity of today’s liberal Hollywood creative community – which is understandable – given their experiences at the hands of conservative Hollywood during the Communist Inquistion of the 1950s. If the shift sometimes appears unfair, it may depend on who’s looking through the lens of history.