Radio_Lady Discusses: President Bush 'assassinated' in new TV docudrama

[Radio_Lady]

Bush is shot by a sniper in a scene from "Death of a President"

I first heard of this movie only a few days ago in connection with an invitation to the Toronto Film Festival. (I'm not going, but I'm sure several other Portland reviewers will be there.)

Based on what you read here, what do you think about this movie? Will it be -- moreover, should it be distributed in the United States? Would you support it with your admission ticket? It's incendiary -- a hot political potato, to be sure, especially so close to our 2006 mid-term elections.

Here is an British article from August 31, 2006. Be sure to read the opinions by Britons and American at the bottom of the page.

Link here:

President Bush 'assassinated' in new TV docudrama

Held up by a secret service bodyguard in his dying moments after being shot in the stomach, this is President Bush being assassinated.

Surrounded by a crowd of panicking onlookers, the American leader is pictured just seconds after being gunned down by a sniper following an anti-war demonstration.

But rather than a repeat of JFK's shooting or Ronald Reagan's attempted assassination, this shocking image is part of a new Channel Four show.

The dramatic scene, which has caused outrage among Americans, has been created by a British film company for a programme about the effect of the War On Terror.

In Death Of A President, which will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival later this month (SEPT)before being shown on Channel 4's satellite channel More4 in October, the assassination is a starting point for a retrospective fictional documentary about what happened next.

------ MORE AT LINK ABOVE -----

[Canuckistanian]

1. I'd like to hear a Briton's perspective on this

Is this likely to be a smash hit or a flop among ordinary Britons.

What are the external perceptions of Bush? Does any European political faction agree with the American policies?

[Radio_Lady]

2. Did you read the comments at the end of the article? I encourage any UK

residents to post here. Of course, some do agree with Bush; however, most of the people we spoke with on our trip to London and Edinburgh -- were pretty angry at both Tony Blair and George Bush.

Thanks for your post.

[ReadTomPaine]

3. I'd agree - a Brit perspective is key here...

since that is the intended market. Just take a look at George Galloway to see what a difference an ocean makes in popular perceptions between us. I'm curious to see any responses as well, Radio Lady!

[Binka]

4. Angry? Bah. Most People In Europe Loathe The Bastards.

This is the film of the year. Angry does not begin to describe how people in the EU feel about Bush.

[Radio_Lady]

9. OT: Your dancing Hello Kitty is adorable!

[Binka]

15. I Love The Little Thing

I have a giant stuffed one on my bed. I never had many toys when I was a kid and didn't care really but the Hello Kitty is a toy of joy for me!

[Radio_Lady]

18. Binka, I have dolls and kids stuff all around my home. I'm 67 --

used to be a children's show host on "Popeye Playhouse" in Miami, Florida -- and I don't think I've ever grown up!

[serryjw]

5. War discussed on TV think morning

It appears the movie is not really about * assassination but rather HOW the government KNEW so quickly that it was a Muslim
quote.....
In the film, Bush is assassinated by a sniper after making a speech in Chicago in October 2007. The investigation immediately centers on a Syrian-born gunman, and a shocked nation confronts the war on terror in the post-Bush era
end quote.......
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090100858.html

[hootinholler]

6. IMNSHO

The only reason this is fiction is that Darth Dick would take over officially.

-Hoot

[Radio_Lady]

13. Thanks for your comments, hootinholler!

[me b zola]

7. I agree, we should be discussing the movie...

...but I have no real idea of what the movie is about. Does the entire movie center around the assasination? Is there an actual plot to the movie? I hear everyone talking about it but I cannot find out anything of substance about it.

This sentance from your post/link is the most information that I have about the movie: The dramatic scene, which has caused outrage among Americans, has been created by a British film company for a programme about the effect of the War On Terror.

It seems from that one statement that the movie contemplates international politics in the absence of bush*. This is why I believe that there has been such an outrage from the rw.

I think that we should step away from what the rw tells us we should consider about the movie ( the movie may have more to it than an assasination), and consider that the movie has a plot (that I only have the barest of bones understanding of) that nobody is discussing.

[Radio_Lady]

11. From the media center at the Toronto Film Festival, a BIG disclaimer --

Here's the link:

http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2006/media_centre/news_releaseItem.asp?id=261


Regarding the film D.O.A.P (DEATH OF A PRESIDENT) by UK filmmaker Gabriel Range:

D.O.A.P was chosen to screen as a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Festival's Visions programme. Visions spotlights films which challenge our notions of mainstream cinema and explore new cinematic territory. D.O.A.P by Gabriel Range is fictional drama told in the style of a documentary. Range, in concert with some of the finest special effects professionals, mixes archival footage with narrative elements to construct a highly original film; a falsified history on what would be a tragic event. D.O.A.P addresses a wide array of contemporary issues including the loss of civil liberties, the ramifications of war, and ultimately critiques the overwhelming influence and manipulation of mass media. For more information on the film, please see the Festival programme note, available online or in the Festival Programme Book.

The Toronto International Film Festival is committed to the free expression of ideas and to engaging audiences in thoughtful discussion about issues of the day. D.O.A.P contributes meaningfully to the public discourse surrounding current social issues, demonstrates highly original storytelling techniques and utilizes innovative digital effects. The film is not exploitative in any way and treats what would certainly be a great tragedy respectfully and un-cynically. In the tradition of great cautionary tales, a terrible and horrifying event unveils certain aspects of society's current fears and future trends. The perspectives and / or opinions expressed in films presented at the Festival are those of the filmmakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Toronto International Film Festival Group.

[me b zola]

14. It sounds interesting...

I do not see any reason why it shouldn't be distributed in the US. Wingers need to cry into their pillows or something--like they did when F-911 was released.

[stevietheman]

8. Does the world celebrate after it?

I mean, is the movie realistic? If in the film people aren't throwing parties around the country and the world, I would have a lot of trouble suspending disbelief.

[Radio_Lady]

10. Another blogger's input today:

From: http://www.cinematical.com/2006/08/31/death-of-a-president-in-the-u-s/

Death of a President -- In the U.S.?
Posted Aug 31st 2006 4:04PM by Christopher Campbell

This sounds like something we might expect from Michael Moore, but even he probably wouldn't dare. The UK's Channel 4 has produced a fake documentary (is it a mockumentary if it's a drama?) called Death of a President about the proposed fictional assassination of George Bush, to be aired on their More4 channel in October. The film, which will use "shockingly real" special effects to show the U.S. leader being shot by a Syrian sniper in 2007, is sure to be too controversial to garner American distribution, but it will be premiering next month at the Toronto International Film Festival (where it is being called DOAP).

Another upcoming film on More4 is The Trial of Tony Blair, which is more of a satirical look at the imagined resignation of the British Prime Minister. Both programs are intended to spark discussion and debate, but the Bush one will probably be regarded, at least here, as being potentially dangerous. And likely too popular.

[Radio_Lady]

12. More from Toronto on this film -- interesting!

From: http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2006/films_schedules/films_description.asp?id=88



An unknown gunman assassinates George W. Bush. A couple of years later, an investigative documentary is made. It features all the people involved that fateful day: the protestors outside a Chicago hotel; the suspects in the shooting and their families; the Secret Service men who failed to protect their charge; the press; and an array of experts, desperately seeking meaning in this horrible act of violence. We learn, agonizingly, what happened to America… after the death of a president.

This is easily the most dangerous and breathtakingly original film I have encountered this year. Director Gabriel Range’s 2003 project The Day Britain Stopped – which asked what might happen if Britain’s transportation grid was suddenly halted – was his first experiment with this style. He assembles a vast array of media, manipulating and subtly altering it to act as a continuous background illustration of falsified history – and then employs the conventional, after-the-fact style of History Television and its ilk as narration.

But it’s a long leap from Britain’s trains to a gunned-down Commander-in-Chief. Range is up to the task: collaborating with some of the finest special effects wizards in the world, he inserts his characters seamlessly into existing footage. His narrative is also airtight. Cautionary tales are too often flights of fancy; as they push the envelope of credibility, the lessons gleaned from dark speculation become somehow tarnished. Not here. Every moment is completely believable, every comment is somehow appropriate – to the point of chilling, horrifying certainty.

As one might expect, Range is ultimately interested in addressing today’s political issues through the lens of the future. Xenophobia, the hidden costs of war and the nature of civil liberties in a hyper-media age all come under the microscope. The film is never a personal attack on Bush; Range simply seeks to explore the potential consequences that might follow from the President’s policies and actions.

It is the very technique of D.O.A.P., finally, that poses the most haunting questions of all. Not only do we feel the authenticity of mass media imagery slipping away, but Range suggests that his manipulation is merely a more radical example of what we encounter every day.

- Noah Cowan

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. A UK perspective: this film seems like several we have had recently

including "The Day Britain Stopped", mentioned above, which are basically "what if" films, made in the style of a future documentary looking back at the scenario (presumably to keep away from the feeling of a straight piece of fiction, and emphasise they're trying to make as accurate a prediction as they can (given the 'what if' premise), rather than 'what would be an exciting story'. It's probably also a lot cheaper to have actors just saying pieces to camera, rather than everything done in scenes). In "The Day Britain Stopped", 2 aircraft collide over Heathrow, killing many on the ground too, and other transport is affected, which has knock-on effects, and so on. Other films (by other directors) have had scenarios such as the interruption (sabotage or accident, it's not certain) of a natural gas pipeline from Russia feeding most of Britain's heating and power during a cold winter, or the explosion of a dirty bomb in central London by terrorists. They all centre around "what would happen - would the system cope ,and what would we do?" They don't, of course, mean "wouldn't it be fun if this happened?"

This film is more "what would the US reaction be?", it seems. As such, it doesn't seem to me to be something that can't be asked, or made as a film. Yes, they could use a fictitious president, but then the reactions wouldn't be realistic; they'd have to be made up just as much as the president, because this is meant to be the best judgment of what the current US government's, and US populace's, attitude is. That means you have to tie in the real history of what's happened in the past few years, including 9/11, the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Patriot Act, Iran, and more. You could make a film about the populace's reaction to a president being shot by inventing some new politician who "suddenly swept to victory in 2008", I suppose, and setting the film in 2009, but then they'd have to invent the scenario for how that politician, which ever party they had him (her?) coming from, had got there - which puts things further away from reality. And if you're trying to look at the government's reactions, you can only really go with the present one.

Comment on this film in the UK has been fairly light; the fact that they're showing it on the digital channel More4, rather than the broadcast channel Channel 4, run by the same company, would seem to show they don't expect a huge audience for it. I suspect they may have made the decision to use Bush rather than a made up president partly to increase the shock value, and drum up some debate about it, but, as I said above, there are other good reasons for sticking with 'current reality'.

[ReadTomPaine]

16. Kick. n/t

[Radio_Lady]

17. Thanks, ReadTomPaine. Anyone around on Saturday morning?

[chat_noir]

20. DOAP: homonymic to DOPE

[Radio_Lady]

21. I thought about that, too, Chat_noir, but didn't post it.

DOAP
DOPE
DOLT
DONE
DOPA (as in the drug, L-Dopa)


Thanks for bring it up. I love Scrabble -- do you?

[chat_noir]

24. RL, I don't think that I've ever played scrabble

Sometimes when typing I find that I am homonymically-challenged, so I have fun with them.

[Radio_Lady]

25. Never played Scrabble? You haven't lived! Can we do it on the Internet?

I've never looked for it, but it would be fun to play a computer! Like they do in chess.

ON EDIT: Looks like they have downloadable software for that, but I don't put anything on this machine unless my software engineer husband gives me permission.

No, he is not a polygamous Mormon -- but he does require me to check with him about this one issue. I hassle him about leaving the toilet seat in the UP position...

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[AlCzervik]

22. that comment section is plenty interesting for sure

i also noticed that the writer also made a docu drama about Nick Leeson, i'd like to see that because i found the movie "Rogue trader" fascinating. I think what was so amusing about the comment section were the complaints about this movie from people that haven't even seen it but they're automatically outraged and threatened by it. I wonder if the same "outrage" crowd was upset when "Wag the dog" and "Primary colors" came out?

[Radio_Lady]

23. Good point. I have to look at the link again today.

Yesterday, there were 71 posts. I read quite a few of them.

Thanks for responding.

[Radio_Lady]

26. Scotland on Sunday chimes in: President Bush is an easy target...

President Bush is an easy target for assassination

by ALEX MASSIE

WHAT'S less surprising? The fact that many Americans are upset by a film depicting the assassination of President George W Bush or the fact that the film is being broadcast by More4, an offshoot of Channel 4, the home of "radical", "edgy" and "dangerous" thinking that very oddly so often matches the conventional wisdom parroted at London's most fashionably predictable dinner parties?

Nonetheless, it must be admitted that Gabriel Range's Death Of A President - in which Bush is murdered (a blunter word than "shot" or "assassinated" I'm afraid) by a Syrian sniper in 2007 will try the patience and tolerance of American audiences. Reaction to the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival has been predictably negative here in Washington and more generally on this side of the Atlantic.

Rush Limbaugh, the king of conservative talk radio, labelled Range a "sicko", and in this, as in so much else, there's little doubt Rush was telling millions of Americans what they already felt. Congressman Peter King, a Republican from New York, called the movie "absolutely disgraceful" and suggested that "it could incite real violence". Far be it for me to minimise King's concerns but they would carry more weight if they did not come from the mouth of a man who spent decades sympathising with and excusing the actions of the IRA - an organisation that really did try to murder Margaret Thatcher and John Major, among many others.

In any case, the hysterical fear of 'copycat' killing would require one to condemn and support a ban on J D Salinger's Catcher In The Rye - a favourite of John Hinckley, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan - or the book that Bush, somewhat surprisingly, has been reading this summer, Albert Camus' The Outsider. We have, in any case, been here already. Nicholson Baker's 2004 novel Checkpoint featured a protagonist who spends his waking hours fantasising about assassinating Bush. Admittedly, I'm not sure anyone still bothers to read Baker but presumably some nut might get an idea into his head from doing so.

+++For the rest of this article, please visit THIS LINK.+++

[Radio_Lady]

27. Wizbang blog links to the story from Drudge:

http://wizbangblog.com/2006/08/31/bush-assassinated-in-new-movie.php

August 31, 2006
Bush Assassinated In New Movie
Drudge is linking to this story at the top of the page.

This is the dramatic moment when President George Bush is gunned down by a sniper after a public address at a hotel, in a gripping new docudrama soon to be aired on TV.

Set around October 2007, President Bush is assassinated as he leaves the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago.

Death of a President, shot in the style of a retrospective documentary, looks at the effect the assassination of Bush has on America in light of its 'War on Terror'.

The 90 minutes feature explores who could have planned the murder, with a Syrian-born man wrongly put in the frame.

Peter Dale, head of More4, which is due to air the film on October 9, said the drama was a "thought-provoking critique" of contemporary US society.

He said: "It's an extraordinarily gripping and powerful piece of work, a drama constructed like a documentary that looks back at the assassination of George Bush as the starting point for a very gripping detective story.

"It's a pointed political examination of what the War on Terror did to the American body politic.

"I'm sure that there will be people who will be upset by it but when you watch it you realise what a sophisticated piece of work it is.

"It's not sensationalist, or simplistic but a very thought-provoking, powerful drama. I hope people will see that the intention behind it is good."

The film will premier at the Toronto Film Festival in September and was written and directed by Gabriel Range.

It might just be too "sophisticated" for me to appreciate it. The most important thing for liberals to consider in their Bush assassination fantasies is that the result would be President Dick Cheney.

[Radio_Lady]

28. Prediction: It will be standing-room-only at each of the screenings

at the Toronto Film Festival.

The first screening is Sunday, September 10, 2006, and two other screenings are listed also.