TCM (turnerclassicmovies.com) gears up for the election with a festival of 32 films featuring political ideology from the left and the right on Wednesdays and Thursdays in October. Films representing conservative ideology, chosen by National Review contributing film writer Spencer Warren, will air each Wednesday night beginning October 4, and films featuring a leftist point-of-view will be introduced by Stuart Klawans, film critic for The Nation, each Thursday night, beginning October 5. In addition, the TCM Web Site will feature the writer’s viewpoints in a special ideology in film section.

Taking turns co-hosting the festival with network host Robert Osborne, the noted political and film journalists will examine movies that use entertainment to further a political agenda and influence the public’s perception, as well as films that simply reflect the cultural values of their time. Warren and Klawans will share both obvious and obscure reasons why these films fit their respective philosophies.

The movies with conservative themes selected by Warren focus on issues including God and country; tradition and family; freedom and resistance to tyranny; individual achievement; and the American dream. Highlights of Warren’s schedule include SERGEANT YORK (1941, October 4, 8 p.m.), a film about both personal redemption and an unlikely hero defending America, and THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949, October 4, 12:30 a.m.), chosen for its eloquent statement for the individual over the collective. The following week, LITTLE WOMEN (1933, Oct. 11, 8 p.m.) is Warren’s choice to represent the celebration of family life and values, while THE SONG OF BERNADETTE (1943, Oct. 11, 1:30 a.m.) is a classic example of a film that celebrates the importance of religion and faith. AN AMERICAN ROMANCE (1944, October 18, 8 p.m.) depicts the immigrant hero who realizes the American dream. On October 25 at 8 p.m., CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937) depicts the importance of children learning virtue.

On the other hand, Klawans shares movies that represent ideals of the left and feature themes that challenge traditional thinking; question big business, the establishment and American involvement abroad; and are concerned with the outlook for the common man. Klawans’ picks include the cold war classic DR. STRANGELOVE (1963, October 5, 8 p.m.) and POINT OF ORDER (1964, October 5, 10 p.m.). On October 12, he presents THE BICYCLE THIEF (1948, October 12, 8 p.m.) and two movies about the working poor—HARLAN COUNTY, U.S.A. (1976, October 12, 12 a.m.) and HOOP DREAMS (1994, October 12, 2 a.m.), a documentary about would-be basketball stars in Chicago’s inner-city that demonstrates the perseverance, energy and ambition of people living in poor circumstances. The following Thursday, Klawans selects a movie about the horrors of the prison system, I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932, October 19, 8 p.m.) and the powerful anti-war movie GRAND ILLUSION (1937, October 19, 10 p.m.), as well as MISSING (1982, October 19, 2:15 a.m.), featuring a young American who gets involved in the overthrow of a democratically elected government. Klawans continues his line-up of left-leaning movies on October 26 at 10 p.m. with the Orson Welles masterpiece CITIZEN KANE (1941), a satirical study of a powerful right-wing publisher.

An attorney, Warren is president of The Insiders’ Washington Experience, a non-profit public policy seminar program, and is also the author of numerous articles on public affairs and history. He is currently working on a book and two articles on movies and culture for The Weekly Standard. He wrote “The 100 Best Conservative Movies in 1994” and “Your 100 Favorite Conservative Movies in 1996,” both published as cover stories for the National Review.

Klawans is film critic for The Nation, the author of Film Follies: The Cinema Out of Order and a freelance film writer for several publications, including The New York Times, Newsweek, Film Comment, Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice. He was a member of the selection committee for The New York Film Festival from 1992-1995 and has curated of many exhibits pertaining to film and culture.