Paranoid Hollywood: American Political Thrillers in the 1970s at HOME

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Book now

Paranoid Hollywood: American Political Thrillers in the 1970s

HOME Manchester, Manchester
2-30 July 2023

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

HOME
Book now

Delving into the murky worlds of spycraft, corruption, surveillance and political intrigue, HOME presents a brand new film season dedicated to American Political Thrillers in the 1970s. Dubbed “Paranoid Hollywood”, the programme, devised by curator Andy Willis, looks at America’s reaction to the Watergate scandal through the prism of the movies of the time.

The films use some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and directors along with the conventions of the thriller genre to engage with the uncertainties and mistrust of the era. They raise questions about what goes on behind closed doors in America’s biggest institutions – while also suggesting new types of hero for a world that suddenly looked greyer than before.

The season opens with two of Alan J. Pakula’s famed “paranoia trilogy”, starting with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Washington Post reporters investigating Watergate in 1976’s All the President’s Men (Sun 2 July). That’s followed by Warren Beatty as another reporter, this time searching for answers following a senator’s assassination in Pakula’s 1974 The Parallax View (Sun 9 July).

Our season highlight is probably Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 Cannes Palme d’Or-winning The Conversation (Sun 23 July). The film stars a never-better Gene Hackman as a paranoid, for-hire surveillance expert who unravels as he begins to suspect the subjects of his latest wiretap will be murdered as a result of his work. Produced between his Godfather movies, director Coppola ratchets the tension to chilling effect.

Lastly, HOME’s Paranoid Hollywood concludes with Redford again starring in Sydney Pollack’s Three Days of the Condor, this time appearing as a quiet CIA researcher, who returns from lunch to find his colleagues murdered. Like the other films on show, Condor trades in uncertainty and institutional disillusionment – qualities still relevant in today’s climate of increasingly visible, state-sponsored digital malfeasance.

What's on at HOME Manchester

SÉANCE at HOME
TheatreManchester
SÉANCE at HOME

Happening at HOME, SÉANCE transforms the interior of a shipping container into a Victorian séance room.

From £13.00
A girl lies down in a field of daisies.
Until
CinemaManchester
The Worlds of Mamoru Hosoda at HOME

This summer, HOME presents a short season of films from celebrated Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda, screening on the big screen in stunning 4K for the first time.

From £4.70

Where to go near Paranoid Hollywood: American Political Thrillers in the 1970s at HOME

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Homeground
Manchester
Event venue
Homeground

Homeground is HOME’s brand new outdoor venue, providing an open-air space for theatre, food, film, music, comedy and more.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally

Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Castlefield
Gallery
Castlefield Gallery

The influential Castlefield Gallery sits at the edge of Manchester’s exciting Castlefield district, an ideal home for thought-provoking contemporary art.

What's on: Cinema

Star Nhà Ease
Until
CinemaManchester
Star Nhà Ease at Cultplex

Following its acclaimed debut in 2024, Star Nhà Ease, the UK’s only curated season celebrating Vietnamese cinema, arrives at Manchester’s Cultplex.

From £7.50

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North.
Theatre in the North

From outdoor shows to drama in the dark, our theatre guide celebrates genre-pushing work, new writing and contemporary performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Two women stand next to an orange car.
Cinema in the North

August brings a huge LGBTQ+ film festival, plus a reggae classic and a spotlight on Japanese animation.

Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
Music in the North

From Lyra Pramuk’s sacred synths to the sugar rush of YAANG, our latest music picks bring ritual, rebellion and ridiculous levels of fun.