FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Elia Kazan - A Face In The crowd 

There's always a film that predicted the political future - but it seems that A Face In The Crowd, directed by Elia Kazan in 1950, knew the future to this day. At the centre is philosopher Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, who first fools a film producer, then the makers of a TV show, the advertising industry and finally an entire country. Of course, he doesn't do it in a fine suit, but recognisably as part of the New York establishment. To preach the tenets of modern conservatism and reach the target audience, smug intellectualism only inhibits. Instead, it helps to tap into the popular sensibility, and that's exactly what Larry does. A hard-drinking misogynist, he's a radio host who tells smug Southern stories about home-cooked meals and eccentric relatives. So he rises through the ranks, ends up in television and uses his influence for political ends. Larry follows no script and his supposed authenticity ensures him a loyal audience. First and foremost is a personal vendetta against the local sheriff who previously put him in jail for drunkenness. As his influence grows, he serves a senator as a kingmaker. Of course, the senator's image must be corrected first.... Under Larry's direction, the senator becomes a down-to-earth guy you go hunting with. And whom you can invite to your own talk show to make a presidential candidacy palatable to him. It is now time to attack the social security system. Larry and HIS candidate wear two faces. One for the public: it serves to implore voters to vote against their own interests. This not only seems timelessly American; it can already be found in Europe and Germany. A very essential feature of any such campaign is blatant racism. An issue that is guaranteed to appeal to a certain proportion of male voters. The very section that feels marginalised by the demographics of the nation. It is the ugliest part of such strategies as Larry's that they must inevitably turn to violence. A film like this by Elia Kazan focuses primarily on Larry's personality, his flamboyance, less on the milieu and machinery that created him. We follow this vulgar, rough guy as he spreads lies with relish. We know we are dealing with a fraud, but we react as if hypnotised by his attraction. Television is his department, here he builds himself up in front of us, pushing all others to the side. But finally, r begins to bore us. That is the moment when we begin to think about ourselves and our reality again.