Episode
The Spook Who Sat By The Door: Most Radical Black Film of the 70s?
- Published
- Jun 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2777
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Summary
We sit down to talk about THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR; Based on the novel by Sam Greenlee, the film follows Dan Freeman, the first Black CIA officer, who uses the counterinsurgency and intelligence tactics he learns from the U.S. government to train Black militants in Chicago and build an underground revolutionary movement. We explore its gender politics and the limited role afforded to women in its revolutionary vision, the hierarchical model of organizing it presents, and the ways the film reproduces familiar masculine revolutionary archetypes centered on secrecy, military discipline, and charismatic male leadership. Fifty years later, The Spook Who Sat by the Door remains essential viewing for what it imagines about liberation and the questions it leaves unresolved. Read the book, THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (affiliate link): https://bookshop.org/a/109212/9780814349571 To watch the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-56GKbPtk Check out ANARCHISM ON FILM Letterboxd list: https://letterboxd.com/thedugoutpod/list/anarchism-on-film-w-the-dugout-a-black-anarchist/ ---------------------------- Stay connected with The Dugout ! Follow us for updates, exclusive content, and more: 🔗 OUR WEBSITE: https://www.thedugoutpodcast.com/ 🔗 Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dugoutpodcast/ 🔗 Substack : https://tdugout.substack.com/ 🔗 YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@thedugoutpod 🔗 Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/TheDugoutPod 🔗 OUR LINKS : https://bio.site/thedugoutpodcast 🔗 Watch Prince Shakur on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMgrSHWLLU4U_FnJ1u10Ug