Posted on 06/15/2004 8:48:23 PM PDT by HAL9000
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansans turned out Tuesday night for the world premiere of "The Hunting of the President," a film claiming to expose "the 10-year campaign to destroy Bill Clinton."
The 90-minute documentary re-creates interviews done for the New York Times best-selling book by the same name written by Joe Conason and Gene Lyons. Rough versions have already played at four film festivals.
The first public showing, at $50 a ticket — going to a couple of Arkansas-based charities — drew a little more than a thousand people to a ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, a short walk from where Clinton celebrated his two presidential election victories. It is also next door to the Peabody Hotel, formerly the Excelsior, where Clinton accuser Paula Jones said he harassed her when he was governor.
Those in attendance included Susan McDougal, who went to jail rather than cooperate with Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr; retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who sought the Democratic Party's presidential nomination this year; and former U.S. Sen. David Pryor of Arkansas.
During the film's showing, appearances by Starr on the screen drew boos and hisses from the crowd, while Jones' image produced laughter.
Afterward, McDougal got a standing ovation from the audience when she was called up to the stage.
Producer Harry Thomason, an Arkansas native and one of Clinton's good friends, said Tuesday that he read the book in 2001 and thought it would make a good movie, but he had a hard time digging up money to produce it.
"I thought this is a good yarn — there are villains, there are good guys," Thomason said. "But every place I went to finance the movie, nobody wanted to touch it. They said, 'It's been eight years, there's a new president, nobody wants to hear anything about (the Clinton) administration."
A few false starts later, Thomason cobbled together the money and a distributor, sorted through hours of interview tapes and made the movie. He says the timing, out just months before the election, is accidental.
"We're out now, not because of the election — we were just slow," Thomason said. "We wanted this movie out six or seven months ago, but we just couldn't make it."
He sees competition from Michael Moore's politically-charged documentary "Fahrenheit 911," due out in theaters nationwide on June 25.
"I think Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 911' will bury us," Thomason said. "But... I think his film will take in enough at the box office that it probably might even help us some too."
The film purports to uncover a right-wing manipulation of the media, which Thomason says began with President Nixon's call to counter liberal messages in the 1970s. Thomason said some of the most interesting footage filmed for his documentary came from McDougal. The trailer for the film shows a tearful McDougal, asking filmmakers to turn the camera off.
"She suffered," Thomason said.
McDougal, interviewed at the premiere before the film began, said she cried "from beginning to end" of the filming.
But the film is important, she said, because many members of the younger generation learn much of their history from the movies.
"It's always important to get it right, to get the facts down straight," she said.
Thomason said the film shows both sides of Arkansas.
"I think it provides a balance," he said sitting outside of the auditorium where it was to be screen. "It shows some of the characters here, but also it shows the people here that not everybody here was a crook and a thief."
Thomason said he went to great pains to avoid discussing the film's progress with Clinton, even though the two talk frequently. Clinton called Thomason often for advice or editing input for his 900-page memoir, due in stores next Tuesday.
Oscar-nominated actor Morgan Freeman is the film's narrator.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Starr and Jones got Clinton impeached. Ha ha.
Where the rapist sowed his oats.
"On Stinking Pond"
This election will go down as the election Hollywood tried to control.
"We're out now, not because of the election — we were just slow"
A truth & a lie all in the same sentence!
It is also next door to the Doubletree Hotel, formerly the Camelot, where Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick when he was running for governor.
Just reading the titles of these RAGS on the Rapist are giving me a BIG HEADACHE! Vomit alert!
Blaming conservatives for Clinton's destructive habits is like blaming Seagrams for destroyed livers.
My goodness, I'm beginning to think these con artists will be struck by lightning the first time they DON'T lie....
Dale Bumpkin is a bigger HILLBILLY than Clinton is.....and a racist was a Mentor to them BOTH!
Didn't David Pryor get arrested or accused of fraud or misappropriations before "retiring"?
Little Rock hosts world premiere of Clinton docu(drama) mentary
Associated Press | June 15, 2004 | CARYN ROUSSEAU
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansans turned out Tuesday night for the world premiere of "The Hunting of the President," a film claiming to expose "the 10-year campaign to (expose the rapist) destroy Bill Clinton."The 90-minute docu(drama) mentary re-creates "interviews" done for the New York Times best-selling book by the same name written by Joe Conason and Gene Lyons. Rough versions have already played at four film festivals.
The first public showing, at $50 a ticket — going to a couple of Arkansas-based charities — drew a little more than a thousand people to a ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, a short walk from where Clinton celebrated his two presidential election victories. It is also next door to the Peabody Hotel, formerly the Excelsior, where Clinton (sexually assaulted)accuser Paula Jones said he harassed her when he was governor. ( also next door to the Doubletree Hotel, formerly the Camelot, where Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick when he was running for governor.)
Those in attendance included Susan McDougal (convicted of fraud and conspiracy along with former Arkansas Gov. Democrat Jim Guy Tucker) , who went to jail rather than cooperate with Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr; retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who sought the Democratic Party's presidential nomination this year; and former U.S. Sen. David Pryor of Arkansas.
During the film's showing, appearances by Starr on the screen drew boos and hisses from the crowd, while Jones' image produced laughter.
Afterward, (the convicted felon) McDougal got a standing ovation from the audience when she was called up to the stage.
Producer Harry Thomason, an Arkansas native and one of Clinton's (somehow still alive) good friends, said Tuesday that he read the book in 2001 and thought it would make a good movie, but he had a hard time digging up money to produce it.
"I thought this is a good yarn (yarn = tall tale, fable, lies) — there are villains, there are good guys," Thomason said. "But every place I went to finance the movie, nobody wanted to touch it. They said, 'It's been eight years, there's a new president, nobody wants to hear anything about (the Clinton) administration."
A few false starts later, Thomason cobbled together the money and a distributor, sorted through hours of interview tapes and made the movie. He says the timing, out just months before the election, is accidental.
"We're out now, not because of the election — we were just slow," Thomason said. "We wanted this movie out six or seven months ago, but we just couldn't make it."
He sees competition from Michael Moore's politically-charged documentary "Fahrenheit 911," due out in theaters nationwide on June 25.
"I think Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 911' will bury us," Thomason said. "But... I think his film will take in enough at the box office that it probably might even help us some too." President Nixon's call to counter liberal messages in the 1970s. Thomason said some of the most interesting footage filmed for his documentary came from McDougal. The trailer for the film shows a tearful McDougal, asking filmmakers to turn the camera off.
"She suffered," Thomason said.
The film purports to uncover a right-wing manipulation of the media, which Thomason says began with
McDougal, interviewed at the premiere before the film began, said she cried "from beginning to end" of the filming.
But the film is important, she said, because many members of the younger generation learn much of their history from the movies.
"It's always important to get it right, to get the facts down straight," she said.
Thomason said the film shows both sides of Arkansas.
"I think it provides a balance," he said sitting outside of the auditorium where it was to be screen. "It shows some of the characters here, but also it shows the people here that not everybody here was a crook and a thief (only clinton)."
Thomason said he went to great pains to avoid discussing the film's progress with Clinton, even though the two talk frequently. Clinton called Thomason often for advice or editing input for his 900-page memoir, due in stores next Tuesday.
Oscar-nominated actor Morgan Freeman (who?) is the film's narrator.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This resembles truth like moore's farenheit 911 bomb.
So... did you go?
Not that I'm aware of. That sounds more like Bill Alexander, or Steve Clark, or Jim Guy Tucker, or Bill McCuen, or Carolyn Staley, or Dan Harmon, etc.
Who was the racist you are alluding to???
Wonder who they got to play Monica and Juanita?
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