A depiction of the two-party system in American politics,The Campaign follows a mayoral race in Muncie and its near-archetypal candidates. Jim Carey is an Irish Democrat, a lifelong politician and an avid campaigner. Alan Wilson is a buttoned-down WASP, who is a criminal lawyer and a soft-spoken family man. We watch as the two make a series of campaign appearances and strategize. The result is a cross between Robert Drew’s direct-cinema classic Primary (1960) and, in its awareness of the pageantry of American politics, a down-to-earth, real-life version of Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975). – DP

The Middletown Film Project chose high school athletics as the subject matter to illustrate the section of the Lynds’ work dealing with leisure. The “big game” of the title is the annual basketball game between rival schools Muncie Central and Anderson High. As the film makes clear, more is at stake than bragging rights; athletics is seen as a road to a college scholarship. The documentary derives its structure from the contrast between the prominent athletes on each team. The white Rick Rowray is being recruited by universities; Andre Morgan, African American, views athletics as “my ticket out.” It is the only title in the series to be shot largely on video. – DP