THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT: Blu-ray (Castlerock, Columbia, Universal, 1995) Warner Home Video
In a tumultuous election year as this one, regrettably, has been, I find comfort in revisiting movies that continue to speak to American principles on which the nation was founded, long-since revered, and justly celebrated. To a great extent, American movie culture has defined that experience for quite some time. Indeed, for many living outside its borders, American exceptionalism is best represented by these goodwill ambassadors of pop culture – better known to the world at large as ‘stars’ or, within the boundaries of southern California, just good ole hard-working Hollywood folk. Alas, as the decades have worn on, the movies began to reflect a more varied, arguably ‘truthful’ but oft bittersweet re-imagining of that American dream, increasingly tarnished, dulled and darkened by pictorialized ruminations as unfaithful as the cockeyed and celebratory patriotic flag wavers of yesteryear. Personally, I prefer these latter indulgences, however over-inflated; America – the beautiful, that shining beacon to always hold higher than the lot as our best hope and last bastion for liberty. And so, the steadfastness of this sort of pie-eyed musing is seasoned to perfection in director, Rob Reiner’s The American President (1995) – a movie apt to leave one smiling with a fuzzy warm afterglow for the kind of pre-processed ‘pursuit of happiness’ made genuine in the Constitution, but nowhere better glorified than in the flicks.
The ghost of Frank Capra must have been shining down
on The American President, an unabashedly sentimental and utterly
heart-warming rom/com imbued with the frothy ‘feel good’ of a classy screwball
comedy. Scripted by Aaron Sorkin, the film is often seen as a precursor to his
popular TV melodrama, The West Wing. But actually, the property began
its gestation nearly two decades before as ‘The President Elopes’
– a screenplay first optioned by Robert Redford that, for one reason or another,
simply changed hands in Hollywood one too many times before languishing inside
studio vaults for the next 20-years. Sorkin’s resurrection of it would result
in a lawsuit by the original author, William Richert – later settled in Sorkin’s
favor. Meanwhile, Redford, who had aspired to play the lead himself, bowed out
of the project. It was at this juncture that Rob Reiner was approached to
direct, instantly smitten with the idea of telling an intimate story about a
largely idealized White House and its dedicated administrative staff. But
Reiner saw the piece as more ensemble and political than romantic.
Nevertheless, the picture’s Capra-esque quality may have been pre-ordained
rather than kismet, as Frank Capra III was The American President’s
first assistant director. Despite some heavy-hitting talent in front of the
camera, augmented by John Seale’s gorgeous cinematography, the real/reel star
of our show is Sorkin; the picture, a turning point in his career and his
private struggles, an intelligently scripted masterpiece imbued with the
aforementioned American ideal, revealed during a very dark period, as Sorkin
was battling cocaine addiction. Despite this backstage melodrama, Sorkin’s
heartfelt prose manage to create a witty elegance on the screen. His characters
are flawed but always bursting with something compelling to say. The
American President is also blessed with a stellar ensemble fronted by
Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, both of whom give indelible performances.
Of the two, Douglas’ is perhaps the more startling, coming as it did after
nearly a decade of playing significantly flawed, morally ambiguous and slightly
scummy philanderers. Herein, Douglas embodies a man of conviction, equally
balanced in his gentlemanly grace as his politically-motivated gravitas.
Our story begins the morning after a televised address
with Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), the most popular President in years,
preparing for his second run at the White House. A.J. MacInerney (Martin
Sheen), Shepherd’s Chief of Staff, encourages him to put his full support
behind a moderate crime bill that is currently lacking favor in both the House
and the Senate. The President’s PR strategist, Robin McCall (Anne Deavere
Smith) believes Shepherd is a shoo-in, his status as a lonely widower exploited
in his favor, swaying popular sentiment from the electorate the first time
around. Time for a second trip to that well. But Shepherd’s ever-devoted
campaign manager, Lewis Rothchild (Michael J. Fox) is in a frazzle over the
president’s moderate ‘slip up’ in which he suggested ‘Americans can no longer
be contented to live in a great society.’ “Now there’s this ‘thing’ out
there!” Lewis suggests. Shepherd, however, is unnerved and even jovial
while contemplating the way his words will be reinterpreted by his pundits. At
a private lobbyist’s meeting, the president is introduced to hardline
environmentalist, Sidney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). Sidney fumbled her
initial chances, calling out Shepherd for what she perceived as his weak-kneed
policies, but without first realizing he is standing directly behind her. It’s
an awkward start to say the least. But Shepherd is mildly amused by her
fortitude and guts. And Sidney does redeem herself rather nicely when, at a
state dinner honoring President Rene Jean D’Astier of France (Clement von
Franckenstein) she salvages the rather dull conversation by speaking to
D’Astier in his native language. The evening ends on a high note and Sidney
returns to work invigorated.
Alas, Leo Solomon (John Mahoney) and the firm who
hired Sidney are not entirely certain Shepherd’s new-found attentions being
paid their hired gun will lead to wider acceptance of their political lobbying.
In fact, Leo openly tells Sidney “we hired a pit bull, not a prom queen”,
and forewarns Sidney her popularity in Washington can be clocked with an egg
timer. Throwing caution to the wind, Sidney begins a romance with the president
that places both their careers under close scrutiny from the press. Meanwhile, Republican
incumbent, Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss) seizes the opportunity to attack Shepherd’s
morality and family values. He also vilifies Sidney in the press, labeling her ‘the
first mistress’. Moderately embarrassed, though ever persistent, Sidney
campaigns hard for the environmentalist bill and Shepherd decides to play a
numbers game he is certain she will be unable to win. If Sidney can secure 24-votes
by the time of his State of the Union he agrees to deliver the last ten votes
necessary to put the proposal forth as a bill. Unfortunately, Bob Rumson’s
accusations, though unfounded, have done considerable damage to Shepherd’s
credibility and his poll numbers plummet, compounded by the fact Shepard has offered
no rebuttal to these personal attacks on his morality, suggesting to Robin and Lewis
– no one wins a character debate. Diehards in congress suddenly back down from
bolstering their support. Meanwhile, without first considering the political
ramifications, Sidney unknowingly gives the president and MacInerney some
insider information during a Christmas party at the White House. She confides
that one of the congressmen from Michigan she has been trying to woo to support
the environmental bill has revealed to her that the only piece of legislation
he and his backers are more interested in defeating is the President’s new
crime bill.
Sidney gets enough votes to meet her quota.
Unfortunately, Shepherd’s team informs him he is three votes shy of securing
re-election and thus must shelve his commitment to the environmental bill,
thereby solidifying campaign support from the Michigan ‘big three’. MacInerney
tells Shepherd he had better start thinking with the right head if he intends
to win re-election, causing a temporary rift in their professional and personal
relationship. In the meantime, Solomon apprises Sidney that she has been duped
by the president and then unceremoniously fires her for failing to meet the
committee’s objectives. Her political reputation in tatters, Sidney wastes no
time speeding to the White House to admonish Shepherd for betraying his promise
to her. She informs him that she has decided to regroup and take a job in
Harford, Connecticut. Shepherd implores Sidney to reconsider, but she
condescendingly replies, “Mr. President, you have more important things to
worry about than losing me…you’ve just lost my vote!” Realizing that he has been untrue, not just
to Sidney but the fundamental principles he once so firmly believed in and
campaigned on, Shepard fields questions from the press room, broadcast on TV;
discrediting Rumson’s attacks on Sidney, throwing his full support behind the
environmental bill and suspending his crime bill until tougher terms can be
rewritten into its legislation.
“For the
last couple of months…” Sheperd
begins, “…Senator Rumson has suggested that being President of this country
was, to a certain extent, about character. And although I've not been willing
to engage in his attacks on me, I have been here three years and three days,
and I can tell you without hesitation, being President of this country is
entirely about character…America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship.
You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say,
"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make
your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his
lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."
You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your
country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens
exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend
that, celebrate that in your classrooms.
Then you can
stand up and sing about the land of the free…We have serious problems to solve,
and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem
is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He
is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and
telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win
elections. You gather a group of middle age, middle class, middle income voters
who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family,
and American values and character, and you wave an old photo of the President's
girlfriend and you scream about patriotism. You tell them she's to blame for
their lot in life. And you go on television and you call her a whore… you want
a character debate, Bob? You better stick with me, 'cause Sydney Ellen Wade is
way out of your league… If you want to talk about character and American values
- fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up. This a time for serious
people, Bob, and your fifteen-minutes are up.”
The strength of the President’s convictions rouses everyone to their feet, reinvigorating the White House in their bid to see him reelected. Hurrying from the Press Room to the Oval Office, Shepherd informs MacInerney that whatever it takes he intends to win back Sidney’s love and respect, only to discover her waiting for him, teary-eyed, but heart swollen with pride. As the President prepares for his ‘State of the Union’ address, he presents Sidney with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. Throughout the movie, it is something of a running gag that this simplest of tasks proves somehow impossible for him. When Sydney, in acknowledgement of his ‘achievement’ inquires how he managed to be President and still find the time to send his best girl flowers, Shepard charmingly replies, “Well, as it turns out…I have a rose garden!” The film concludes with Shepherd appearing in the House chamber to give his State of the Union.
Warner Home Video’s Blu-ray release is a tad perplexing, not the least in trying to unravel the rights to this movie – distributed by WB, but originally co-funded by the now defunct Castlerock Entertainment, and Universal Pictures, distributed by Columbia (nee, Sony). I sincerely wish Warner had done a little bit more work on this 1080p transfer. Right from the main titles, some minor edge effects intermittently crop up. The image, while sharp, appears slightly over-processed. Grain is absent. Colors are bright and flesh tones appear natural. But again, this just looks a tad too artificially sharpened. Overall, contrast is solid. The biggest transgressor here is intermittent chroma bleeding, especially reds. Check out the scenes in the billiard room where the wallpaper creates some disturbing red halos occasionally to overlap onto other portions of the image. Does the image advance over the tired old DVD release? Absolutely! But isn’t exactly perfect. Were that Warner would remaster this one in native 4K. The 5.1 Dolby Digital audio is adequate. But again, a 7.1 DTS would add more subtly here. Marc Shaiman’s gorgeous score sounds wonderful. Dialogue, however, is occasionally strident. Very sad – no extras. For shame! Bottom line: one of the true high points of American picture-making, circa the mid-1990’s and movie in which all concerned can take monumental pride.
FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)
5
VIDEO/AUDIO
3
EXTRAS
0
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