Posted on 04/07/2006 1:12:04 PM PDT by presidio9
George Clooney's production company is reportedly facing legal action over allegations from a French screenwriter that his Oscar-winning oil thriller "Syriana" was plagiarized. Stephanie Vergniault is reportedly suing Section Eight, as well as the movie's other makers -- Warner Bros. and director Stephen Gaghan -- for copying at least 15 scenes from her own script, "Oversight," developed between 1997 and 2003, according to published reports.
Gaghan has claimed inspiration from C.I.A. agent Robert Baer's book "See No Evil," but Vergniault is vehement that the similarities to her film project are even more pronounced and is looking for a $2.45 million payday.
A spokesman for Warner Bros. reportedly described her accusations as being "without merit," adding, "We will defend our position in court."
"Syriana" earned George Clooney a best supporting actor Oscar at the Academy Awards last month.
Section 8 is the name of G. Looneys production company? How fitting.
OTOH, this would be an example of a thread that was correctly moved to chat. Nicely done.
This does make sense, since Robert Baer's book and the movie have almost nothing in common.
I haven't seen Syriana, but I've read Baer's book, and although Baer touches on the American double standards and crack addicted dependency on Saudi oil and gifts (during the Clinton years no less, something I doubt the Hollywood Leftists conveyed in Syriana), the rest of his book is about India, Lebanon, and Northern Iraq, and hardly a leftist mouthpiece. Baer's a Democrat and a Kerry supporter, I think more to do with his adverse reaction to conservative Christianity than hardcore leftwing ideology.
Looking at the reactions to the film's plot and emphasis, Syriana seemed to focus entirely on the "anti-American corporate oil culture" aspects of "See No Evil", and not the depravity of the Iranian terrorists and Hussein's Iraq, or the stupid head-in-the-sand approach that led to the U.S. having only a couple of CIA operatives in the entire Middle East following the Ford/Carter years--also outlined in the book. So it wouldn't surprise me if Syriana ripped off another person's work, because it would be a faint resemblance to Baer's.
Ha! Ha! See what happens when you shoot your mouth off, Clooney...
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