A Perfect Candidate, R.J Cutler and David van Taylor's documentary about Oliver North's campaign for the US Senate, receives its European premiere in Prague today, just one week after its US release.
Geoffrey Macnab investigates.
It was during the Iran/Contra hearings that Lt. Colonel Oliver North, patriot, mountebank and sometime arms dealer, first made such an indelible impression on the American public.
As the Colonel puffed out his chest, swore allegiance to the American flag, and gave incriminating evidence against President Reagan, filmmaker R.J. Cutler thought to himself that here was a ripe subject for a documentary.
The project finally came to fruition in 1994, when North was selected by the Republican Party to run for Senate in Virginia against democratic incumbent, Charles Robb, whose main claim to fame was his more famous father-in-law, a certain Lyndon B Johnson.
When it came to feet of clay, both candidates complemented each other perfectly. Whereas North was tainted by the Irangate imbroglio, Robb had a seamy little sex scandal to his name.
Given the Republican Party's generally frosty relationship with the American media, it's a surprise that North's team allowed the filmmakers' such easy access to their candidate.
However, as associate director and editor Mona Davis points out, North's managers had all seen and enjoyed R. J. Cutler's earlier feature documentary, The War Room (made in conjunction with celebrated director, D.A. Pennebaker.) This offered a highly flattering portrait of Bill Clinton's campaign team.
North's strategists hoped A Perfect Candidate would do something similar for them.
"He's a very charming guy," Davis observes of the Colonel, "and he's smart too." He wasn't about to set himself up to be ridiculed. Anyone expecting a savage satire at North's expense will be disappointed. A Perfect Candidate is no kneejerk piece of agit-prop, but a subtle, equivocal look at a political campaign, 1990s American-style.
R.J. Cutler and his co-director David Van Taylor shot well over 100 hours of material. It was up to Davis to winnow this down to its current, 105 minute length. Along the way, some tough decisions were taken. (For instance, a song specially provided by REM was dropped at the last minute.)
It was a tough, close-fought battle. Much to the filmmakers' surprise, North lost. Not long afterwards, he also lost his job as a radio talk show host. Nevertheless, Davis believes he'll soon bounce back. In this particular American life, it seems, second acts are in plentiful supply.
Prod/Dir: R.J. Cutler, David Van Taylor
Assoc Dir/Ed: Mona Davis
Co-Prod: Dan Partland, Ted Skillman
Ph: Nicholas Dobb
Running Time: 102 mins
Screening: 28 June, 17.30, Praha; 29 June, 12.00, Kveten
Severní odhalení
Dokonalù kandidát (A Perfect Candidate) je dokument o volební kampani senátora Olivera Northa natoãenù, R.J. Cutlerem a Davidem van Taylorem. Dnes, pouze jeden tùden po premiéÞe v USA, probûhne v Praze jeho evropská premiéra.
Stalo se to bûhem protiíránské kampanû, kdy se poruãík Colonel Oliver North, vlastenec, arlatán a obãas obchodník se zbranûmi, nesmazatelnû zapsal do povûdomí americké veÞejnosti.
Ve chvíli, kdy Colonel vypínal prsa, pÞísahal vûrnost americké vlajce a vytahoval inkriminující materiál proti prezidentu Reaganovi, filmaÞ R.J. Cutler si pomyslel: "Tady je téma zralé pro dokument."
Projekt se nakonec uskuteãnil v roce 1994, kdy republikáni vybrali Olivera Northa, aby se ucházel o senát ve Virginii proti demokratickému kandidátovi Charlesu Robbovi. Robbova sláva byla za títûna pÞedev ím reputací jeho vlivného tchána, jistého Lyndona B. Johnsona.
KdyÏ do lo na lámaní chleba, oba kandidáti se vùbornû doplnili. Zatímco North si za sebou vláãel kouli v podobû Irangate, na Robbovû jménû ulpûla skvrna men ího sexuálního skandálu.
KdyÏ vezmeme v úvahu obecnû chladnù vztah republikánÛ k americkùm médiím, je s podivem, Ïe NorthÛv tùm umoÏnil filmaÞÛm tak snadnù pÞístup ke svùm kandidátÛm. Tuto skuteãnost trochu vysvûtluje prohlá ení spolureÏisérky a stÞihaãky filmu Mony Davis, která uvedla, Ïe v ichni Northovi manageÞi shlédli se zalíbením CutlerÛv pÞede lù dokument Váleãná místnost (The War Room), natoãenù ve spolupráci s renomovanùm reÏisérem D.A.
Pennebakerem. War room pÞedvedl velmi lichotivù obraz volebního tùmu Billa Clintona. Northovi stratégové doufali, Ïe jim Dokonalù kandidát poslouÏí podobnû.
"Je to velmi armantní chlapík," Þíká o Colonelovi Mona Davis. "A taky chytrù." Rozhodnû do toho ne el s tím, Ïe by dal pÞíleÏitost k vlastnímu zesmû nûní. Ten, kdo ãekal divokou satiru na NorthÛv úãet, bude zklamán. Dokonalù kandidát nepÞedstavuje bezmy lenkovitou agitaãní propagandu, ale mnohostranù, subtilní pohled na politickou kampaÀ v Americe devadesátùch let. R.J. Cutler a David von Taylor natoãili více neÏ sto hodin filmového materiálu.
Na Davisové pak bylo, aby ho sestÞíhala na nynûj ích 105 minut. Bûhem vùroby filmu do lo i na nûkteré radikální zmûny (napÞíklad originální píseÀ, nazpívaná pro film skupinou REM, byla v poslední minutû vystÞiÏena).
Byla to tûÏká a vyrovnaná bitva. Snad i k údivu autorÛ Dokonalého kandidáta Oliver North prohrál. Nedlouho poté také ztratil zamûstnání jako moderátor rádiové show. PÞesto Mona Davis vûÞí, Ïe se North brzy vrátí na scénu. Zdá se, Ïe návraty na scénu jsou pro jeho Ïivot jaksi charakteristické.
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