Bush Assassination Movie

[mrsimperless]

hxxp://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/12/filmfest.president.reut/index.html

I am sickened yet intrigued.

TORONTO, Ontario (Reuters) -- After you kill off President George W. Bush in a fictional film, what do you do? How about make a deal.

Gabriel Range, the British producer/director/creator of "Death of a President," the fictional documentary that sight unseen became one of the most talked-about movies of the Toronto Film Festival, has sold U.S. distribution rights to Newmarket Films, which handled Mel Gibson's equally provocative movie "The Passion of the Christ."

Newmarket, which reportedly paid $1 million for the film, is expected to give "President" a wide release within the next few months. It will air on Britain's Channel 4 next month.

Range's film opened on Sunday night to a sell-out festival crowd, which sat respectfully through it and applauded briefly at the end. Those who remained after the screening peppered the filmmaker with questions on how he achieved his special effects. (Watch advocates on both sides debate the film -- 2:45)

The film is shot as if it were a conventional television documentary, even though the events are fictional.

Range, who also co-wrote the film, uses footage taken of Bush during three visits to Chicago to create the scenes that lead up to the president being shot.

He also uses special digital effects to superimpose the head of the president on that of an actor pretending to be shot, and he creates a flowery eulogy delivered by President Dick Cheney at the funeral of his predecessor.

The movie opens with demonstrations against Bush as he visits Chicago in 2007. As he leaves a hotel after delivering a speech, he is shot by a sniper in a nearby building.

A police hunt leads to the arrest of a Palestinian man on flimsy evidence. Later the man is convicted of the assassination and kept in prison even as evidence points to another person as having committed the crime.

"The reaction of the general public was very good," Range said in an interview with Reuters about the opening night response.

"People didn't know what to expect. Our film has a very striking premise but it is not sensational or gratuitous. I hope people will see it as a balanced film and compelling drama. It is an oblique look at the ways the United States has changed since 9/11. We use the lens of the future to explain the past."

The 93-minute film's subject matter has led to protests in the United States, especially from conservatives. Range said he has received five or six death threats.

But he said that was because there was a rush to judgment about his film, without people knowing what was in it. "We portrayed the horror of assassination. I don't think anyone would get the idea of assassinating Bush from this film," Range said.

[Bee]

Sounds incredibly boring.

[Drake]

Needs more Iceland.

[Toddzilla]

The 93-minute film's subject matter has led to protests in the United States, especially from conservatives. Range said he has received five or six death threats.

[Jonathan Ezarik]

Originally Posted by mrsimperless

I am sickened yet intrigued.

Just curious: Why are you sickened by this movie?

a flowery eulogy delivered by President Dick Cheney at the funeral of his predecessor

For some reason, the image of Cheney giving a "flowery eulogy" makes me chuckle. I might have to go see this movie just for this scene.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Bee

Sounds incredibly boring.

It does seem like they're relying on the tag line, and not doing anything particularly compelling in the film itself.

[kcchief19]

Things like this aren't unheard of literature, but they seem more rare in cinema. There are plenty of novels that take real characters and plunge them into fictional scenarios, including death.

One example that jumps to mind is Tom Clancy's Patriot Games, where while he only refers to him by his title and description, Jack Ryan foils an assassination attempt on Prince Charles. In the movie, it was changed to a fictional minor member of the Royal Family.

[Desnudo]

Probably secretly fulfills the fantasies of a lot of anti-bushers who would never openly admit to wanting someone dead.

[Jonathan Ezarik]

Originally Posted by molson

It does seem like they're relying on the tag line, and not doing anything particularly compelling in the film itself.

This was my first thought as well, but this quote changed my mind.

It is an oblique look at the ways the United States has changed since 9/11. We use the lens of the future to explain the past.

It could be an interesting social commentary piece. It would have been nice if they had used a fictional president and maybe make it take place in 2010 or something, but I can see the marketing reasons behind using this particular president. Not that I agree with those reasons, but I understand them.

[Jonathan Ezarik]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

Probably secretly fulfills the fantasies of a lot of anti-bushers who would never openly admit to wanting someone dead.

Are you kidding? As much as people hate W, the thought of President Cheney is terrifying.

[Schmidty]

What an idiotic idea.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

Silly isn't it. Just like abortion activists that kill doctors because they are violating the commendment "Thou shall not kill"

[BrianD]

I am a little surprised a movie like this can be made. Bush is a public figure, but wouldn't he need to give his permission to have his likeness used in a movie? I remember clips of different Clinton speeches used in the movie Contact, but I seem to remember they they needed his permission to do that.

[Neon_Chaos]

Still shot from the movie being used as publicity on TV shows (that's a pretty solid Bush look-alike.:

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Still shot from the movie being used as publicity on TV shows (that's a pretty solid Bush look-alike.:

It is apparently not a look-alike. From the article...

"He also uses special digital effects to superimpose the head of the president on that of an actor pretending to be shot."

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

What an idiotic idea.

Compared to the shit hollywood puts out today? At least this idea has some originality.

[Bee]

Now if this were a game like Dead Rising where you had to go kill politicians instead of zombies, I'd preorder.

[Greyroofoo]

I think the idea is an interesting one.

Of course it's all about the execution (no pun intended) of the movie.

[dervack]

Originally Posted by Bee

Now if this were a game like Dead Rising where you had to go kill politicians instead of zombies, I'd preorder.

Why preorder? Should wait for furst impresions.

[CraigSca]

PureSim better game this year.