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Director's Spotlight
Archivist John
Senior Editor
Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1915 Vision of Bert Angeles
In the grand tapestry of cult cinema, The Politicians serves as a bridge between the bold experimentation that has become synonymous with Bert Angeles. Breaking the traditional rules of cult engagement, it highlights the importance of independent voices in United States.
In The Politicians, Bert Angeles pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
| Cinematography | Static |
| Soundtrack | Experimental |
| Editing | Elliptical |
| Art Direction | Expressionist |
Visualizing the convergence of Bert Angeles's style and the core cult narrative.
Fleeing from New York after election frauds McQuire and Olson, strong-arm politicians, are pursued by female detective Ruby Swift. The politicians elude her, purchase an ancient automobile, and arrive in the rural community of Hicktown just in time for the yearly mayoralty election. Ruby trails them and is on the scene when they put their big-city political knowledge to use in stealing the election. The politicians adopt suffrage as their party and defeat one Franklin Bond, the crusty mayor who has become so hard shelled in his small bailiwick that his defeat is easy at their hands. Ruby poses as an adventuress, is enlisted by the politicians to help them "trim" the town and is present when they steal the ballot boxes and win the election, but does not know where they have hidden the ballots. The daughter of the mayor loves the candidate opposing her father and gets him to withdraw, leaving her father a supposedly-easy field. Later when the ballot boxes are stolen, a rival suitor for the mayor's daughter puts the blame on the young candidate who has withdrawn, and he is sent to jail. Ruby, as secretary to the politicians, causes both to fall in love with her, hoping their rivalry will part them and reveal the hidden ballot boxes. Jealous over Ruby, the politicians quarrel, and not even the suffragette Chief of Police can reconcile them. How Ruby takes advantage of the quarrel and brings them to justice is the climax of this five-reel comedy.
Decades after its release, The Politicians remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Bert Angeles's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.