They're chatting about this painting and how it's talking about the state of their country. And they then go on to talk about other national characters, such as America. They say Hollywood is a great anti revolutionary force in America because they would see films that would make them feel good or made them think things weren't too bad after all. It was similar to the Roman idea of bread and circuses. The Romans were in charge of countries and societies to keep the ordinary people in their place by providing plenty of bread so they wouldn't be hungry.