{"id":7074772,"date":"2026-10-03T20:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T20:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074772"},"modified":"2026-10-03T20:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T20:31:16","slug":"americanstudies-january-9-2026-2026-anniversaries-on-screen-in-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074772","title":{"rendered":"AmericanStudies: January 9, 2026: 2026 Anniversaries: On Screen in 1976"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

[The start
\nof a new year means my annual series on historic anniversaries. Leading up to a
\nweekend post on some of what I\u2019m planning for my Spring semester sabbatical!]<\/p>\n

Five films
\nthat reflect the complexities and contradictions of America in its Bicentennial
\nyear. <\/span><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Rocky<\/a><\/span><\/i>: That\u2019s
\nthe one post where I\u2019ve written about Rocky<\/i> at any length, and what I
\ndidn\u2019t note there is that its heroic underdog hero is a white boxer fighting on
\nthe 4th<\/sup> of July against a Black champion who is wearing American
\nflag shorts. All in a movie that came out during the Bicentennial. I really
\nlove the first Rocky<\/i>, but I have to admit that I love even more that the
\nseries eventually evolved to feature Apollo Creed\u2019s son in a
\nseries of films<\/a> that lean into race in America in far more thoughtful ways.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>All
\nthe President\u2019s Men<\/a><\/span><\/i>: I said most of what I\u2019d want to say about
\nAlan Pakula\u2019s political and journalistic thriller in that hyperlinked post. But
\nI really do love that a film celebrating the role that journalists can and
\nshould play in speaking truth to power came out during the nation\u2019s Bicentennial.
\nLet\u2019s just say we need it even more during our 250th<\/sup>. <\/span><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Network<\/a><\/span><\/i>: I haven\u2019t
\npreviously had the chance to write about the remaining three films in this post,
\nand these will just be quick hits on subjects that could be the focus of full
\nposts. Network<\/i> certainly makes for a compelling contrast with and thus
\ncomplement to President\u2019s Men<\/i>, as it reminds us that even the most
\ninvestigative and activist journalists usually work for corporations that have,
\nlet\u2019s say, distinct motivations of their own. One more reason why we should all
\nbe mad as hell<\/a>, again
\nin 2026 even more so. <\/span><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Buffalo
\nBill and the Indians, <\/span>or Sitting Bull\u2019s
\nHistory Lesson<\/a><\/span><\/i>: Robert Altman\u2019s revisionist Western (well,
\none of them, alongside 1971\u2019s McCabe & Mrs. Miller<\/i>) is a mixed bag,
\nas many
\nof his films<\/a> are for this AmericanStudier. But I can\u2019t lie, releasing this
\nparticular film during the 100th<\/sup> anniversary of the Battle of Little
\nBig Horn, which itself had been such a complex and crucial part of the
\nnation\u2019s Centennial in 1876<\/a>, was purely and potently a stroke of goddamn genius.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>The
\nBingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings<\/a><\/span><\/i>: I\u2019ll say
\nagain that I love the first Rocky<\/i> film\u2014but it\u2019s still more than a little
\ntelling that the 1976 sports film about an underdog white athlete became a
\nbeloved Oscar-winning eternal favorite, while the 1976 sports film about a
\ngroup of underdog Black athletes (based on very real historical and cultural
\ncontexts no less) has been largely forgotten. Bingo Long<\/i> isn\u2019t a perfect
\nfilm, but it\u2019s a hugely entertaining sports movie, featuring a phenomenal cast<\/a>
\n(including the late great James Earl Jones), and still the best cultural representation
\nof the Negro Leagues I\u2019ve ever seen. If you see one 1976 film during this 50th<\/sup>
\nanniversary year, make it this one! <\/span><\/p>\n

Special
\npost this weekend,<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben<\/span><\/p>\n

PS. What
\ndo you think? <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[The start of a new year means my annual series on historic anniversaries. 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