I Watched Every President’s Favorite Movie...(Ranked)

[@KarstenRunquist]

well…who is your favorite president?

[@littyleben721]

Favorite president is Jamie Foxx in White House down.

[@greatpondsfm727]

JFK was, for the most part, pretty great. Definitely has far fewer flaws than most Presidents.

[@Gracyn1102]

The one from Monsters vs Aliens

[@AidenDenton-y8u]

Mr frog, clearly

[@capnbug]

Guy

[@Joel-Haver]

I talked to Jimmy Carter he actually likes Transformers: Rise of the Beasts more now

[@pleasehelp1390]

I would've thought he prefered Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

[@Gouda992]

I though you were bo burnham for a second

[@IchNachtLiebe]

The only one I care about is Washington's favorite movie. I'm guessing it was either a still shot of a lady in a poofy dress, or Despicable Me

[@DeathGrip1202]

Pfft everyone knows Carter is a michael bay Stan. Bad Boyz 4 lyyyyyfe

[@Arawn505]

Maybe he watched Fantastic Mr. Fox one day and also really liked it. That would be neat.

[@adamwoolston253]

JFK picking Dr. No is also interesting because it came out DURING his presidency. Most seemed to pick classics or films that came out when they were in their youth, but JFKs is the equivalent of Biden picking like Oppenheimer

[@BrendanJSmith]

And that's why JFK will always be the most based president.

[@JDMimeTHEFIRST]

@@BrendanJSmithI think it’s because he’s a sleazy womanizer who thought he was handsome. I never understood that. The Kennedys looked so inbred to me (much like the Trumps). Not handsome. Except JFK jr because he looks like Jackie (his mom)

[@kelvinp.coleman563]

JFK notoriously listed From Russia With Love as one of his ten favourite books. Whether he saw the film adaptation in the six weeks between its release and his assassination, and if he thought it better than Dr No, is something we can only speculate about.

[@grapesoftime]

Not quite because Kennedy was also young lol it hits different

[@liftfork]

@@kelvinp.coleman563 Unfortunately the movie wasn't released in the US until after his death. The release date that came out beforehand was for the UK. Although I suppose that he could have been able to have had it brought over on account of the fact that he was the president.

[@thebigo2467]

I was fully expecting Trump’s favourite film to be Home Alone 2

[@GODCONVOYPRIME]

Why do you think it's a bad movie?

[@Charles37400]

​@@GODCONVOYPRIME I think because he cameo'd in home alone 2.

[@Tom-xt1jn]

@@GODCONVOYPRIME It's because Trump's in it xp

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

I think it's Silence of the Lambs by the looks of it now.

[@Pepsiman1848]

Down the hall and to the left

[@bayouradio]

Ford picked a movie where the main character wakes up one morning to find he's in charge of a large house and is surrounded by burglars. That tracks.

[@gabrieldavi4866]

Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[@AdvayGadicherla]

@@gabrieldavi4866that’s Woodrow Wilson

[@iammrbeat]

FDR legit loved Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I dug pretty deep when I researched for my video if you want to check my sources. Fun video. It's no surprise that this got recommended to me.

[@minh1335]

mr beast please send me 1000 million dollars

[@UnfamiliarEyes]

Hey, it’s the presidents guy!

[@20k_is_short]

Hey, i watch you all the time!

[@grdfhrghrggrtwqqu]

OH MY GOD. IT'S MR BEAST. dude. im a HUGE Fan.

[@Arawn505]

Haha is this like a running joke? 😂 That people mistake Mr. Beat for Mr. Beast?

[@JetpackGamer456]

I really looked at the video length and my dumbass went “wow, all 46 presidents and their favorite movies ranked in half an hour??” like James Madison got to see a film in his life 💀

[@PatrickTrent]

Why out of all of them James Madison 😂😂😂

[@allenrubinstein3696]

The sequel to this video will be what would have been the favorite movie of the first 31 presidents?

[@derpidius6306]

​@PatrickTrent he is the GOAT, everyone talks about George Washington's charge with the Dodge Challenger but no one talks about the person who applied for the loan and made the down payment, James Madison 🔥🔥🔥

[@JamesKirk-g8m]

He was a big fan of The Bee Movie actually

[@DrippycatBigmoney69]

James Madison actually saw the premier of Cars 2 in 1815 and absolutely hated it

[@johnpaulsylvester3727]

Wait, Jimmy Carter screened over 400 films during his one term? Does that make him a film bro?

[@Sharpe1502]

Of course Jimmy Carter is a film bro.

[@user-df1ns1ob8y]

That‘s an average of one movie every 3-4 days. That‘s awesome. There’s a Letterboxd list with everything he screened, some personal highlights include Star Wars four times (once with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat during talks at Camp David), Autumn Sonata, Kagemusha, Airplane and a double feature of Young Frankenstein and Casablanca

[@anabltc]

@@user-df1ns1ob8y Autumn Sonata and Airplane omg 😂a film bro 💯

[@schroederscurrentevents3844]

No wonder the hostages didn’t come home

[@experimentsininsanity4478]

@@user-df1ns1ob8y The double feature of Young Frankenstein and Casablanca might be the best double feature I can imagine.

[@iluvmariobros78]

Damn I didn’t expect Jimmy Carter’s favorite movie to be Minions Rise of Gru

[@thomassmiththekingbee]

It must just appeal to him

[@JonathanFeil]

For Jimmy Carter, it's not just that "Gone With the Wind" portrays The South, but it's almost entirely in his home state of Georgia. Carter was truly rooted there. Apart from his Navy career and time in the White House, he resided his entire life in the state and returned to it after his presidency. Not only Georgia, but the rural town of Plains (2020 population 573). He was born and raised there and it's where he achieved business success in agriculture -- growing, warehousing, and selling peanuts, the region's main cash crop (just as cotton was for the O'Haras). He moved upscale to Atlanta (157 miles away) when he entered state government and in his post-presidency management of his presidential library and the Carter Center, but remains to this day (at 99 and in failing health but still sound of mind) a resident of Plains.

[@TitanicHorseRacingLover]

Gone With the Wild is a great classic, IMO. Of course, being brought up on old classics, like this film , Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Casablanca. You have it wrong. The acting is outstanding, especially Clark Gable, and Hattie McDaniels. Vivien Leigh is awesome as Scarlett. The fact that Scarlett was annoying meant Leigh was doing her job. I respect your opinion to each his own.

[@scipioafricanus5871]

But... but it hasn't aged well, that is all you gonna get from the woke youtuber.

[@channeleditor9335]

​@@scipioafricanus5871you're just looking for stuff to complain about

[@tlw1950]

GWTW is my favorite film but I’m not a Jimmy Carter fan. My favorite Presidents who saw movies are Reagan and Trump.

[@iamamaniaint]

Why don't you like Carter?​@@tlw1950

[@arutlit62]

@@scipioafricanus5871he just complained about it being boring, man, same criticisms I regularly hear from my grandparents. Other movies on the list have also not aged “perfectly” but sometimes ppl just find movies boring.

[@Arawn505]

1:06 Franklin D. Roosevelt: Steamboat Willie (1928) 1:44 George H.W. Bush: Viva Zapata! (1952) 3:54 Joe Biden: Chariots of Fire (1981) 5:51 Jimmy Carter: Gone with the Wind (1939) 9:28 George W. Bush: Field of Dreams (1989) 11:45 John F. Kennedy: Dr. No (1962) 13:34 Richard Nixon: Patton (1970) 15:35 Lyndon B. Johnson: The Searchers (1956) 17:27 Dwight Eisenhower & Bill Clinton: High Noon (1952) 19:51 Gerald Ford: Home Alone (1990) 20:52 Harry Truman: My Darling Clementine (1946) 22:34 Donald Trump: Citizen Kane (1941) 24:49 Ronald Reagan: It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 27:01 Barack Obama: The Godfather (1972)

[@thefareplayer2254]

I was really hoping for a Blazing Saddles here.

[@sgabig]

I understand why Woodrow Wilson was skipped - but why were the other silent film era presidents skipped?

[@sensdecruaute]

@@sgabig They probably weren't on record with a favorite.

[@jammiebooker6489]

Citizen Kane for Trump is a surprising pick. He's got some childhood stuff there I bet....Rosebud

[@jkryptos]

Gerald Ford: Home Alone (1990) - PERFECT! Gerald Ford never left the White House after being shot at twice. 🤣🤣

[@Layneee]

In 50 years we’ll surely have a president naming something they grew up with. Hoping for Shrek

[@amelialonelyfart8848]

Want some really out there picks down the line. What if the 64th president's favorite film is Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest? It captures that generic sense of courage really popular with political types and has a 'guy I want to be' main character.

[@willyfafok]

Some would be Morbius for sure

[@nobodyatall6814]

We will still have a boomer then.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

@@amelialonelyfart8848 I'd rather they choose Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, it's the best of the Z movies.

[@HarukoJisan]

​@@Mr.Goodkat That's what would make The World's Strongest such a compelling favorite, it's truly one of the films of the DBZ series, I can't think of one outstanding thing about it.

[@samuelbarber6177]

Dr. No might be the most 1960s film ever made, so it makes total sense that Kennedy’s favourite. Kennedy also loved the sequel From Russia With Love, which would become the last film screened in the Kennedy White House.

[@dj71162]

He probably loved it so much because he had a pretty similar lifestyle, occupation aside.

[@thebadfella5296]

He called the novel of From Russia with Love one of his top 10 favorite books, which is believed to be why it was chosen as the second book to be adapted into a movie

[@sheffieldsam6212]

He's also a sexy, professional, young playboy fighting the Russians. I'm surprised karst couldn't see the commonalities between them

[@mckernan603]

He was also an Anglophile (like all the elite of the time), and his cabinet was filled with Rhodes scholars, and his father was ambassador to the UK before WWII.

[@Pencilman246]

JFK was a WW2 war hero and Navy vet, a stylish upper class womanizer, spent his career in the government, and was super involved in some of the biggest CIA operations of the Cold War like the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. James Bond is a WW2 naval intelligence vet, a stylish upper class womanizer who works for the government doing top secret Cold War operations. JFK was James Bond if James Bond was into politics and his parents were alive (maybe like a Jack Ryan figure).

[@BrokenCurtain]

"High Noon" is the kind of movie archetype that gets remade over and over again in different settings. The lone protagonist, holding his post, abandoned and facing overwhelming odds, waiting for the inevitable confrontation. You've seen this film before, that's why it's so engaging.

[@DKdrop]

Kind of reminds me of Yojimbo in that way. It’s such a compelling plot archetype that it just keeps inspiring people to retell it.

[@grapesoftime]

Western fans when Samurai movie fans enter the room 😵😵😵 (let's just say it's not the western that created that archetype)

[@yujie.ho123]

bruh skipping birth of a nation for woodrow wilson in a video about presidents' favorite films is like skipping apple pie in a dessert ranking

[@ran7012]

😭😭

[@nutmilk420]

Rs

[@Hartley_Hare]

It's not exactly a heavyweight analysis, given that it rates Titanic, a movie that made me laugh at the end.

[@G_Gued]

You’re expecting a lot from a guy that thinks Chariots Of Fire and Gone With The Wind are bad movies😅

[@Jesayou]

@@G_Gued I couldn't tell if he was trolling when he started talking about Coppola. I ain't a movie buff but thats just common knowledge Im hoping it was a troll but I get the feeling he's not.

[@andrewhngle]

I just know some future president's favorite movie will either be Oppenheimer or Top Gun Maverick

[@CATDHD]

Only a year passed and people are already forgetting Oppenheimer. I dont think it's gonna last. Unlike Dunkirk, which is Nolan's best movie

[@nalday2534]

​@@CATDHDpeople are already forgetting Oppenheimer? What is this exactly based off of?

[@mr.moviemafia]

@@CATDHD I’m happy people are still talking about Dunkirk but from what I’ve seen, Oppenheimer is anything but forgotten

[@cethomas324]

@@CATDHDI don’t think they are forgetting Oppenheimer. I certainly haven’t.

[@gabrielethier2046]

​@@CATDHDboth are lame, prestige is his best movie

[@solanumtuberosa]

I like how Trump's justification for Citizen Kane being his favorite is 'hes like me fr'

[@uberneanderthal]

Kane was basically the Patrick Bateman of his era, so that tracks

[@molanohouse]

Same thing with JFK watching Dr. No

[@iamcuttlefish]

even presidents have kinlists

[@VitaliyMilonov]

The same goes for Obama, as he surely sees himself as Michael Corleone - the anti-hero helрing his рeoрle through maniрulations, рolitical games and corruрtion. This is not an anti-Obama comment, btw, in case you were already rushing into turning this comment section into a war for democracy.

[@douglasjohnson4382]

I am sure Trump has never seen Citizen Kane. He's repeating what other people have said about it.

[@linkeastwood3283]

The Searchers is the perfect pick for Lydon B Johnson because they both somehow manage to be both progressive and racist at the same time

[@jeffspicoli763]

Progressive=racist

[@119Agent]

That I what I thought too.

[@ThunderTheBlackShadowKitty]

@@linkeastwood3283 Like a true southerner.

[@jimmyboredom3519]

That's why Ethan walks away alone at the end. Probably to abandon the family again. He knows the racism ran too deep because he literally tried to kill his own niece. He knew he couldn't stay, because the racist is doomed to walk alone.

[@johnindigo5477]

​@@ThunderTheBlackShadowKittyTexan

[@DRTisKING]

I think Gone with the Wind was so huge of a hit because it was a film about a time that was then passing from living memory, they screened Gone with the Wind for actual Civil War vets and it gave a sense of connection to many Americans who had ancestral links to the South as they could see their own history alive in lightning.

[@Jogwheel]

I guess I gotta check out "Viva Zapata!" now... only one on here I haven't seen yet. Cool concept for a video! Thanks for uploading.

[@vigilantvigilante2582]

Hope u enjoyed it! Apparently the context for the film is the reason it's so endeared and praised rather than the film itself if u wish to read up on it

[@booker229]

Boy you really let Woodrow Wilson off easy

[@TheStammzilla]

I thought the same thing just now.

[@Conor1_23]

Ah he probably just didn't want to watch birth of a nation, and I can understand why

[@FivePointsData-jn5qn]

A great comment

[@1800astra]

It's problematic. Let's just leave it there.

[@ΓιάννηςΧΔ-γ7γ]

⁠@@Conor1_23 It’s not even about the racism. The movie is 3-4 hours long, silent and a melodrama. And while I can enjoy a long silent film, most people can’t and I understand that.

[@benjamingk567]

"The fact that a US president has seen Kieran Culkin act is worth something."

[@warrenjohns3194]

i was like "KARSTEEEEENNNNNNN.......HUH???"

[@el7335]

Did he not mention Trump being in a Home Alone movie as well?

[@breannayoung138]

@@el7335Trump is in the second one when he gets lost in New York.

[@fruzsimih7214]

It's Macaulay, not Kieran.

[@benjamingk567]

@@fruzsimih7214 Kieran is in it too.

[@willklumpenhower6525]

Dr. No makes perfect sense for JFK. It was a quintessential movie in the 60's revolutionary youth zeitgeist and JFK was elected largely due to his perception as a young, cool alternative to other stuffy politicians

[@MortanAMrk]

Its fascinating how JFK might have been the richest presidents as a child compared to how Richard Nixon grew up in poverty and hoe it controlled their lives.

[@megakillerx]

Not to mention that James Bond was quintessentially the original “literally me” character for young boomers across the world.

[@gzer0x]

@@megakillerxexcept JFK wasn’t a boomer, he was a bonafide combat veteran in the war. While boomers may watch James Bond and want to be him, the civilian viewing and the veteran viewing of the film are different… JFK literally experienced combat and saw in James Bond another version of what he could have been in his youth.

[@badcornflakes6374]

​@@megakillerx JFK wasn't a boomer, bro fought in WW2 among the greatest generation.

[@fayellwood4051]

What a neat project! But also: Dude--Chariots of Fire is FANTASTIC! The way it treats theology is thoughtful, sophisticated, and the whole thing is SO moving we named one of our sons from it. And Gone with the Wind is dull? It's problematic to be sure, but it's one of the most engaging movies of all time IMO (and is MUCH better than Titanic--which is beautiful to look at and yes I've watched it 20 times but the dialogue leaves much to be desired...) But totally agreed on My Darling Clementine, Citizen Kane (and your links with T. were fascinating!), and always love It's a Wonderful Life. Thank you for an interesting watch!

[@DD-qo1tw]

I feel like the old timey "Mexicanface" if Viva Zapata biased the review. It's understandable. The movie was written by John Steinbeck and Elia Kazan, a sympathizer and former communist that sides strongly with a global south socialist revolution that specifically fought the US government. It being Bush's favorite film is like if Trump's favorite movie was Sorry to Bother You or at least Reds!. It's a well done rare American example of social realism imo. As he even said it makes interesting choices beyond a standard biopic because this film was meant to be a social statement amidst the red scare. Add to this the drama that right after it's release the director would rat out all his communist associates to his own selfish career benefits and we have a movie that's a perfect symbol of Hollywood just before it was blown up by McCarthy.

[@vigilantvigilante2582]

Super interesting! ty for the insight

[@ConlanHale]

The countdown has started marching towards the "every james bond film ranked" video, we eagerly await your pain!

[@pattongilbert]

But they’re so fun to watch all of!! My favorite would either be Goldeneye or Casino Royale (basic but it’s true).😄

[@TheFantasticJoe]

I've seen every James Bond film and I felt happy to finally out-movie Karsten in something.

[@jamesthornton3539]

​@@pattongilbertthem two plus goldfinger for me 😂

[@liamwhelehan2703]

Everyones favourite Bond movie is from their youth. Mine is "on her Majesties Secret service". It still holds up. Best bond girl 'Diana Rigg', Best Breakin scene 'bond sits in an office reading a paper wile a safe cracking machine does the job for him'. Stupid evil plot to be carried out by a smoresborg of beautiful women from all around the world (All of whom want to have sex with Bond). KILT. Great film.. I'll have to watch it again soon.

[@pattongilbert]

@@liamwhelehan2703 A truly amazing film. I really wish George Lazenby had been able to do more. Timothy Dalton too, for that matter. Take away a couple of the bad Moore movies and give it to them instead.😝

[@insertnamehere5602]

Coppola said that he tried to write the screenplay for Patton so that it would appeal to both people who loved General Patton and those who despised him. I think this movie does a really good job of pulling that off. You can easily read it as pro-war or you can read it as critical of Patton's actions. No matter how you look at it, it's a damn good movie.

[@insertnamehere_262]

George Washington's favorite was his dodge challenger commercial

[@jamesschwartz3837]

Interesting note. High Noon was shot in “real time”. The amount of time watching the film is approximately the same amount of time passing in the story.

[@nathanielhardman2730]

I've got to say, you missed the point of Chariots of Fire. It is NOT a simple sports story. It's a story about what motivates us and how our motives, more than our success, will determine our happiness. Eric's whole motivation is to serve God. "God made me for a purpose. But he me fast," he says early in the movie. Also, "You can praise God peeling spuds. If you peel 'em to perfection." He knows where his priorities are. So when the qualifying race falls on Sunday, he says no. He walks away. Harold Abrams's motivation is different. Facing constant antisemitism at Oxford, his friend asks him what he'll do. "Run them off their feet," he answers. He wants to win to prove something, to vindicate his people. Unlike Eric, he can't just walk away. Before the finals, he's in his dressing room reflecting on the race he's about to run. "Ten seconds. Ten seconds to justify my existence." Then the final few minutes when the races are done and each man goes his way, the movie lets you decide who won, who was vindicated, what it all means. It's a beautiful movie, deeper than just about any other sports story I can think of. Also, yes, the soundtrack is the GOAT.

[@Horror-Man]

Unbreakable (2000) was Lincoln's favorite film. Watch it.

[@amelialonelyfart8848]

Nah it was actually Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

[@Arawn505]

He would’ve loved the Happy Madison adaptation of Our American Cousin with Kevin James and Adam Sandler

[@stellviahohenheim]

Nah stop lying his actual fav movie is Euro Trip

[@oogrooq]

Believe everything you read on the internet. - Abraham Lincoln

[@PhantomBugler]

In the end, Lincoln wasn't a big fan of going to the theater...

[@bolterguist]

kamala harris’s favorite movie is my cousin vinny btw, for those curious

[@ITSMeatMan]

She was a lawyer lol

[@TheAndradeCS]

No way, thats perfect.

[@Gouda992]

That has gotta be the most brat movie she coulda picked

[@quintiniusverginix7827]

I guess it's fitting that both Trump and Harris picked movies that relate to their own lives (Citizen Kane is about a billionaire, My Cousin Vinny is about a lawyer)

[@simasusas807]

You saved me a Google, thank you

[@spencerbacon]

Trump’s favorite being Citizen Kane is so fascinating, so so much to unpack with that choice

[@Kaboomboo]

I always thought it was Sunset Boulevard... which I guess would also apply lol

[@wordforger]

Yep. You can see why he relates... and at the same time you rub your temples and wonder if he recognizes that Kane caused his own unhappiness...

[@LordPapula]

I’ll unpack it: Its the easiest answer to the question ever.

[@RumchugMusic]

I don't really think he loves it. He just believes liking it makes him intelligent

[@dormbasedbusiness]

Rose bud, it was the greatest rose bud we have ever seen. So great. So red. Some people say it’s the best flower of all time.

[@skaldhart]

If Ayn Rand hates it (It's a Wonderful Life), then you know it's actually good.

[@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter]

^ This.

[@scottmcneely1927]

@skaldhart Has part 3 of Atlas Shrugged ever been filmed? Just curious.

[@guyjuprod]

^ malding leftist bookbro

[@BlueGamingRage]

I was underwhelmed

[@Teh1337H4x0rz111]

The whole list for the lazy asses like myself: 1:05 Steamboat Willie - F.D.R. 1:42 Viva Zapata - George Bush Sr 3:53 Chariots of Fire - Joe Biden 5:51 Gone with the Wind - Jimmy Carter 9:28 Field of Dreams - George W. Bush 11:44 Dr. No - John F. Kennedy 13:34 Patton - Richard Nixon 15:35 The Searchers - Lyndon B. Johnson 17:27 High Noon - Dwight Eisenhower & Bill Clinton 19:51 Home Alone - Gerald Ford 20:51 My Darling Clementine- Harry Truman 22:33 Citizen Kane - Donald Trump 24:50 It's a Wonderful Life - Ronald Reagan 27:01 The Godfather - Barack Obama

[@SamWhamBamTheMan]

I watched Karsten Runquist’s every move with a pirate’s telescope from a tree outside his window (this broke me)

[@HolyCanoley]

This is a video essay about movies....narrated by a guy who clearly has not seen many movies in his life.

[@Arawn505]

@@HolyCanoley What does this have to do with the telescope comment? And you're completely wrong about this, Karsten has seen hundreds of movies.

[@griffinguzaitis4572]

I think "It's a Wonderful Life" resonated with Reagan because it features the kind of idealized community and successful father figure he lacked as a young man. Jack Reagan tried a lot of professions over the course of his son's childhood, but he never found success and he was eventually ruined by alcoholism.

[@reanimatedjesus7239]

Brilliant analysis

[@scottstiefel2061]

Plus it was his old chum Jimmy in the lead role

[@Jamal-bl7yh]

I'm Not a President But My Favorite Movie Is Terminator 2 Judgement Day (1991)

[@leovecchietti]

Never stop dreaming

[@matthewiler7094]

Remember this comment when you get to the White House. I believe in you.

[@INRamos13]

You can do it, Jamal

[@antonnurwald5700]

You might run on that platform

[@Cryonator_932]

That's what a president would say

[@williamleslie4939]

Fun fact: "It's a Wonderful Life" was a box-office flop and years later, Robert Capra allowed the copyright to lapse, so it is in the public domain.

[@thetramp123]

Titanic and Gone with the Wind are really great comparisons tbh, because they're both pretty stunning films and huge technical achievements. I was probably a little disinterested in Gone with the Wind myself until I saw a screening of it in theater a decade ago.

[@benw4409]

Gerald Ford's favourite movie being Home Alone is such a meme, even if he did just pick it out of his arse it's hilarious that's the first he went for.

[@Arawn505]

If only he had lived long enough to see Minions: The Rise of Gru

[@user-df1ns1ob8y]

I 100% feel like he had just watched that one with his grandkids (he was 80 when the movie came out) and just thought of it that way. Regardless, based.

[@paulsuchy6210]

When Ford was president, he claimed That's Entertainment was his favorite (a safe, non controversial choice).

[@TaraTara-ld2xb]

My grandma's favorite movie was Independence Day. She watched it every time it was on TV, which was often. I think it was nostalgic for her because we used to watch it together a lot.

[@MFAXEL007]

I don't really wonder what George Washington's favorite film would've been because I know he would've chosen Drive (2011)

[@MinnowTF]

Do you think he would love or despise Hamilton?

[@crhu319]

I'm going to say Last of the Mohicans (1992) because it's the world Washington was born into, that went away in his lifetime. And because it's a masterpiece on every level.

[@gzer0x]

@@crhu319that’s also hilarious because so many of the events of the movie were incidentally influenced by him.

[@gzer0x]

He would watch Ryan Gosling barely opening his mouth the whole movie and be like “he’s like me, fr fr”

[@scipioafricanus5871]

@@gzer0x Washington would think Gosling barely opened his outh because he would try to hide his horrible dentures. Washington could relate.

[@wofi784]

You missed: Theodore Roosevelt - one of the Kearton brothers' documentaries, possibly Roosevelt in Africa (1910) Warren Harding - The Covered Wagon (1923) Herbert Hoover - Tempest (1928) Coolidge's favorite film is unknown, and historians debate whether Tempest was actually Hoover's favorite but it's the closest we have to an actual answer

[@sgabig]

Silent Cal was tight lipped about his personal details🤐

[@themac6356]

@@sgabig Funnily enough, there was a 1920s dance tune that was explicitly about Calvin Coolidge and his refusal to go for another term called “I Do Not Choose To Run” kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHSliImjjsRonbMsi=3M7l1M7fpJkpBSnL

[@pattersong6637]

Makes sense but worth pointing out Hoover lived until 1964. Much like Gerald Ford picked a film from long after he left the White House I think Hoover probably saw quite a few movies in his 30+ year post-Presidency.

[@kylefrank638]

I've never heard of The Covered Wagon, but if it's Harding who picked it, is it about like, criminal activity being a matter of perspective?

[@hippomancy]

@@pattersong6637 I've actually known people who emphatically were not filmgoers, usually born pre-WW2. they were uncomfortable in large congregations, and found it unpleasant. only willing to sit in church for said experiences. so possibly either not a movie-goer, or on some level not at ease. also know people who have trouble sitting through whole movies on tv, even. commercial breaks making them palatable. my own father just could not be bothered. they were "stupid". all movies.

[@newbootgoofin24]

Obama has repeatedly said his favorite movie is “Groundhog Day”

[@MatthewFutrell]

Great video, I love finding another cinephile on KZbin. Also, Francis Ford Coppola is pronounced like KOH-pə-lə Think like Co (like you would say co. as in the abbreviation for company) Pe (like you'd say pail, without the 'L' sound) and La (just like how it looks, like the musical note)

[@VasudevAnandcva]

I remember Obama saying that The Wire is his favourite TV show Also thank god bro skipped Woodrow Wilson, where would he rank it? 💀

[@zardsire2012]

Dead last probalby

[@skreen2theworld809]

Like Button Petition to get Karsten to watch The Wire

[@adamwoolston253]

I think that’s why he skipped it lol

[@noneofyourbusiness1114]

Dead last but the birth of a nation is a legitimate classic film that everyone should watch

[@brokoblin6284]

good techniques, horrible message

[@lane1536]

Chariots of Fire is an amazing movie! (In my humble opinion) I love how much passion the characters have for one short race, and how much they will or won’t sacrifice for it. The scene with Abraham and the headmasters is Mmwaaa! Chefs kiss. And of course, Vangelis kills it with the music, as always.

[@jimbryce6982]

And the brief exchange with the man who married Wallis Simpson.

[@BocanadaCinemera]

Next topic could be most adapted presidents on film. That's a sequel I'd watch!

[@eduardotavares5437]

If we are talking about BD (before depression) president its probaly 1.Lincolm 2.Washington 3.Roosevelt AD (after depression) 1.Nixon 2.Kennedy 3.Roosevelt

[@TrekBeatTK]

Trump’s actually not entirely wrong. Kane didn’t have a wife who could challenge him or make him a home. He had a wife he prized as an object, who he forced through a career. In the end, Kane looks back on simpler times and childhood and what he needed was a wife who could keep that alive, not a golddigging socialite to be propped up for applause.

[@invidatauro8922]

Then perhaps Trump understands the movie perfectly

[@martymcflown3707]

The delivery of "written by the guy who wrote Patton - good for him!" was so adorably sincere it made me cackle.

[@Haldered]

George Bush Sr's favourite movie being about a Mexican revolutionary is...wild

[@DiamondKingStudios]

Be even wilder if it was his son, based off what I can guess about each’s foreign policy.

[@awildhannahappeared203]

Especially Zapata of all revolutionaries, lmao

[@earhearthush-up5549]

And a socialist Revolutionary as well

[@VHSRADIO]

you gotta remember he’s Texan and men from his generation be like cause they feel like they are cultured liking mexico

[@DiamondKingStudios]

@@VHSRADIO Bush the Elder didn’t even move to Texas until graduating from Yale. He was born in Milton, MA to a wealthy industrialist family, and spent most of his childhood in Greenwich, CT. Bush the Younger I’d get. Even if he was born in New Haven and had his grandfather Prescott be a US Senator for Connecticut in his childhood, he actually spent most of his time in Texas and has the accent, unlike his older relatives.

[@skx444]

This is like a Mr. Beat video lmao

[@KarstenRunquist]

i watched an absurd amount of mr beat videos in preparation for this vid

[@skx444]

@@KarstenRunquist This tracks and I'm here for it

[@GODCONVOYPRIME]

​@@KarstenRunquist yeah uh I'm out.

[@TheTrainFan9]

"Whateva happened to Gary Coopah? The shtrong, silent type." - Tony Soprano, The Sopranos, "Pilot" (dir. David Chase, 1999)

[@notworthyourtime9799]

He was gay?

[@liamcox7057]

Not a movie but I once read that Lincoln liked the play our american cousin. I read when he saw it for the first time, he watched it every day until he died

[@desrever1138]

I honestly don't know how any man could NOT cry watching Field of Dreams...

[@NealFowler]

Trump completely misunderstanding citizen Kane is the most on brand thing imaginable.

[@jeffspicoli763]

How so?

[@KeyDash753]

It's like the whole generation of wanna-be stock brokers who idolized Gordon Gecko.

[@gordon1545]

@@jeffspicoli763 In the same way he used Born in the USA at his rallies. He's not very bright and has literally zero self-awareness.

[@gordon1545]

Yet more evidence for the theory that he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

[@SBSP02]

​@@gordon1545 My guy, you need to stop drinking the Kool Aid.

[@andrewfischer706]

If you go on a John Ford binge you have to watch The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance it’s phenomenal

[@BrendanJSmith]

Stagecoach supremacy.

[@danhurst9048]

How about the grapes of wrath?

[@dogeshark204]

My favorite from him

[@liamwhelehan2703]

When I watched it recently I thought crap! it is also extremely racist. John Wayne goes with the black man who works for him into a bar. The barman says I can't serve him, John Wayne grumbles but doesn't contest the rightness of this rule. Also there is a whole civics class for immigrants taught by James Stewart among them women who can't vote, also the main topic is how awesome and fair the USA is.

[@Cowboy_Anonymous]

Super gay movie if you think about it.

[@Lonesurvivor256]

“And like I said this does track to be a Bush film. It’s got this sincere quality to it….it’s also kind of stupid.” I snort laughed 😂😂

[@aaccrr78]

Yeah. A sincere idiot responsible for war crimes and thousands of deaths.

[@cethomas324]

Me too! Though I’ve somewhat revised my opinion of Bush’s intelligence. I think he wasn’t the sharpest President (which would be an extremely high bar) but more intelligent than I realized at the time. He reportedly does have dyslexia, which likely contributed to some of his gaffes.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@cethomas324 He has a certain cunning. He knows people know he’s not the smartest knife in the crayon box, and he plays into this.

[@wordforger]

​@@cethomas324He's a bit above average intelligence, which, by presidential standards, places him at the middling to lower end.

[@TaraTara-ld2xb]

@@cethomas324 His gaffes were nowhere near as bad as Biden, though I'll stick to my opinion of him (Dubya) being the worst President.

[@mikeoveli1028]

Jimmy Carter was born 100 years ago. He has cufflinks as old as your grandfather. He may have a slightly different take on Gone With the Wind. Jimmy was an adult when GWtW was made

[@franohmsford7548]

Ford was 77 when Home Alone came out! He just named the last film he'd watched with his grandkids!

[@giuseppebentrovato754]

The bigger thing for Bush with field of dreams to remember is that his dad captained the Yale baseball team and bush himself owned/operated the texas rangers before becoming president. He has even said if he was selected to be commissioner he never would have ran for office. Field of dreams is probably not a great movie if you aren’t a big baseball fan, but as a player myself I’d probably put it top five.

[@warlordofbritannia]

I wonder if Bud Selig would have invaded Iraq

[@MightyAvengingLeo]

@@warlordofbritannia Bud Selig would have looked the other way as the steroids era of Iraqi history took place.

[@catsmom129]

IMO, you don’t even need to be a baseball fan. You just need to have daddy issues-which probably applies to 97% of the population.

[@Elcore]

Hope he had more luck finding spooky ghosts to play on his team than he did WMDs.

[@samuelbarber6177]

Okay, I know Carter was President in the 1970s which had some pretty great and transgressive movies, but with Carter being so legendarily milquetoast, I pretty much expected that his favourite film would be one of the most popular films ever made as opposed to something a bit more dicey and experimental.

[@DiamondKingStudios]

He’s a Georgia man through and through. As a longtime resident of this state, we can’t ask for much more.

[@xibalbalon8668]

I really wanted to hear what to hear more about him and Midnight Cowboy

[@kkpenney444]

You really don't know Carter at all. Dude was besties with the Allman Brothers and Johnny Cash.

[@actualnotanewbie]

Not gonna lie, growing up as a black kid interestingly enough, I did enjoy Gone With The Wind as a grand, sweeping, beautiful epic. Makes sense that nowadays I've basked in the beauty of films like the Dune series, Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Kaldi 2898, but I will say that making the two leads as unsympathetic and unlikeable as it does actually made the movie a lot more bearable at the time I saw it last (which was several years ago). I wanted to laugh at them more than I wanted to feel sorry for them.

[@Whynt-e1f]

400 movies? WOW. That's 100 a year. Probably the most interesting movie anecdote I know about Carter is that Carter watched Star Wars with Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt.

[@StephenLewisUniverse]

I really love finding people whose opinions could not be farther from my own. Its refreshing.

[@thunderb4stard80]

Really? Gone with the wind bad? I think this is a very modern opinion that I see quite often now adays, but it is undoubtedly incredible in my eyes

[@canaisyoung3601]

Eh, the only reason people say Gone with the Wind is bad now is because it's too long and its treatment of black people and women, though appropriate for the story's setting and time, is offensive.

[@kkpenney444]

Yessah, massah. Whatever you say, massah.

[@thunderb4stard80]

@kkpenney444 hahhahahahaa fair enough I can't argue my point against that. But it is an excellent movie, that sadly happens to be pretty, massively, racist

[@calvincoolidge1207]

@@thunderb4stard80 How is it racist? They treated the slaves fairly well compared to many other southern owners. Slavery was a reality and to pretend it didn't exist is silly. Also, the main character (a white woman) was the one that came out to seem like having the worst personality.

[@scipioafricanus5871]

@@kkpenney444 what a racist comment, it won't age well.

[@brycekellyhowe]

Nothing gets me more hyped than a Karsten video nobody asked for

[@LoganMcMahon-yq4fn]

I saw Viva Zapata when I was 8, with my grandfather. It was my first “old” film and my first movie without a happy ending. I haven’t seen it since, but I still think it’s a great film.

[@KarstenRunquist]

the ending does rule

[@thediamondkittygamingmore6614]

I could visualize Eisenhower leaning over a screen and shouting run. It's just something you can see in his face that he'd totally do.

[@Broswald_Inc]

Why didn’t any of them say the minions?

[@artlovepeace42]

“The guy who wrote Patton!? Good for him!” 😂😂😂

[@Dethmaster64]

This would have been a great collaboration with Mr. Beat

[@SM-qe4wd]

Yeah I think that would've unlocked a ton of the potential of this video. Great vid but for example Trump's pick could easily be him thinking about his parents' lives. Perhaps Mr. Beat could do a follow-up to this?

[@magules13]

I think you’d appreciate Gone With the Wind more on subsequent viewings. Once you know the characters and their traits and motivations better you can see where the writers were going and what they were trying to convey. Scarlett was a shallow, selfish person and stayed that way until she hit rock bottom and realized what an idiot she’d been regarding someone who genuinely loved her. Aside from that, she was also ridiculously strong and resilient in the face of great tragedy for her and her family and did what she had to do to survive, even if it meant marrying her sister’s beau to benefit Tara (which said sister cared nothing about). Just watch it again.

[@TommyLikeTom]

Field of dreams is a silly concept but a true artist can make a sculpture out of raw clay and I think in some ways a movie about baseball ghosts is the perfect ball of clay to work with.

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

I'm not much on Westerns but I love My Darling Clementine. It's not very accurate as history, it's more like fan fiction. But the performances are superb: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature as Doc Holiday, Walter Brennan as a baddie... Doc's tuberculosis was accurate. There wasn't much they could do for you then. Go to a dry climate and your body will heal itself or you'll die, but you'll die more slowly. But it's not the story or the acting that makes me love it. It's the picture on the screen. The shadows, the darkness, the light, the dust... Every shot, every angle, every set up - it's all visual poetry. Truly a great film.

[@wolfetom10]

Disappointed no president chose my favorite film Dr. Strangelove.

[@felps1917]

At some point in the future, a president will have as his favorite film an animation or maybe even an anime movie like Akira or Spirited Away.

[@GODCONVOYPRIME]

We can only hope.

[@crhu319]

Grave of the Fireflies or don't trust him with the nukes.

[@user-tv1im8cw9f]

Grow up

[@scipioafricanus5871]

@@GODCONVOYPRIME Grow the f up, weeabo.

[@nprnilk]

0:52 even though Wilson only screened Birth of the Nation, it was definitely his favorite film. As he called it “historically accurate” and even had a quote in the movie itself. Then again, it’s not like it’d be ranked high on the list either.

[@Dominos-el7qr]

To be fair to a man who deserves little sympathy, BOaN was the biggest film ever made at that time, impressive in 1915 if not today, there wasn't a lot of competition. The Wind? I don't know.

[@gordonmacdowell8117]

Teddy Roosevelt's love of the Fast & Furious franchise is well documented and after seeing the first movie said: “It is not the one watching the race who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man blew the shift or where the doer of deeds could have done better on the corners. The credit belongs to the man who is actually behind the wheel, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. Also Dom was pretty cool.”

[@TrekBeatTK]

You didn’t get Gone With the Wind. Scarlet is SUPPOSED to be unlikeable. She represents antebellum South, with all its foolishness, racism and naïveté.

[@jamesrochester2459]

Media literacy cap on. "Umm Gone With the Wind is woke actually"

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Well no that’s just not her. That’s a ton of other characters. That’s not a specific trait assigned to her.

[@TaraTara-ld2xb]

Woke people should appreciate that movie portraying the people of the time that way! They're not even consistent... erase history, just to repeat it!

[@gnarwhal7562]

Everybody gangster until you have to watch Woodrow Wilson's favourite 😂

[@canaisyoung3601]

Birth of a Nation is pretty much a film you have to watch as part of a movie history school assignment, not something you watch for fun. I should know.

[@scipioafricanus5871]

Every wokester is gangsta until you have to watch Woodrow Wilson's favorite.

[@christopherwells8800]

"The game of catch thing, I hate to say, kind of won me over. " It's breaking my brain hearing that hesitation, when I consider that such an amazing moment. Unquestionably. I forget that Field of Dreams is actually divisive for some people, even critics at the time. Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars, Siskel hated it. Hearing Bush loved it isn't that surprising though.

[@watching7721]

It's a movie that really captures the spirit of baseball and the portion of American culture baseball represents. This means you won't get as much out of the film if you don't have experience in either of those though

[@lexi7749]

I was surprised about your review on Gone With the Wind. Yea it’s a little slow at times, but I really love Scarlett as a flawed female protagonist. I like the theme of loss and resilience. Maybe I like the sexual tension too. But I do appreciate this movie despite the parts that don’t age well

[@DiamondKingStudios]

My mother was born and raised in Georgia; it’s a no-brainer that she really likes this film, and so do I, setting aside the more questionable elements. I don’t care about the runtime; people have no patience.

[@rebeccag8589]

I agree. I think if you look at pacing for epic films at the time, it's pretty typical. The popularity of the book, the epic story, the hype and lead up to the film, the cinematography, and the performances in the film, particularly Leigh, Gable, and de Havilland, all make it very clear why it was so popular and remains so popular to this day. If you're not used to Epics from the late 30s and 40s then yes, it will seem slow. And definitely some pieces haven't aged well. But I like it and again, I think it's pretty obvious why it was so huge. I also noticed it's one of the few films on this list with a female protagonist, or with any female focus whatsoever. So that was refreshing too! So many Westerns and films about war and sports. Haha.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Scarlett O’Hara is a character I love to hate

[@DiamondKingStudios]

@@warlordofbritannia Same as my sister. After my mother showed her and me the film when I was a teenager, she spent a fair amount of time complaining about the two main characters and how unlikeable they were in her view.

[@kerneywilliams632]

The Searchers is based off RL Texas History/Legend, the story of Cynthia Anne Parker which Johnson would be familiar with the same way Carter was with Gone With the Wind

[@rebeccag8589]

High Noon is one of my favorite films (and I'm not into Westerns in general). It's so well done.

[@matthewwilliam1333]

Karsten - Field of Dreams is a fantasy film not a science fiction film! Make the edit before someone loses their minds.

[@gnalkhere]

11:45 The 007🔫 pointing at JFK was *chef's kiss*

[@jdfromparis6230]

OMG, didn't notice that, but now I feel like rewatching Seinfeld... Also, imagine if JFK became the favorite movie of one of the presidents...

[@scipioafricanus5871]

@@jdfromparis6230 "There had to be a second spitter!"

[@stephanozerillo9601]

This about to be the most peculiar marathon I'll have

[@monovision566]

Reagan’s favorite being It’s a Wonderful Life is bizarre in light of how socialist and anti-predatory capitalism it is. The FBI was literally afraid of it for that reason.

[@katechontist3621]

“I don’t get Gone with the Wind and The Searchers”. Absolute Philistine.

[@aliasjon8320]

I have a feeling that in the years since 2008 there has to have been atleast one conversation between obama and biden that played out like a Michael and Fredo interaction

[@canaisyoung3601]

Yeah. It's called "The Eight Years Obama Was in Office"

[@edisonjensen]

Abraham Lincoln vampire slayer was Grant's

[@1800astra]

Or possibly Abraham Lincoln's?

[@chipwatford7676]

You should seriously check out “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” in my opinion it’s John Ford’s best movie

[@KarlPHorse]

Im so excited for you diving into the Bond movies. You’re going to love them! The 60’s to 80’s bond films are just so much fun. There’s no brooding or themes about the moral ambiguity of espionage and black ops like modern spy movies. It’s just a bad ass with gadgets fighting supervillains in crazy volcano lairs, and similar stuff. Just an all around good time.

[@hottymelly22]

I think this is my first time commenting, idk why, my partner and I have been watching you for years, always catch your monthly movies and look forward to your other videos. Keep up the good work ❤

[@DeathGrip1202]

This video does a great job in connecting the movies to the president (or pointing at the contradictions for some). I this wpuld be an interesting series to keep doing. I know there was an article out somewhere discussing the signifcance of Barack's first date with Michelle being to see "Do the Right Thing", and i'd like to see your take on that.

[@katashworth41]

Do it for British prime ministers, considering how many we’ve had in the last couple of years. Of course you have to try and ask the lettuce.

[@AgnusDeiGloria]

Ngl champ the critiques of Gone With The Wind were weak. The strongest case you made for it was "I didn't like it" which is fine. The film is a technical masterpiece with amazing acting

[@Takeshi357]

Birth of a Nation practically created the concept of a motion picture epic and he wouldn't even watch that one. And considering how hung up he gets on the casting choices of a film made in the 1950s, all I can say is that these youtubers just need to get the hell over themselves.

[@AgnusDeiGloria]

@@Takeshi357 as soon as he criticized the film for being “an uninspired book to film adaptation. Completely stuck to the page. Sometimes directionless…” all I could do was laugh

[@bruceparker1970]

​@@AgnusDeiGloriayeah that criticism naturally calls for some examples of where following the book too closely damaged the film. But we all know there's no way this guy actually read the book so he has to pull a "source? Trust me bro" on us

[@AgnusDeiGloria]

@@bruceparker1970 A film that is nearing to be 100 years old, and has withstood the test of time is apparently directionless 🤣. I guess To Kill A Mockingbird is a bad film because it's too similar to the book.

[@pudding7876]

I definitely like Gone with the Wind much more than Titanic, if only because Vivian Leigh is so captivating. But I think saying a movie is "favorite" for me is something that is a comfort watch,. I've seen many interesting, nuanced, impactful films, but if you ask me to pick a favorite, I would probably pick something that I can just put on and it feels comforting to watch, like The Little Mermaid (1989)

[@devinsmith4790]

Arranged based on the chronological order of presidencies: Franklin D. Roosevelt - Steamboat Willie (1:05) Harry S. Truman - My Darling Clementine (20:51) Dwight D. Eisenhower - High Noon (17:27) John F. Kennedy - Dr. No (11:44) Lyndon B. Johnson - The Searchers (15:35) Richard Nixon - Patton (13:34) Gerald Ford - Home Alone (19:51) Jimmy Carter - Gone With The Wind (5:50) Ronald Reagan - It's a Wonderful Life (24:49) George H. W. Bush - Viva Zapata (1:43) Bill Clinton - High Noon George W. Bush - Field of Dreams (9:27) Barrack Obama - The Godfather (27:01) Donald Trump - Citizen Kane (22:33) Joe Biden - Chariots of Fire (3:54)