well, a pen pal as lovely as ella, i think it's wonderful. it's wonderful. i look forward to her letters. and i look forward to writing to her. they got together through the friends of the elderly charity, which matches pen pals to make new friends. i really look forward to her letters and we sometimes draw a picture for each other and that's very nice. this is a picture of popeye. oh, wow! it's interesting, because that she's not in school and she's in a care home. for the prolific pen pals, age is but a number. i'm 93 and she's six.

quite a big difference. but we've got a lot in common. writing to somebody like ella, well, it just makes you feel part of the world again. they hope to meet one day in person, but, for now, it's a virtual farewell. aren't we having an exciting time, you and i? we're quite celebrities now. but i look forward to your next letter and i shall be writing back to you as well straightaway. hi, madge, i'm excited to see you when it's much safer. emma baugh, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. a lot of sunshine outside at the moment, a splendidly warm afternoon

as well. wouldn't you love to get to that beach? and also across much of the countryside, it has been a beautiful weekend. but as you implied, second half of the week, all change. we will be plunged into autumn. through this evening above a night, losing a lot of the low cloud and murk we have been seen across eastern scotland in the north—east of england, so hoa are starting on monday, but more sunshine to come at the beginning of the week. struggled a bit through the weekend. further south, some fog across eastern wales, the midlands, first thing on monday, but come the afternoon, pretty widespread sunshine. hazy perhaps for northern ireland, western scotland, through the afternoon, bit of cloud spilling on here ahead of a weather front that will start to encroach on tuesday. but still in the mid 20s on monday. even on tuesday, butjust look at the difference by the time we get to the difference by the time we get to the end of the week, barely reaching double figures, becoming much more u nsettled, double figures, becoming much more unsettled, and wet and windy. but the big change will bejust unsettled, and wet and windy. but the big change will be just how much colder it feels. autumn is knocking on the door.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines — the government says the country is at a tipping point, as it prepares to introduce tough new fines for anyone in england who is told to self—isolate but fails to. if everybody follows the rules, then we can avoid further national lockdowns, but we of course have to be prepared to take action if that's what's necessary. the labour leader says sorting out the problems with testing should be ministers' top priority. if i were the prime minister, i would apologise for the fact that we're in this situation with testing. throughout the summer, we were saying, "prepare for the autumn". instead, we had the exams fiasco. president trump says he will nominate a woman within the next week as his choice to replace the supreme court judge ruth bader ginsburg.

anti—government protesters in thailand call for reform of the political system and the monarchy. now on bbc news, as the us presidential election campaign gathers momentum, talking movies presents a special edition devoted to cinema and politics. hello from new york. i'm tom brook, and as the us presidential election campaign gathers momentum, welcome to our cinema and politics edition of talking movies. president trump reportedly likes a hollywood classic, citizen kane.

joe biden has expressed a fondness for the british period drama, the king's speech. we've been exploring the movie preferences of the presidential candidates and what they may signify. murray, one small thing... yeah? when you bring me out, can you introduce me asjoker? the moviejoker, the origin story for batman's biggest nemesis, is among the films reportedly shown in the white house screening room during president trump's tenure, as are steven spielberg's pentagon papers drama, the post, and the musical drama the greatest showman. but nobody for certain knows how these films resonated with the president, but out on the streets, new yorkers believe they have a sense of what movies donald trump really likes. i think president trump would probably like titanic, something like that. definitely something violent, i would definitely say, an action movie, definitely, like rogue warrior. anything with violence, i would say.

i guess rosebud isjust a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. but it seems the president has quite sophisticated tastes when it comes to movies. he has said his all—time favourite film is director orson welles' citizen kane, regarded by many eminent critics as the greatest movie ever made. its central character is charles foster kane, a wealthy media magnate, a man who accumulates. when he sees something like citizen kane, he does see the pursuit, and he's always been about the pursuit of power and money and ego. now you come here to say, "give me justice". another classic, the godfather, is among the presidential movie favourites, as is martin scorsese's goodfellas. how bad were the academy awards this year? did you see them? when it comes to movies,

the president has been most vocal about films he doesn't like. after this year's academy awards, he was upset that the south korean picture parasite had won best picture. it seems that perhaps it didn't sit well with his making america great again ideology. let's get gone with the wind. can we get gone with the wind back, please? gone with the wind is, of course, a film that's been heavily criticised, especially for having racist stereotypes. i mean, this is a movie about the american south against the backdrop of the civil war and the reconstruction era. it involves a georgia plantation owner, and to some degree, there is something about the kind of mentality associated with trump's base that seems to resonate in some of the nostalgia that gone with the wind encapsulates. in a video thatjoe biden tweeted earlier this year, we hear his granddaughter ask him and his wife a pop—culture question about their preferred tv shows and books. they didn't get around to movies, butjoe biden has

said that the british historical drama chariots of fire, with its story of olympic runners, is a favourite. there is a very famous scene in the film, and it's a scene that he has been quoted as saying is his favourite scene in which one of the main runners in the film refuses to do a race on a sunday due to his religious beliefs. and joe biden has been very open about being a catholic himself, and i think the film and that scene just kind of speaks to his integrity and to his beliefs in a really, really strong way. perhaps you should change jobs. and what if my husband were the king? another british film, the king's speech, which chronicles the efforts of britain's future king, george vi, to overcome a stutter is another ofjoe biden‘s favourite films, perhaps because the former vice president himself has also struggled with a stutter. he did have a speech impediment when he was a younger person and overcoming that, i'm sure, took a great deal of work.

you see the work that king george vi does to overcome that impediment in order to lead the uk into world war ii successfully and come out on top. you are not japanese. i can do it. although the 1988 martial arts action film blood sport is also a donald trump favourite, the president does seem to display a propensity for movie classics, citizen kane, the godfather... joe biden, less so. but who knows what the candidates really like? because their publicly stated movie preferences are very calculated choices, designed to bring them votes. we have 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. donald trump has certainly motivated film—makers, his brand of right—wing populism has alarmed a wide range of directors — who have often been prompted to tell stories that serve a damning critique of the president. tristen daley has been looking at what could be termed, a wave of activist film—making,

that's emerged during donald trump's days in the white house. there has never been a black cop in this city, we thank you might be the man to open things up around here. a majorfilm dealing with themes related to the trump era was spike lee's blackkklansman about a black police officer who infiltrates the ku klux klan in the 1970s. lee took a swipe at trump by showing david duke, the grand wizard of the ku klux klan at the time, uttering the phrase, "america first," a slogan that trump used in his 2016 campaign. america first. the film also featured a tribute to heather higher, a young woman killed at the unite the right rally in charlottesville virginia, where protesters clashed in 2017. spike lee felt strongly about including this incident that has been described as an act of domestic terrorism. we wanted to remind people that this is notjust a period piece and when i saw that... ..american home—grown

active terrorism, i knew that would be included in this film. chanting in recent years, there have been narrative films that have cast a negative light on trump, but some believe that documentarians are especially equipped to use their medium to speak up in this political climate. well, we will certainly see lots of documentaries focusing on trump's attitudes to women, to african—americans, to immigrants, and similarly, his attitudes to violence on the street that's going on in our cities now. if i had not come in as the ceo of the campaign, trump would not have won. some films are able to critique trump by focusing on those that have been in his inner circle, such as the brink, a documentary about former trump adviser steve bannon. in my film, you kind of watch bannon's first year after he's become the most famous and powerful that he ever has been in his entire life because of his association with the trump campaign and then the trump white house. he leaves the white house,

and he is trying to figure out how to maintain, if not extend and grow his power and influence. allison clayman‘s documentary joins a number of movies critiquing the trump administration. many of these films have touched audiences and garnered acclaim, but when it comes to the real world, there is still a question of whether these pictures can bring about actual change. it's really hard to imagine what could convert someone. i think what film—makers like me are doing is a little bit more about exposing, you see with your own eyes what's happening behind closed doors. i think you should let me run the country. those who oppose trump aren't the only film makers who have been enboldened during this time. this man, a far right film—maker who was convicted of campaign finance fraud was given a pardon by trump in 2018. his latest film, trump card, criticises the democratic party and left—wing politics and is slated for release next month.

more generally, as for whether any of these films that oppose or promote trump can have an effect on the forthcoming election, that remains to be seen. music plays two two—term terms presidents, ronald reagan and barack 0bama, are represented in a new just—released documentary called the way i see it. it chronicles the work of former white house photographer pete souza, who served during the reagan and 0bama years. he was a man who had extraordinary access to the president. the film is directed by dawn porter. i know what happens in the oval office, and that's what scares me. pete doesn't do a lot of posed photographs. he really looks for those moments that capture the feeling in the room as much as the people in a room. when i first met pete, his politics were not at all evident.

pete changed. an important part of the film is showing pete souza's transformation from what you could say is a muzzled civil servant or official employee of the government, to being an outspoken critic of president donald trump. how did that come about? pete was just horrified by the casual strawman tactics that he's seeing. with your documentary, it could be said in a way that it ends up being a president obama love fest, because you devote a lot of time to obama and much less time to reagan. i mean, how balanced is this work? the point of this film isn't, "obama is perfect." it is seeing what qualities you need in a leader. and i thank you see those qualities in president reagan as well. his love of his family, his deep concern about the decisions he made. you mention reagan there, he might have been a caring man

in terms of his human day—to—day contact, but there are a lot of people in the united states — liberals particularly — who are very unhappy with his policies which many would say had a destructive effect. that doesn't come through in your film. i'm not a president reagan fan as a politician, but i can recognise his humanity as a person. so i will leave it to other movies to dissect, you know, particular policy, you know, decisions, and i think that those movies are necessary and fair. i know that a big effort was made to get your film ready so it would be able to be released before the forthcoming us presidential election. why was that? do you want it to, in a way, influence voters? yeah! you always want to influence voters. in the united states, we have become a little numb to some of the abhorrent and really dangerous processes in government. you know, we all wanted to remind people that this

is not normal, that we are not in a regular political year, and that this kind of transcends party. the way i see it is fascinating to watch because of the intimate access pete souza had with the leader of the free world. but the film is a little unfocused, it also goes on a bit too long, making the point over and over that president obama was indeed a wondrous being compared to the current occupant of the white house. the presidency is a seriousjob. i was going to do everything i could to make sure people didn't forget that. in this covid—19 world, film festivals are trying to find their way, and the venice film festival which came to a close earlier this month did pretty well. it showcased a powerful feature film called, and tomorrow the entire world. the subject matter of the picture is political but it

explores the rise of the far right in germany and whether or not young people should use violence to oppose it. emma jones reports from venice. this year, the venice film festival offered a glimpse back into the world of celebrity. there were still films asking tough political questions. one of them, and tomorrow the entire world, offers a young german perspective on the resurgence of the far right in their nation. a young idealistic woman, luisa, joins an antifascist group, full of people her age — where she's soon confronted by choices of how far to go to achieve their aims. is violence the only way to get noticed? the co—writer and director, julia vonhines, was writing from personal experience, and wrote a first draft 20 years ago. julia, i understand this movie is slightly autobiographical

to you, is that right? autobiographical is too strong of a word. it's very, very personal. it refers to a time when...it was actually a decade. from 15—25, i experienced a lot of things that louisa in my film experiences, joining a left—wing group, all the group dynamic processes, the questions of loyalty, the questions whether violence can be a political means. i ask myself all those questions. all but one of the main cast are under the age of 30, including the two leading actresses. they play friends whose closeness is severely tested over the question of whether their cause should use force. i think this movie is super important for all of us because we are living in a time where racism and nationalism is rising again. and i read the script,

and i was like, "wow, "that's so on point." and it's crazy that julia was writing this movie or thinking about this movie 20 years ago. the last high—profile international film about young idealistic german activists was 16 years ago, the edukators, directed by hans van gardner and starring daniel bruel. but this is a story about anarchists rebelling against the consumerism of the 90s. this age, vonhines believes, demands something else. in germany, there are many films about nazis, about historic nazis, but also about neo—nazis, and i think this is so important, and i'm very happy that all these films exist, but there are also films about the left—wing radical movement from the 60s and 70s, but up from then there is no telling, there are no films about a very strong left—wing movement. of necessity, historically,

film—makers have given a lot of thought to germany's past and venice is also showing an out of competition documentary, the final account, by the late british director luke holland. he spent a decade interviewing the last generation alive who took part in world war ii. some who were part of the elite nazi guard, the ss, have repented of their actions — others still refused to acknowledge they did anything wrong. how do you think germany is going to react to your film? there might be hate from right—wing groups against the film, but there might also be a lot of criticism from left—wing groups because i don't idealize it, i try to be precise. 0ur movie is not giving a simple answer, and that is what we need. we need movies to move us

so we are confused after it. angry young men and women, wanting to remake a broken world, are not new ideas in cinema, but and tomorrow the entire world seems to tap into the frustration and restlessness that pervades so much of your‘s youth and where that might lead. this is a tumultuous time in america, and a particularly tumultuous time in american politics, with the country deeply divided. in years to come, there will no doubt be documentaries and possibly feature films about the trump—biden contest. any new film that does emerge will have to compete against a long line of political movie classics. noah gittel has been looking back at some of the greatest political films ever made. and i saw three of them in this room — no, sir, i will not yield! at the top of nearly every list of the best political movies ever made are two films. the first is mr smith goes

to washington, frank capra's 1939 masterpiece starring jimmy stewart as a political novice who battles corruption in the us senate. mr president, i did not say the senator was one of the congressman in the room. i was in that room! got to get something on paper. then there's all the president's men, the true story of how intrepid washington post reporters bob woodward and carl bernstein, played by robert redford and dustin hoffman, uncover the watergate scandal which led to richard nixon becoming the first—ever us president to resign from office. besides being exceedingly well crafted, each film delivers the same promise of hope to a different generation of americans reeling from trauma. mr smith goes to washington came at the end of the great depression, a decade of poverty and disillusionment in the american system. while all the president's men was a response to a profound loss of faith in american institutions, following both watergate and the vietnam war. the films succeed because they engage with our darker impulses,

but still provide uplifting conclusions. right now, political tensions in the us are boiling over, which makes these films more relevant than ever. political films can motivate the populace. mr smith goes to washington came out in 1939. that inspired a lot of people to go into politics, because at the end of the day, it was seen as idealistic — even though i don't personally think that it really was. but we will put a pin in that. and all the president's men inspires all these people to go intojournalism. they both have that galvanising effect on viewers, which is to bring you in enough to think, "i want to do that." so they exerted that power that film can do, and they both did it beautifully. i honestly, i think that's down to the craft more than the explicit politics. similar in tone but somewhat less heralded is the 2000 film the contender, in which a senator, played by joan allen,

is nominated to fill the vice presidency, but is subjected to intense sexism during her confirmation hearings. it reckons seriously with the ugly side of politics on both sides of the aisle. but it still paints an aspirational portrait of the political process, and its focus on the double standard applied to women in politics feels prescient. i stand for a woman's right to choose. i stand for the elimination of the death penalty. i stand for a strong and growing armed forces, because we must stomp out genocide on this planet. and i believe that is a cause worth dying for. rod lurie feels the contender, a film he directed and wrote, is in the tradition of other great political films. there's no film like it, where there is sort of an optimistic ending to a film about such a struggle. and i think what we are trying to say is that in our country, the good guys eventually win, that...

gravity is always toward civil rights and the rights of individuals — in this case, to women. one of the most influential political films is z, a 1969 political thriller by greek film—maker kosta gravis. loosely based on real events in the film—maker's home country, z chronicles the assassination of a leftist politician and the efforts of a well intentioned prosecutor to sift through the systemic corruption and discover who was behind it. even though politics find their way into so many movies, it's surprising there aren't even more films that directly address our political system. after all, politics is a subject almost everyone is interested in. and there's drama and tension inherent to the political process. maybe for some, cinema is an escape from the politics that are so ever—present in our lives — especially in the us right now.

for the rest of us, however, there is an endless treasure trove of great political films. well, this brings this special cinema and politics edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you have enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies. and you can find us on facebook and twitter. so, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production team, it's goodbye, as we leave you with a musical moment from the movie bullworth — a political satire from a few years back starring warren beatty. yeah. let me hear you say, "big money"! big money! big money, big money. big money... # one man, one vote, now is that really real? # the name of our game is "let's make a deal".

# now people got their problems, the haves and have—nots. # but the ones that make me listen pay for 30—second spots... 30 seconds, 30, 30 seconds... are weather watchers have been very breezy today sending in some amazing images. this one hasjust come in from herefordshire. —— have been very busy. plenty of sunshine later on, but we have struggled to do with a bit more cloud across eastern scotla nd a bit more cloud across eastern scotland and the north—east of england. thanks to an onshore wind. but the wind will change direction overnight tonight, this cloud and mist and overnight tonight, this cloud and mistand murk overnight tonight, this cloud and mist and murk following offshore, clear skies as we get into monday, a chillier start to the week, but sunshine from the get go on monday.

further south, the white is the map behind me across eastern wales, part of the midlands and eastern england, indicating a risk of fog first thing on monday. that could make for some quite dangerous conditions on the roads first thing. but it burns back and a lot of sunshine, the afternoon. a bit more cloud towards the north—east, a weatherfront afternoon. a bit more cloud towards the north—east, a weather front will dry and squeeze in here. look how much warmer, though, the north sea coast, monday afternoon up to 20 in newcastle. tuesday looking better in england and wales, but weather fronts coming increasingly to play towards the north—east. some showers towards the north—east. some showers towards the north—east. some showers towards the west of england and wales through the afternoon. rain in scotla nd wales through the afternoon. rain in scotland and northern ireland. but still looking pretty warm at this stage. midweek, and that's when it is all change, the weather front sweeps its way across the uk, and we will all see some rain for a time. increasingly windy, a ridge of high pressure, chilly to the north, first and on thursday, but then the latter pa rt and on thursday, but then the latter part of the week when cold air floods in behind that weather front

all the way south. thursday and friday, on the one ambers and the yellows, we a re friday, on the one ambers and the yellows, we are into arctic air, the blue shading behind me, and with a northerly breeze, feel chilly. so the positioning of some of some of these weather fronts a bit uncertain as we these weather fronts a bit uncertain as we look at the second half of the week, but the message to take is that it will be feeling chilly, there will be some rain around at times, it will be windier, but temperatures coming down quite suddenly even into wednesday adjusts 15 or 16 celsius across the southern half of the uk, but the really big contrast, it was 31 for the south of the uk through the early part of this week, and by the end of the week ahead, looking atjust 13 celsius in london. and it will feel cold across the uk, some sunny spells yes, but a chilly old northerly wind. autumn will be moving in.

this is bbc news. the headlines at five... the government says the country is at a tipping point, as it prepares to introduce tough new fines for anyone in england who is told to self—isolate but fails to. if everybody follows the rules then we can avoid further national lockdowns. but we of course have to be prepared to take action if that is what is necessary. the labour leader says sorting out the problems with testing should be ministers' top priority. if i was the prime minister, i would apologise for the fact that we are in this situation with testing. throughout the summer, we were saying prepare for the autumn. instead we had the exams fiasco. president trump says he will nominate a woman