Vision Thing

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Director Rod Lurie (Nothing But The Truth, Resurrecting The Champ) sent the following to my e-mail box this morning: "The Democratic primary campaign has been electric," he began. "It's been better than any fictionalized version could be. Better than The Best Man, Recount, The American President, The Candidate or The Contender.

"But when people talk about Obama's experience, it seems like a dead argument to me. That's because I look at White House governing the same way I do filmmaking.

"Directors, like any Oval Office occupant, bring vision and ideas to the world that they now control. They are not necessarily experts at the technical aspects of the game. A director has a director of photography and a President has a Secretary of the Treasury. The director has a production designer and a President has a Secretary of State. All the below-the-line guys have to respond to the big idea of their boss.

""First-time directors with no experience, after all, have given us Citizen Kane, The 400 Blows, Reservoir Dogs, Breathless, American Beauty, Buyz in the Hood, Sling Blade, The Maltese Falcon and Ordinary People. Young directors with some but not much experience (liek Obama) have given us The Godfather, The French Connection, Pulp Fiction, Mean Streets, The Killing, Jaws, American Graffiti and so on.

"Once directors gain that experience -- once they taste success -- they tend to get not so much lazier as they are careful. Safe. There are some directors like Eastwood and Huston who improved as they aged, but not many others.

"The same thing tends to apply to our leaders. When he was younger, John McCain was a reformer and a bull that carried his own china shop around with him. It was commendable when he opposed Reagan putting our marines in Lebanon, for example. It was commendable when he lashed at Christian evangalists like Fallwell and Robertson. But now, he's playing it safe in his old age. He's not tweaking the base, not insisting that the Republicans take a good look in the mirror and adjust their tie or realize that the need a haircut. Its as if he needed the advantage of youth's energy to go against the grain.

"Go Obama."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 4, 2008 at 10:57 AM

comment #1

Indeed says ...

Comparing Hollywood directors to the President of the United States.

Wow.

Posted by Indeed at June 4, 2008 11:23 AM

comment #2

Monument says ...

I'd call that an analogy rather than a comparison, and a pretty good one.

Posted by Monument at June 4, 2008 11:29 AM

comment #3

Indeed says ...

I would respectfully disagree and call it a helluva reach to try to come up with a "Obama isn't experience enough" counter argument.

Yes, I understand the Presidency is bigger than one man, but give me a break.

Posted by Indeed at June 4, 2008 11:31 AM

comment #4

p.Vice says ...

How bloated is your ego when you're comparing your job as a filmmaker to the president's? I don't know any director who gambles with the lives of thousands and the future of the fucking world on a daily basis.

Since Jeff only corresponds with hacks like James Mangold, I guess it makes sense he'd get sent something ridiculous like this.

Posted by p.Vice at June 4, 2008 11:44 AM

comment #5

D.Z. says ...

I don't get why a President being compared to a filmmaker is any worse than an actor elected as President.

Posted by D.Z. at June 4, 2008 11:54 AM

comment #6

Josh Massey says ...

Barack Obama is Kinka Usher.

Posted by Josh Massey at June 4, 2008 11:57 AM

comment #7

K. Bowen says ...

The list of great presidents in their forties includes Theodore Roosevelt and .......

Posted by K. Bowen at June 4, 2008 11:57 AM

comment #8

actionman says ...

Kinka Usher! Now that's a name that nobody's heard in years...

Posted by actionman at June 4, 2008 11:58 AM

comment #9

K. Bowen says ...

Because the actor elected president had been involved in politics since the forties?

Posted by K. Bowen at June 4, 2008 12:06 PM

comment #10

D.Z. says ...

Bowen: And yet he's still an actor elected politician since the 40s.

Posted by D.Z. at June 4, 2008 12:15 PM

comment #11

Roman says ...

A "name director"... let's see. I'm thinking "Uwe Boll". I mean I had my doubts but the "Go Obama" at the end sealed it.

Posted by Roman at June 4, 2008 12:32 PM

comment #12

Rich S. says ...

Rob Reiner?

Posted by Rich S. at June 4, 2008 1:21 PM

comment #13

StoneFan1 says ...

After "3:10 to Yuma" (and to a lesser degree "Walk
the Line") James Mangold can no longer be
considered a hack. Sorry! Now, I can't say the
same for Mr. Lurie, Taylor Hackford, Frank Oz,
Michael Hoffman or any number of other
professional hack directors running around these
days.

Posted by StoneFan1 at June 4, 2008 1:49 PM

comment #14

bb says ...

The only problem with Lurie's comparison of Directors to Presidents is that directors enjoy dictatorial powers. Rod Lurie never had a veto overridden by his crew.

I'm sure he considers himself a benevolent dictator.

Posted by bb at June 4, 2008 2:15 PM

comment #15

actionman says ...

Taylor Hackford is hardly a hack.

Lurie shouldn't be so quick to diss his own work; The Contender was waaaaay more entertaining than the endless campaigning done by the democratic candidates.

Posted by actionman at June 4, 2008 2:16 PM

comment #16

D.Z. says ...

bb: You mean well-connected directors. If you're foreign, like Lau or Hirschbiegel, good luck.

Posted by D.Z. at June 4, 2008 3:27 PM

comment #17

Mjs says ...

It's a good analogy. Unfortunately, for two different reasons, it went over the head of most of the readers here.

Posted by Mjs at June 4, 2008 3:40 PM

comment #18

EDouglas says ...

Well said, Rod... it's really down to who Obama picks as his running mate and advisors at this point. He could really pull together a good team I'm sure, but McCain's argument is always going to come down to experience and I'm sure Obama's retort will always come down to McCain's age. This should be a tight battle and I hope that if Obama does become our next president, he proves to be able to back up his words because so far, he's always seemed to be just a lot of talk to me.

Posted by EDouglas at June 5, 2008 4:41 AM

comment #19

Vgbee says ...

Equally there's plenty of first time directors who made terrible films. Hopefully Obama has a half decent screenplay.

Posted by Vgbee at June 5, 2008 8:49 AM

comment #20

messiahcomplexio says ...

what movie is bush making?

Heaven's gate? Apocolyse now? Bratz?

maybe we can call the bond company and have the whole production shut down.

Posted by messiahcomplexio at June 5, 2008 8:56 AM

comment #21

SaveFarris says ...

The same people saying Obama's experience doesn't matter becaue all the real work will be farmed out to his chosen associates are the same ones who say it's not an issue that Obama surrounds himself with the likes of Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Father Pfleger, Louis Farakahn and James Rezko.

Can't have it both ways, gentlemen.

Posted by SaveFarris at June 5, 2008 9:01 AM

comment #22