About this episode

The episode explores the theme of fascism in cinema through the lens of state-sanctioned violent spectacles, featuring discussions on notable films.

As we've gone through this series, many of the topics have been more inspired by the larger atmosphere around the United States during Trump Administration II. This episode, however, had a very specific inspiration in the recent UFC cage fight on President Trump's birthday- and part of his celebrations for America's 250th anniversary. The idea of a UFC fight in front of the White House made me think of films that depict past, and futuristic, examples of state-sanctioned violent spectacle as a way of exerting control over its population. Joining me on the episode is Chris Scalzo of The First Run podcast as we look at Norman Jewison's "Rollerball" , Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" and Gary Ross's " The Hunger Games" . I hope you enjoy! You can read my blog outlining my thoughts after the 2024 election here . In July 2025, I wrote about my dive into conspiracy theories here. Fascism in Cinema Series Episode 162 - Resistance to Fascism in Cinema Episode 166 - Fascism in Cinema: Copaganda Episode 170 - Fascism in Cinema: Bad Faith Episode 175 - Fascism in Cinema: The Fourth Estate Episode 176 - Fascism in Cinema: Action Nationalism Episode 183 - Fascism in Cinema: Past Future Present

People in this episode

Host: Brian Skutle

Guest: Chris Scalzo

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Rollerball, Gladiator, The Hunger Games

Places: United States

More episodes of Sonic Cinema Podcast

• "Established Classics" - "Not to Be," "Gaslight" and "Beautiful" · July 13, 2026 · 1h 10m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Sonic Cinema Podcast podcast page.