Party Politics & the Movies Introduction
In this very political year, as we approach the November elections, TCM has invited four prominent U.S. Senators to appear in interviews with host Ben Mankiewicz to introduce significant films in their lives. On October 7, John Edwards, Democratic vice presidential candidate and U.S. Senator from North Carolina, will consider Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Edwards chose Stanley Kubrick's black comedy about nuclear war because of its message that "putting this kind of power into the hands of human beings - no matter who they are - is an extraordinary thing."
On October 14, John McCain, R-Arizona, will discuss Paths of Glory (1957), a drama of French soldiers on a suicide mission during World War I. McCain cites the film's stark examination of the scale in which people die during wartime, thereby emphasizing the gravity of holding public office.
On October 21, Joseph R. Biden, D-Delaware, will offer his thoughts on Dead Poets Society (1989), starring Robin Williams as a charismatic teacher at a prep school of the 1950s. Biden chose the movie because he admires its theme of balancing tradition with individualism, it was shot in his home state - and he's a huge Williams fan.
On October 28, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will discuss To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), selected because its story of an idealistic country lawyer (Gregory Peck) reverberates with memories of Hatch's own past as a struggling law student and a young lawyer who took on pro-bono cases in Pennsylvania and Utah before being elected to the Senate.
by Roger Fristoe
Pathetic and insulting. The whole point here is to give free air time to Edwards. The other senators are there just to provide cover. If they really wanted to do this exercise, they should have not included the vice presidential candidate.
Instead of General/Chat, this should be under Activism, as we ought to do something to freep this. I don't know what could be done with a non-advertiser entity such as TCM, but perhaps weegee's suggestion is the best and only way.