MovieFest 2006 - Part III

The Allen County Young Democrats present "The War Room", FREE OF CHARGE, at The Cinema Center on Wednesday, October 18th. Doors open at 6 PM with the show starting at 6:30. The Cinema Center is located at the corner of Main & Clay in downtown Fort Wayne.

The War Room

When Bill Clinton became the first Democrat elected president in 12 years in 1992, he didn't do it alone. "The War Room" focuses on two of the people responsible for putting him there, James Carville and George Stephanopolous. Stephanopolous seems like the kind of person you would want to run a campaign. He's well-spoken, well-dressed and could easily serve as the host of a Sunday morning political talk show. Carville, on the other hand, seems like the uncle that you love to watch the big game with. Even when he's working in the "War Room." the campaign's headquarters in Little Rock, AK, he's usually decked out in gear apparently from Louisiana State University's bookstore. He's outspoken, charismatic, and very deserving of his nickname, "The Ragin' Cajun." Filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker follows the two from January of 1992 until the election in November. During that time, Carville and Stephanopolous guide the campaign around the potential disaster of the Gennifer Flowers scandal and the surprise threat of the Perot candidacy. While the campaign navigates these potential stumbling blocks, some of the most interesting parts of the film are the things that never became national stories. Carville tries to get the story behind footage from Brazilian television, showing campaign materials being printed, something that, if done with federal money, Carville thinks could turn into a scandal that could benefit the campaign. At one point, Stephanopolous gets a call from someone threatening to go public with a story that the caller says could threaten the candidacy. Watching Stephanopolous attempt to dissuade the caller is not that unlike watching a police negotiator talk someone down off a building. The popular vision of campaign manager is that they're intent on tricking the public into voting for their candidate. "The War Room" paints Carville and Stephanopolous in a different light. They seem to be genuinely trying to make the country a better place, and the moments where that passion shines through are some of the most touching in the film. "A revealing film and an invaluable document,"- The New York Times. "An entertaining look under the tent flaps of the Clinton campaign, "The War Room" fairly bristles with the frenetic energy, flat-out fun and Southern-fried cunning that won the White House" - The Washington Post. 96 min.