While the recent election turnout was a credit to democracy, there is no doubt that Americans have been apathetic in years past, forgetting what was sacrificed for the chance to cast a vote and make a decision regarding one's country.
Iron Jawed Angels (HBO Made for TV Movie)
The HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels is an inspiring but also excruciating look at what women were willing to sacrifice and what humiliations they were willing to endure to secure a woman's right to vote even as American stood on the precipice of WWI.
With a stellar cast that includes Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Angelica Houston and Patrick Dempsey, the movie does not flinch away from the brutality that women suffered while in American prisons: They are stripped of clothing and bathed in front of guards, denied food and water, force fed with metal contraptions and denied access to their children as their rebellion was often interpreted as mental instability. And yet, through it all, these women held firm to their goal. As a modern twist, the soundtrack includes power ballads by Lauryn Hill and Sarah McLachlan that perfectly dovetail the struggles and passion of these women.
The tagline for the made-for-TV movie is: "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way."
Democracy never had it so good.
Rome (HBO Series)
The mere mention of the phrase 'Ancient Civilization' sends many an adolescent into a catatonic state. Unless, of course, they've had a chance to see HBO's 'Rome'. Gritty, gruesome and violent, the show reflects its creators' dedication to depicting Rome as it was and not as some romanticized epic where all is white marble columns and neatly pressed togas.
This is Rome on the edge of its own destruction, but also in the midst of one of its most luminous periods. It shows the ancient city during the rise and fall of Caesar and the ramifications of what happens when a superpower becomes too big for its own good.
What is most fascinating about the dramatic series, (which, sadly, was only allotted two seasons due to budget constraints among other things), is that it delves into the role that women played in Roman politics. Although they were second-class citizens, the show unveils how the females, for the most part, moved behind the scenes, playing the role of coquette and tiger, often in the same episode.
Watching this show, it is hard to not think of modern-day politics, especially with news headlines being dominated by the likes of excessive spending, intrigue and rampant unemployment. This is a show that subtly reminds us that the woes of our forefathers are the pebbles we still stumble over today.
And yet, despite the violence and brutality, the show is, at its core, utterly human, reminding us all that, whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, the actions of every individual are dictated by one's conscious.
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