Friday, February 24, 2012

The War Room (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]best


Customer Rating :
Rating: 4.1

List Price : $39.95 Price : $29.99
The War Room (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Product Description

The 1992 presidential election was a triumph not only for Bill Clinton but also for the new breed of strategists who guided him to the White House and changed the face of politics in the process. For this thrilling, behind-closed-doors account of that campaign, renowned cinema verité filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop) and Chris Hegedus (Startup.com) closely followed the brainstorming and bull sessions of Clinton’s crack team of consultants—especially the folksy James Carville and the preppy George Stephanopoulos, who became media stars in their own right as they injected a youthful spirit and spontaneity into the process of campaigning. Fleet-footed and entertaining, The War Room is a vivid document of a political moment whose truths (“It’s the economy, stupid!”) still ring in our ears.

Amazon.com essential video

Documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back) and Chris Hegedus shot behind-the-scenes at command central for Bill Clinton's 1992 election campaign and came up with this film. You won't find the kind of daily damage-control and skirt-chasing indirectly alleged in Primary Colors, but the filmmakers do give us a strong sense of the uphill battle of a presidential campaign. The center of the film is really James Carville, who steered the machine for Clinton's '92 run and who comes across in this film as a deeply passionate, complex, and somehow timeless man who could have fit into any chapter of American history. --Tom Keogh




    The War Room (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Reviews


    The War Room (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Reviews


    Amazon.com
    Customer Reviews
    Average Customer Review
    53 Reviews
    5 star:
     (24)
    4 star:
     (19)
    3 star:
     (5)
    2 star:
     (3)
    1 star:
     (2)
     
     
     

    35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars Carville & Stephanopoulos run the Clinton War Room in '92, August 28, 2003
    By 
    Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   
    This review is from: War Room [VHS] (VHS Tape)
    This celebrated documentary provides a bird's eye view into the inner sanctum of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus spent three weeks shot 33 hours of film, which was later combined with news footage to capture the cause-and-effect relationship between what happened inside "The War Room" and the election of the president. There is no voice over narration to this documentary, just clips spliced together. The dynamic behind it all is the Fire and Ice duo of chief Clinton strategist James Carville and director of communications George Stephanopoulos. Of course, both titles are gross simplifications of their roles in the campaign, and it is impossible not to see "The War Room" as being one of the inspirations for "The West Wing."

    What stands out in watching this documentary is the complete sense that this is what it was really like, which, in the end, is more impressive than the fact that these guys won the... Read more

    Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
    Was this review helpful to you?  Yes No


    17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
    4.0 out of 5 stars The real West Wing, October 25, 2002
    By 
    StevenJM "stevenjm" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
    (VINE VOICE)   
    Amazon Verified Purchase( What's this?)
    This review is from: The War Room (DVD)
    Ok, so The War Room is really pre-West Wing. This is a great behind the scenes tale of how Clinton beat Bush. In fact, I would give it 5 stars if it was a bit longer.

    The leadership and strategy of James Carville coupled with the style and substance of George Stephanopolous led the Clinton campaign to the ultimate prize.

    The viewer sits in on many strategy sessions, hears a portion of phone calls with others in the Clinton camp and sees the behind the scenes maneuvering of other staff members in creating the atmosphere for Clinton's election. The other side is studied briefly, too.

    George Bush's words and appearances serve as a counterpoint to illustrate the reasons for the tactics of the Clinton team.

    A great study of a political campaign in action.

    Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
    Was this review helpful to you?  Yes No


    16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Insight into a campaign, August 6, 2001
    By 
    D "sub" (Metro Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
    This review is from: The War Room (DVD)
    This movie is the current state of the art look into a political campaign on the run.

    Carville and Stephanapoulos are really the central characters in this documentary, not Clinton. The action is very entertaining, even though we all know how the story will end.

    Watching the movie now, it is a bit interesting to see if you can sense the impending fallout between Clinton and Stephanapoulos.

    Watch this movie, and read either "What It Takes" or "The Boys on the Bus" as an essential primer on how political campaigns are waged in the television age.

    My only complaint is that this is exactly the type of movie that can take advantage of the opportunities offered by DVD: Historical charts, timelines, bios, etc. These were opportunities that were missed in this version.

    Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
    Was this review helpful to you?  Yes No


    Share your thoughts with other customers:
      See all 53 customer reviews...

    No comments:

    Post a Comment