LEAD 200 Dimensions for Ethical Leadership: Movies & Media

SLAYING THE DRAGON is a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era. From the racist use of white actors to portray Asians in early Hollywood films, through the success of Anna May Wong’s sinister dragon lady, to Suzie Wong and the ’50s geisha girls, to the Asian-American anchorwoman of today, this fascinating videotape shows how stereotypes of exoticism and docility have affected the perception of Asian-American women.

In this new, highly anticipated update of her pioneering Killing Us Softly series, the first in more than a decade, Jean Kilbourne takes a fresh look at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. The film marshals a range of new print and television advertisements to lay bare a stunning pattern of damaging gender stereotypes -- images and messages that too often reinforce unrealistic, and unhealthy, perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. By bringing Kilbourne's groundbreaking analysis up to date, Killing Us Softly 4 stands to challenge a new generation of students to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about popular culture and its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, and gender violence.

Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, MISS REPRESENTATION uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film exposes how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.

This inspiring movie follows an English teacher who challenges the conservative norms of a prestigious all-boys school, encouraging his students to think for themselves and pursue their passions. It explores themes of ethical leadership in education. Click on the film title -to view free and pay-per-view options.We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

Literature Professor John Halder (played by Mortensen) is a “good,” respectable German living in prewar Nazi Germany. Nazi authorities recruit him to write a paper supporting the regime’s mercy killing program after reading his novel, which was sympathetic to euthanasia. Soon Halder finds himself caught in a series of moral compromises. He joins the SS, earns the praise of Joseph Goebbels, takes over a lavish apartment confiscated from a Jewish family, and ultimately finds himself conducting an inspection tour of Auschwitz. Along the way he leaves his wife and children for a student, replaces his father-in-law as department chair, and does little to help his Jewish best friend (Isaacs) flee the Holocaust. In the end, Halder’s lack of moral principles and courage make him vulnerable to the seduction of flattery, power, and privilege.

Precious Knowledge reports from the frontlines of one of the most contentious battles in public education in recent memory, the fight over Mexican American studies programs in Arizona public schools. The film interweaves the stories of several students enrolled in the Mexican American Studies Program at Tucson High School with interviews with teachers, parents, school officials, and the lawmakers who wish to outlaw the classes.

This film portrays the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. It highlights his ethical dilemmas and his transformation from a profiteer to a humanitarian leader. Click on the film title to view JustWatch -pay-per-view options. We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

Not too far from Timbuktu, now ruled by religious fundamentalists, Kidane lives peacefully in the dunes with his wife Satima, his daughter Tonya, and Issan, their shepherd. In town, the people suffer, powerless, from the regime of terror imposed by the Jihadists. Music, laughter, cigarettes, even soccer have been banned. The women have become shadows but resist with dignity. Every day, the new improvised courts issue tragic and absurd sentences.

It is anything but a perfect day for a group of aid workers “somewhere in the Balkans” at the end of the Yugoslavian war in 1995. These humanitarians are tasked with removing a corpse from a well where it is fouling the water supply. A series of events makes a simple job very complicated. The old rope breaks, locals refuse to sell a new rope, and United Nations peacekeepers intervene at the last moment to prevent a second extraction attempt. The crew, made up of security chief Rogueish Mambru (del Toro), grizzled aid veteran “B” (Robbins), first-timer Sophie (Thierry), and outside evaluator Katya (Kurylenko), must run a gauntlet of booby traps and hostile checkpoints. They take a local boy (Residovic) under their care and protect him from the awful knowledge of what happened to his parents. The hearts of the aid workers are in the right place but they add to their problems in this tragicomedy. They sometimes ignore the advice of their translator, lack understanding of local customs, take unnecessary risks, and intervene when locals can handle the problem.

In this powerful courtroom drama, a jury deliberates over the guilt or innocence of a young defendant accused of murder. It examines group dynamics and leadership ethics as one juror challenges the others to reconsider their biases and prejudices. The film title links to JustWatch free and pay-per-view options. We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

In this legal drama, a young military lawyer defends two Marines accused of murdering a fellow soldier. The film delves into the ethics of loyalty, following orders, and leadership responsibility in the military. Click on the film title to view JustWatch pay-per-view options.

This iconic crime drama explores the Corleone crime family's ethical dilemmas as they navigate loyalty, power, and morality in their leadership roles. Click on the film title to view pay-per-view options. We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

In this era of Facebook privacy breaches, "fake news" and filter bubbles, the essential film DIGITAL DISCONNECT trains its sights on the relationship between the internet and democracy. Tracing the internet's history as a publicly funded government project in the 1960s to its full-scale commercialization today, the film traces how the revolutionary, democratizing potential of the internet has been radically compromised by the growing and unaccountable power of a handful of telecom and tech monopolies.

T’Challa (Boseman) takes over as the Black Panther and king of Wakanda, a technologically advanced African nation hidden from the rest of the world, following the death of his father. The former king was willing to sacrifice one of his sons and abandon his grandson Eric Killmonger (Jordan) in order to keep Wakanda’s existence secret. Killmonger is intent on revenge. He helps an arms dealer (Serkis) steal the secret metal that powers Wakanda and then bests T’Challa in combat. As the new king, Killmonger plans to use Wakanda’s weapons to take revenge on Whites for oppressing African peoples. T’Challa, with the help of his family, palace guard, romantic interest (Nyong’o), and other supporters, bests Killmonger and foils his plans. T’Challa and his advisers must then decide if Wakanda should abandon its long-term isolation policy and use the kingdom’s technology to help other nations.

Film school graduate Will Allen joined Buddhafield, a West Hollywood spiritual enlightenment group, after his mother rejected him for being gay. For the next 22 years, Allen served as Buddhafield’s videographer and personal assistant to the group’s charismatic leader, Michel. Michel provided members with a direct connection with God through a spiritual encounter called “the knowing.” Followers, in turn, offered Michel their total devotion, carrying the speedo-clad guru around on a special chair and catering to his every need. Over time, Buddhafield shifted focus from the inner spiritual growth of members to the worship of Michel (who later changed his name to Andreas). Members later discovered that their guru was a former gay porn star who sexually abused young male members (including Allen) and forced female followers into having plastic surgery and abortions. The group dissolved with Andreas and a few of the faithful relocating to Hawaii. Former members wonder why they followed Andreas while, at the same time, they miss the family they had as members of Buddhafield.

In 1643, two young Portuguese priests, Father Rodrigues (Garfield) and Father Garupe (Driver), sail to Japan to find their missing mentor Father Ferreira (Neeson). There they find Christians facing persecution under the direction of the Inquisitor (Ogata). To save themselves, believers must step on a fumie, a carved image of Christ. Those who refuse are beheaded, crucified, or hung upside down over a pit to slowly bleed to death. Fathers Rodrigues and Garupe are warmly welcomed by a hidden community of the faithful but are forced to hide from the authorities. They witness the crucifixion of three local Christian leaders who refuse to recant. Rodrigues is then captured after being betrayed by disgraced Japanese Catholic Kichijiro (Kubozuka); Garupe dies while trying to protect Christians from another village. Father Ferreira, who has renounced his faith, visits Father Rodrigues and tries to convince him that Christianity will not take root in the “swamp” of Japan. The young priest then steps on the fumie, driven by doubt, God’s apparent silence, and his desire to save believers who will be tortured to death unless he recants. The Inquisitor provides Rodrigues with a wife and family to ensure that he doesn’t return to his faith, and puts him to work keeping Christian influences out of the country. Father Rodrigues never completely abandons his faith despite the Inquisitor’s efforts, however. (Based on a novel of the same name.)

: J. Paul Getty (played by Christopher Plummer), the world’s richest man, refuses to pay a $17 million ransom when his grandson Paul is kidnapped off of the streets of Rome in 1973. He responds to the demands of the kidnappers by publicly declaring, “If I pay one penny now, I’ll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.” In reality, Getty is more interested in collecting works of art for his manor house than in rescuing his grandchild. At one point during the standoff he agrees to pay millions, not for his grandson, but for a painting. Other than assigning a security specialist Fletcher Chase (Wahlberg) to negotiate a lower ransom, he leaves it up to Gail Getty (Williams), his former daughter-in-law whom he detests, to secure Paul’s release. As the negotiations drag on, the kidnappers cut off Paul’s ear to demonstrate how serious they are about their demands. Paul (Charlie Plummer) befriends one of his captors (Duris) and manages to escape, only to be recaptured. Eventually, Fletcher convinces Getty senior to pay most of the reduced ransom and Paul is freed. In an ironic twist of fate, Gail ends up in charge of the Getty fortune when J. Paul dies. Many of Getty’s artworks end up in the Getty museum..

This movie centers around a demanding and unethical fashion magazine editor, Miranda Priestly, and her assistant, Andy Sachs, who struggles with the ethical implications of working in a toxic environment. Click on the film title to view JustWatch pay-per-view options.We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

Based on a true story, this film follows Erin Brockovich, a legal assistant who uncovers environmental pollution and the unethical practices of a major corporation. Her determination to fight for justice showcases ethical leadership in adversity. Click on the film title to view JustWatch pay-per-view options. We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

This film reveals the darker side of the founding of McDonald’s. Ray Kroc (Keaton) is a traveling milkshake mixer salesman who faces rejection from drive-in owners across the country. When the McDonald brothers (Offerman, Lynch) order five of his machines, Kroc investigates to find out the secret of their success. Dick and Mac McDonald have figured out how to serve “fast food,” using an assembly line to turn out burgers and fries while eliminating the need for utensils. Dick and Mac are satisfied with running one successful restaurant where they can control the quality of the product. Kroc convinces the brothers to let him open franchises in the Midwest but they force him to sign a restrictive contract that limits his ability to make a profit. Soon Kroc and the brothers clash over food quality, the terms of the contract, and how fast to expand. Ray then sets up a land company that leases to franchise operators, which allows him to finance expansion and to undercut Dick and Mac. Growing increasingly self-centered, Kroc uses his wealth and power to break the original contract and buys out the brothers. During the final negotiation, he makes a handshake agreement to give Dick and Mac 1% of future corporate profits. Ray doesn’t honor his verbal commitment (which would have been worth hundreds of millions to the brothers) and strips them of the right to use the McDonald’s name for their restaurant. Soon they are forced out of business. Kroc ends up as the wealthy CEO of one of the world’s largest companies.

This film delves into the world of salesmen and the unethical tactics they use to compete for success. It exposes the dark side of leadership driven by greed and cutthroat behavior. JustWatch has pay-per-view and FREE options. The film title link points to the free option.

This celebrated film follows female directors working in Hollywood. HALF THE PICTURE uses the current EEOC investigation into discriminatory hiring practices as a framework to talk to these successful women directors about their career paths, struggles, inspiration and hopes for the future.

This film tells the true story of a whistleblower who exposes unethical practices within the tobacco industry. It portrays the challenges individuals face when taking a stand against powerful corporations. Click on the film title for JustWatch pay-per-view options.

This classic film explores the world of high finance and features the iconic character Gordon Gekko, who epitomizes unethical leadership through his manipulative and ruthless business practices. Click on the film title to view JustWatch pay-per-view options.

tells the dramatic story of the rise of the first major grassroots environmental movement in China, a significant development that could reshape the country. Seen through the eyes of farmers, journalists, activists and a former government insider, the film traces the historical evolution of the movement and highlights an extraordinary campaign to stop a huge dam project slated for the Upper Yangtze River in southern China.

Based on the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion and fire took the lives of 11 workers and triggered the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Transocean chief electronics technician Mike Williams (Wahlberg) and project manager “Mr. Jimmy” (Russell) have their doubts about the safety of an exploratory well, particularly since the concrete needed to cap the hole hasn’t been tested. They become even more concerned when another test reveals dangerous pressure levels. However, they are overruled by BP oil company managers upset because the project is behind schedule. When the BP officials decide to remove the thick mud temporarily sealing the hole, the well blows, setting the rig on fire. As the disaster unfolds, some are frozen in fear while Williams and others rescue the injured. The BP managers are indicted for manslaughter but the charges are later dropped.

A Mexican-American teenage farmworker dreams of graduating high school. When ICE raids her community, it threatens to separate her family and forces her to become her family's breadwinner. FRUITS OF LABOR is a lyrical, coming-of-age documentary feature about adolescence, nature and how ancestors paved the way

Washington D.C. socialite Katherine Graham (played by Streep) is thrust into the role of newspaper publisher when her husband Phil takes his own life in the early 1970s. She decides to take the Washington Post public, offering stock in the company on the American Stock Exchange. At the same moment, The New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon Papers. These documents reveal that a series of presidential administrations lied about the war in Vietnam, telling the public that victory was possible when they knew that the war couldn’t be won. The Nixon administration sues the Times, temporarily stopping the publication of the report based on national security concerns. Post assistant editor Ben Bagdikian (Odenkirk) tracks down Daniel Ellsburg, the source of the leak, and obtains a portion of the documents. Graham must then decide whether or not to publish them. She is caught between two groups (nearly all men): the lawyers and financiers who oppose publication and editor in chief Ben Bradlee (Hanks) and his fellow journalists who push for their release. Graham, who initially lacks confidence, steels herself and prints the papers despite the danger of imprisonment and the fact that doing so will threaten the company’s public stock offering. Nixon then sues the Times and the Post, who win their case before the Supreme
Court. Graham is relieved to have this crisis behind her but the film ends with a security guard discovering a break-in at the Watergate office complex. The Washington Post would go on to play a major role in uncovering the Watergate scandal and driving Nixon from office.

It tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, an African- American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line, HeLa. The film chronicles the daughter, Deborah’s search to learn about the mother she never knew, and to understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks’ cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, from cancer to polio to radiation to AIDS, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a story of medical arrogance, triumph, race, poverty, and deep friendship between Deborah and the journalist. Click on the film title to view the film for free through our library database (Films on Demand).

In 1975, Zairian medical school graduate Seyolo Zantoko (played by Zinga) takes a position as a physician in the small French village of Marly-Gomont. He wants to become a French citizen rather than return to his home country as personal physician to the nation’s corrupt ruler Sesse Seko Mobuto. However, village residents continue to drive the next town rather than be treated by a Black doctor. Zantoko’s wife Anne (played by Maiga) longs for the city lights of Brussels where her extended family lives. Their children Sivi (Diarra) and Kamini (Lebli) are bullied and called racial slurs at school. The villagers accept the Zantoko family after Seyolo delivers the baby of a local farmer and Sivi becomes the most important player on the town’s soccer team. Local schoolchildren then put on a play celebrating the family’s arrival in Marly-Gomont. Dr. Zantoko, with the assistance of Anne, goes on to become a widely respected physician. He receives a medal for his service in 2008 and dies in a car crash in 2009. Inspired by a true story. In French with English subtitles.

Click the film title to view JustWatch pay-per-view options.

Click on the film title to view JustWatch per-per-view options. We also have the DVD on reserve at RIT Libraries Services Desk.

Click on the film title to view JustWatch pay-per-view and free options.

This inspiring film follows the lives of eight Midwestern women, six of whom became founders of National Organization for Women (NOW). Set against a backdrop of decades of war, prosperity and reform, their stories beautifully illustrate the continuity and diversity of 20th-century feminism, as the participants describe the labor, civil rights, and political movements of the '40s and '50s that led them to take independent action for women.

Tells the story of a group of British suffragettes in 1912–1913, largely through the eyes of laundress Maude Watts (Mulligan). Watts becomes active in the Women’s Suffrage and Political Union led by Emmeline Pankurst (Streep). Pankhurst advocates the use of militant tactics--rock throwing, blowing up mailboxes--to secure women’s right to vote. Maude’s small group, led by pharmacist Edith Ellyn (Carter), bombs the home of a government minister. The authorities crack down on the activists, beating and imprisoning them. Being identified as a suffragette costs Watts her job, her marriage, and her only child. Desperate to draw attention to their cause, Maude and fellow suffragette Emily Davison (Press) decide to unfurl a banner at a horse race where television cameras will be filming King George V. Emily steps onto the track and is trampled to death by the King’s horse. Her death garners widespread publicity; 6,000 join her funeral procession. Female property owners were granted voting rights in 1918. In 1928, all British women were given the vote.

Playwright Bryan Fogel sets out to film a documentary demonstrating how easy it is for cyclists and other professional athletes to evade detection for doping. He wants to improve his standing in a grueling amateur bike race through a doping regimen that fools drug tests. Fogel recruits a team of experts to help him carry out his experiment. An anti-doping scientist at UCLA introduces him to Grigory Rodchenkov, the head of the Moscow anti-doping lab. Rodchenkov, who is supposed to catch cheaters, knows a lot about how to fool drug tests. He quickly admits that he oversaw the Russian doping ring at the Sochi Winter Olympics. When World Anti-Doping Association officials release a report on Russia’s long-standing doping program and Rodchenkov’s role in it, the lab director fears for his life. He flees to the United States and becomes a whistle-blower. His detailed testimony reveals that Russia’s drug program operates with the approval of Vladimir Putin. Fogel becomes Rodchenkov’s protector, supplying him with money, housing, and legal assistance. Rodchenkov is forced to go into the federal witness protection to keep him safe from Russian operatives. (Grigory’s testimony helps convince the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia from the 2018 Olympics, though the country is later reinstated.)