Radio Stockdale

This 1984 BBC television film, set in England during and after a major global nuclear war, asks us to consider the likelihood of a near total breakdown of governance, public order, morality and civilization in such a circumstance. How does the film portray the social impact of an extended nuclear winter? How and why does the film portray the breakdown by having the second-generation characters speaking a degraded, almost childish form of the English language? The bleak nature of the film was deeply shocking to British audiences of the time. How does it reflect Cold War realities of the 1980s? How does it compare to the prospects of nuclear war in the present day? How does the film’s depiction of social breakdown compare to historical episodes of such large-scale warfare involving civilian populations, such as the Blitz and Allied bombing of Germany and Japan at the end of WWII? Why did those populations not dissolve into a Hobbesian ‘war of all against all’ when under this extreme emergency? Is the film too alarmist in portraying an utter breakdown of compassion and morality? Does that alarmism serve a purpose? How does the film contrast with points made by Sebastian Junger, in his book Tribes, regarding how human populations band together in times of extreme duress?

What does this groundbreaking 1920 German expressionist film tell us about political movements and environments like that which was prevalent in Post World War I Germany? What commentary does it provide about the rise of charismatic, messianic and utopian movements on the left and right? What aspects of the German body politic do Cesare and Dr. Caligari represent? How does the film portray bureaucratic powers and cynicism about them? How does it portray police forces? How does the film portray the psychosis of the main character, Francis? What does it tell us about delusion, and what lessons can we take away from it with regard to the fact that we necessarily come at our lives from a subjective perspective imposing interpretations on things we experience?

What does this film, which tells the story of Anna a so called ‘savior child,’ conceived expressly for the purpose of saving her older sister’s life via stem cell and organ donations, tell us about the conflicted nature of parental obligations in such situations? How does it illustrate Kantian strictures against using people merely as means? How does the case of Kate and Anna compare with historically significant cases such as that of Terry Schiavo and Ramon Sampedro? What roles do such stories play in the world of young adult literature, and introducing teens to difficult ethical issues? Do such works of fiction cross moral lines in capitalizing on such situations?

What does this 1956 film tell us about the treatment of POWs during the Korean War by Chinese and North Koreans? What does it tell us about the effectiveness of isolation as contrasted with torture in attempts to force POWs into collaborating by making propaganda or soliciting fellow POWs to aid the enemy or make confessions? How do Captain Hall’s actions while in captivity support the charge of treason? Do any actions of his militate against this judgment? How does the film illustrate the conditions and actions that led to the formulation and promulgation of the American Fighting Man’s Code of Conduct? How does the film lead us to consider the importance of precedence in sentencing cases of collaboration? What is the point of the contrast between Captains Hall and Miller, with regard to how they responded to mistreatment and torture? What does the conversation between them tell us about guilt, ‘breaking’ and choice?

What does this latest (2022) iteration of the Batman franchise tell us about the dangers of cynicism in people whose profession it is to protect and serve? How does the film force the question of cynicism or retreat from duty or moral obligation in light of the apparently irredeemable nature of Gotham City? Do Catwoman and Batman represent two different answers to that question? How do Gordon and Alfred force Bruce Wayne to consider it? How does the Riddler’s movement resemble radical underground movements on the right and left in modern America? How does the film reflect activities of such groups in the dark web? How does the contrast between Batman and the Riddler illustrate the difference between vengeance and justice? How does the film differ from other films in its portrayal of Bruce Wayne as a brooding hermit, and why does it make the choice to present him in this fashion?

What does this 1969 film based upon Joseph Kessel's 1943 novel of the same name, tell us about the moral stresses involved in being operatives in the French Resistance during Nazi occupation? How does it illustrate the psychological, emotional and moral costs involved in making mortal choices in service of protecting that resistance effort? How does the film use the fate of resistance leader Mathilde to illustrate the utilitarian strategic decisions that had to be made when members were arrested and coerced for information? How does it illustrate the moral harm involved in killing human beings ‘up close’? How did the contemporary political climate in late 60s France influence the reception of this film? Did the film lionize Charles De-Gaulle as some critics maintained?

What does this 1981 German film, set in autumn 1941 during the period of most success for the German U-boats in the Atlantic, tell us about the leadership abilities of the ship’s captain, life in the submarine services during that war, and the rigors of that life? How does the Captain deal with the crew’s behavior before deployment, and why does he take the approach he does? How and why does the film contrast the anxious tedium and utter boredom over long periods of the deployment with the intense terror and action of the periods of combat? How does the film portray the thoughts of the German crew regarding their own Nazi government and their British foe? How does it portray the relative importance of ideology and camaraderie as motivators in the crew? How is the film reflective of Germany’s attitude toward its past, and efforts toward moral reparation?

What does this 1949 film, set in post-WWII Vienna, tell us about the black market in post war Europe? How does the story of Anna’s plight reflect the fate of citizens of East European countries occupied by Soviet forces? Why does Anna persist in her loyalty to black marketer Harry Lime even after being informed that his activities caused children who had contracted Meningitis to die after being given diluted penicillin? Why does Harry's old friend Holly Martins vacillate in that regard, even after having seen the harm first hand? Is it loyalty to Harry, or compassion for Anna? How does the charisma of the sociopathic Harry account for this moral blindness on the part of these two main characters? How does this movie cause us to consider the connection between physical, psychological or emotional distance and the capacity for inhuman behavior? Is it a cautionary tale for all of us?

What does this 1998 Japanese film, set in a way-station between life on Earth and an afterlife, intend to tell us about the connection between personal identity and memory? The recently deceased are assigned a sort of social worker who, over the course of one week, helps them pick one memory from their lives that they will recreate as a short film, and which they will carry into the afterlife as their only memory. Some of the characters in the film are unable to choose a single such memory, or do not want to do so, because they will also forget everything else about their lives. Is this a reasonable response to the program? Do they have a legitimate concern that they would be losing their identities, dying in a way, at the onset of the almost perfect amnesia? How does the film relate to other films, like Blade Runner, Nine Days, Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait, which also play with the connection between memory and personal identity, or work with the notion of souls being selected for embodiment in particular individual humans in particular circumstances, while having particular capacities? How does this genre of film present us with variations on political philosopher John Rawls’ “original position” thought experiment? Would that thought experiment serve as the basis of an engaging film itself?

What does this 2021 film based on Jim Dent’s book of the same title, tell us about the life changing influence of Coach Rusty Russell on the boys in Forth Worth’s Masonic Home and School during the Depression? How does the film contrast his coaching philosophy with others? How does the film use the story of eventual NFL standout Hardy Brown to illustrate Coach Russell’s impact on their lives? Did Coach Russell and Doc save him from a violent and possibly criminal life? How does the film illustrate the nature of camaraderie in teams, how it developed within this team, and between the team and coaches? How does it portray Coach Russell’s creativity in coaching the undersized Mites? Does the telescoping of Russell’s 14 year career into one year detract from the film’s plausibility and appeal?

What does this 2013 film, taking place during a drive, involving the driver in a series of phone calls as he attempts to oversee a very important project while dealing with a personal crisis brought on by his own infidelity, tell us about Ivan Locke’s moral character? Did Ivan make the correct choice in leaving the major project, a concrete pour in order to be present for Bethan during birthing of his child? What can we say about his efforts to satisfy moral obligations toward both and his determination to tell his wife the truth? Did he make the right choice to not personally attend and manage the pour? What does this film teach us about making our best efforts toward being cognizant of the potential for unwanted ramifications in our behaviors? Why did Ivan Locke give inadequate consideration to the possible professional and personal ramifications of the one night stand? Does Ivan Locke redeem his moral integrity by the end of the film, and if so, to what degree?

This groundbreaking 1994 documentary a ‘longitudinal’ documentary following two young men through four years of high school after being recruited to play basketball for a prominent private school in the Chicago area, tell us about the transactional nature of recruitment for athletics at prestige institutions? How is the high school recruiting experience similar to the college experience? What does the film tell us about the way the involved parties negotiate and navigate this transactional relationship during a school career? Are the players, their families, the schools, their donors and boosters all on a level morally speaking? Are all of them using each other in ways that are acceptable or not? Is there a disparity of power in the relationships?

How does this 2012 film, the last in the Chris Nolan Batman Trilogy, reflect contemporary concerns with national security measures such as the Patriot Act? How does nemesis Bane’s takeover of Gotham City reflect revolutionary rhetoric and its rationalization of violence and injustice? How does it mirror the rhetoric that appeared in the French Revolution and other periods of history? How does it force audiences to consider similar rhetoric behind the contemporaneous “Occupy Wall Street” movements of the time? How is it that the film garnered controversy at both ends of the political spectrum? How does the film’s treatment of Batman’s ultimate fate explore the notion of founding myths and their connections with the maintenance of civil order? How does this mythology function in Gotham with regard to Harvey Dent, and now, Batman?

What does this film, set during the Roman conquest of Britain, tell us about the effects of reciprocal barbarity between the Roman and British tribal kingdoms during wartime? How does the story of Etain, the Pict scout illustrate? How does the film attempt to fill in the historical blank with regard to the “Lost Ninth Legion” of Rome? How does the film fare in its portrayal of small unit dynamics in its development of the story of the small group of Roman soldiers lost behind enemy lines? How does it illustrate, in the fate of the character Marcos, the great risks taken by those that break trust in such situations? Why does the film largely pass on exploring the question of the tradeoff between the civilizing influence of empire and the often cruel means of forming or maintaining empire? Does this question of ‘civilizational warts’ explain the ongoing fascination American and British film-makers have with telling stories set during the Roman period?

What does this 1991 Frank Oz comedy tell us about neuroses, narcissism and careerism? How are the personalities of the two main characters, Bob Wiley and Dr. Leo Marvin similar? How does the film show us the impacts of Marvin’s narcissism and careerism on his family relations? How does Bob’s taking on of a father’s role with the two kids, Sigmund and Anna, show Marvin’s lack in this regard? How does the film contrast the narcissism of the two characters as they battle? How do Bob’s manipulations of others reflect Leo’s manipulations? Does the film serve as a commentary on the faddish nature of psychotherapeutic trends in American pop-culture? What advice can we garner from the film, not only for would-be patients, but for therapists? How does the dissolution of Leo illustrate Stoic doctrine with regard to getting clear about what is and is not under our ultimate control? How does Leo’s luck in life lead him to think he has much more control than he does? How does Bob function in teaching him in that lesson? How does the ‘baby-steps’ philosophy, advocated by Marvin in his best-selling book, reflect good common sense?