US President Donald Trump and his ‘love’ for cinema

On Monday, in his speech at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad, Trump mentioned the thriving industry of Bollywood and went on to invoke Shah Rukh Khan’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Amitabh Bachchan’s Sholay.

“This is the country that produces 2000 movies a year from the hub of genius and creativity known as Bollywood. All over the planet, people take great joy in scenes of bhangra, music, dance, romance and drama, and classic Indian films like DDLJ and Sholay,” the US President said, much to the delight of the audience.

Parasite

A poster of the South Korean movie Parasite.

However, DDLJ and Sholay are not the only films that have been referenced to by Donlad Trump. During a rally in Colorado on February 20, Trump criticised the Academy for giving the Best Picture Oscar to the South Korean movie Parasite. He said, “The winner is a movie from South Korea. What the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea with trade, on top of it they give them the best movie of the year. Was it good? I don’t know yet.”

Parasite bagged four Oscars at the recently held 91st Academy Awards ceremony.

Gone with the Wind

While he lashed out at Parasite, in the same breath, Trump hailed Gone with the Wind.

“Let’s get Gone With the Wind. Can we get Gone With the Wind back, please?” Trump added. Last Week Tonight host John Oliver spoke about the speech in an episode and said that Trump praising the 1939 movie hardly comes as a surprise since both Trump and the film don’t treat women nicely and are essentially racist.

“Of course, Trump likes Gone With the Wind! He likes his movies like he likes his rallies: excruciatingly long, incredibly racist and centered around a rich creep who leaves a woman crying in a mansion,” John Oliver said during the episode.

Sunset Boulevard

In the same Colorado speech, US President Donald Trump showered praise on the 1950 noir movie Sunset Boulevard.

Rambo and Rocky

Sylvester Stallone in a still from Rambo.

Trump’s love for Sylvester Stallone is old news. During an event at the White House in 2017, which was graced by Stallone as well, the US President expressed his admiration for the Hollywood star’s work.

“I love (Stallone’s) movies. And I don’t care if it’s Rambo or Rocky, I still don’t know which I like better,” Trump reportedly said.

Academy Award winning actor (and great guy!) @jonvoight is fantastic in the role of Mickey Donovan in the big television hit, Ray Donovan. From Midnight Cowboy to Deliverance to The Champ (one of the best ever boxing movies), & many others, Jon delivers BIG. Also, LOVES THE USA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2019

Deliverance and The Champ

Donald Trump thinks very highly of Jon Voight, the man and the actor. The 1972 thriller Deliverance and the 1979 sports drama The Champ are among his favourite films. In a December 2019 tweet, Trump wrote, “Academy Award-winning actor (and great guy!) @jonvoight is fantastic in the role of Mickey Donovan in the big television hit, Ray Donovan. From Midnight Cowboy to Deliverance to The Champ (one of the best ever boxing movies), & many others, Jon delivers BIG. Also, LOVES THE USA!”

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

And last but not least, the US President recently tweeted about the Ayushmann Khurrana’s film on same-sex love, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and simply called it “Great.”

US President Donald Trump is currently touring India. He arrived here on Monday for a two-day visit.