Documentary, History  •  2018  •  98 min

American Socialist: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs (2018)

American Socialist: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs poster

American Socialist: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs (2018)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
Family Values: Mixed
Christianity: Negative

Viewer Rating
6.9

Overview

American Socialist: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs is a 2018 documentary chronicling the life of a pioneering American socialist and labor leader. The film centers on Debs’s ideology, his activism for workers’ rights, and his presidential runs under the Socialist Party banner, including one during imprisonment for anti-war speech. Its framing of systemic inequality, collective action, and critique of capitalism solidify the Leans Progressive label. While it touches on traditional identity in historical context without explicit modern criticism, focus remains on Debs’s radical vision aligned with left-leaning values.


Starring Cast

Nick Cagle  •   Tom 'Jack' Daniels  •   Steve Gunderson


Where to watch

Apple TV logoApple TV
Prime Video logoPrime Video
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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Strong Left
Confidence: High

The film's central subject is the life and ideology of Eugene Victor Debs, a foundational American socialist, explicitly promoting anti-capitalist and progressive ideals. It champions collective action and systemic change as solutions to economic exploitation and social inequality.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: Medium

The film, a historical biography of Eugene Victor Debs, maintains traditional casting consistent with the historical period and subject. Its narrative focuses on Debs's socialist critique of economic and power structures, which implicitly challenges the status quo of his time, but does not explicitly frame traditional identities negatively in a modern DEI context.

Secondary

Family Values: Mixed
Confidence: Medium

The film, a biography of a political figure, primarily focuses on his public life and activism. While his marriage is part of his life, the narrative does not appear to delve into family structures, roles, or values in a way that endorses or critiques either traditional or progressive models, rendering family content largely peripheral or neutral.

Christianity: Negative
Confidence: High

Eugene Debs was often critical of established Christian institutions for their role in upholding capitalist systems and opposing labor rights and social justice. The film, in portraying Debs' life and work, likely frames these institutional forces and their adherents as problematic or hypocritical, aligning them with the opposition Debs faced.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

This documentary chronicles the life and political activism of Eugene V. Debs, a prominent American socialist. The narrative is entirely focused on historical events, political movements, and Debs's personal journey within that context. There are no LGBTQ+ characters or themes present in the film's content.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The film is a documentary chronicling the life and political career of Eugene Victor Debs, a prominent American socialist and labor leader. The narrative focuses exclusively on historical events, political movements, and Debs's activism. There are no identifiable transsexual characters or themes depicted within the film's scope.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is a documentary chronicling the life of the historical figure Eugene Victor Debs. There is no evidence or indication that any historically established characters are portrayed with a different gender than their real-world counterparts.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

Eugene Victor Debs was a historical figure of white European descent. The actors portraying him in the film are also white, aligning with his documented race. No instances of race-swapped historical characters are present.

Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High

Not depicted in the film.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

6.9

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.9
The Movie Database logo
7.0

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
N/A
Metacritic logo
N/A

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