GLENN BURGESS suggests that, despite his record in Spain, Orwell’s enduring commitment to socialist revolution underpins his late novels
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Radical responses from a star turn
JOHN GREEN recommends a documentary on actor Sean Penn's support for progressive social and political causes
CHRISTOPHER POLLARD explains how and why neoliberalism adopted the racist agenda common to the populist right of today
SYLVIA HIKINS recommends a sweeping survey of the world's biggest desert and the people who live there
GUILLERMO THOMAS is persuaded by a scathing critique of the Church of England and its embeddedness in imperialism
MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Materialists, Unmoored, Together, and Bambi: A Tale of Life in The Woods
TONY BURKE revels in the publication of previously unreleased tracks by the great US folksinger
GORDON PARSONS endures heavy rock punctuated by Shakespeare, and a delighted audience
Citizen Penn: The Role of a Lifetime
Directed by Don Hardy
WHEN you hear the name of actor, director and screenwriter Sean Penn, you might either be struck with admiration or cringe.
But what is undeniable is that he is a man of strong views who acts on them without a thought about image or status. On top of his film career, he is a political and social activist and his commitment and progressive politics can hardly be faulted, as demonstrated in this documentary about his work in Haiti.
Yet some may perceive it as Penn acting the superman hero in his own brash Hollywood drama and perhaps something more low key and self-effacing would have been more appropriate. But that would not be Sean Penn.
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