Heaven's Gate (w/ Matthew Donovan)

Rivka and Frank are joined by Matthew Donovan — founder of The Future Left and co-host of the Neoliberal Hell podcast — to discuss Michael Cimino’s epic and controversial 1980 Western Heaven’s Gate. 

The group unpacks the film’s depiction of law enforcement aligning itself with property owners in order to violently eradicate the immigrant underclass. They also discuss the film’s infamous and problematic production, and the dichotomy of the class traitor vs. the class apologist. 

A rough transcript of the episode is available here.

For next week’s movie, MVC will be watching the 1980 comedy classic 9 to 5 with special guest Patricia Resnick, screenwriter of the film. 

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Produced by The Lever | Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

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What is Movies vs. Capitalism [DEAD FEED]?

MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM explores the politics of your favorite films through an anti-capitalist lens. Each episode, hosts Rivka and Frank are joined by a guest for a critical discussion about a film and how it’s obviously a scathing indictment of late-stage capitalism.

MVC examines the crucial intersection between pop culture and politics — unpacking the ideological messages baked into some of your favorite movies.