r3port3r66
11-03-03, 04:16 PM
I'm a liberal, but c'mon. CBS has finished filming a bio-pic about the Reagans. But not without having to go back to the editing table about 18 times. It seems not everyone was happy with what was presented in this semi-true story about one of our American presidents. Here is a story I found on USATODAY.com:
The Reagans' has CBS playing defense
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY
A four-hour miniseries on Ronald and Nancy Reagan has created a firestorm for CBS as Republican loyalists marshaled a campaign to soften the TV movie's depiction of the former president.
Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winners James Brolin and Judy Davis star as Ronald and Nancy Reagan in The Reagans.
• In the past two weeks, CBS has made 18 changes to the completed film, enraging its producers, says a person knowledgeable about the production.
• Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie sent CBS a letter Friday requesting that The Reagans be reviewed for "historical accuracy" by Reagan intimates. Barring that, he asked the network to insert a disclaimer "crawl" every 10 minutes during the film that describes it as fictional.
•Newsweek reports today that CBS is considering dumping the movie on its sibling pay channel Showtime, which suggests that the furor has sent advertisers fleeing.
CBS chairman Leslie Moonves declined comment Friday on any aspect of the project, although he told CNBC last week "there are things we think go too far" in the film. In a statement, the network had defended it as "programming that informs, entertains and, hopefully, stirs meaningful discourse."
The movie, which is scheduled to air Nov. 16 and 18, paints an unflattering picture of a controlling first lady (Judy Davis) and casts James Brolin as an affable but distant leader often swayed by moral convictions.
Perhaps the most inflammatory line of dialogue in the film concerns Nancy Reagan's efforts to enlist the president's help in fighting the emerging AIDS crisis. "They that live in sin shall die in sin," he replies, brushing off the discussion. The film's writer has acknowledged the line was invented, and it has been cut. Also cut: A scene in which Nancy writes a resignation letter for Secretary of State Alexander Haig, whom she fears is usurping the president's power.
In an interview last month, Davis said the film is neither "malicious" nor a "simple-minded iconic" portrait, but it's "respectfully critical."
Reagan loyalists, basing criticisms largely on media reports, remain unswayed and say the portrayal is unfair. "The troublesome aspect is it may be perceived by some to be historically accurate," Republican National Committee spokesman Jim Dyke says.
Yet other partly fictionalized biopics of presidents, including Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy, haven't generated such heat.
Critics note that Moonves, the filmmakers and Brolin are avowed liberal Democrats.
"I am concerned that the past political associations and ideology of CBS executives and actors have seeped into the production," Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., wrote the network Oct. 21.
Contributing: Bill Keveney
It seems many of our Presidents have survived their terms, but many haven't been able to escape the "warts-and-all" movies of their lives.
I don't understand why the writers of these movies choose to make up stuff that isn't true, or is pure speculation. I will watch The Reagans, but I probably won't believe half of what I see. It's a shame too because some people will believe anything they see on TV and Mr. Reagan, though not my favorite President, doesn't deserve to be smeared this way, especially as he is lying in his death bed.
The Reagans' has CBS playing defense
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY
A four-hour miniseries on Ronald and Nancy Reagan has created a firestorm for CBS as Republican loyalists marshaled a campaign to soften the TV movie's depiction of the former president.
Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winners James Brolin and Judy Davis star as Ronald and Nancy Reagan in The Reagans.
• In the past two weeks, CBS has made 18 changes to the completed film, enraging its producers, says a person knowledgeable about the production.
• Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie sent CBS a letter Friday requesting that The Reagans be reviewed for "historical accuracy" by Reagan intimates. Barring that, he asked the network to insert a disclaimer "crawl" every 10 minutes during the film that describes it as fictional.
•Newsweek reports today that CBS is considering dumping the movie on its sibling pay channel Showtime, which suggests that the furor has sent advertisers fleeing.
CBS chairman Leslie Moonves declined comment Friday on any aspect of the project, although he told CNBC last week "there are things we think go too far" in the film. In a statement, the network had defended it as "programming that informs, entertains and, hopefully, stirs meaningful discourse."
The movie, which is scheduled to air Nov. 16 and 18, paints an unflattering picture of a controlling first lady (Judy Davis) and casts James Brolin as an affable but distant leader often swayed by moral convictions.
Perhaps the most inflammatory line of dialogue in the film concerns Nancy Reagan's efforts to enlist the president's help in fighting the emerging AIDS crisis. "They that live in sin shall die in sin," he replies, brushing off the discussion. The film's writer has acknowledged the line was invented, and it has been cut. Also cut: A scene in which Nancy writes a resignation letter for Secretary of State Alexander Haig, whom she fears is usurping the president's power.
In an interview last month, Davis said the film is neither "malicious" nor a "simple-minded iconic" portrait, but it's "respectfully critical."
Reagan loyalists, basing criticisms largely on media reports, remain unswayed and say the portrayal is unfair. "The troublesome aspect is it may be perceived by some to be historically accurate," Republican National Committee spokesman Jim Dyke says.
Yet other partly fictionalized biopics of presidents, including Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy, haven't generated such heat.
Critics note that Moonves, the filmmakers and Brolin are avowed liberal Democrats.
"I am concerned that the past political associations and ideology of CBS executives and actors have seeped into the production," Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., wrote the network Oct. 21.
Contributing: Bill Keveney
It seems many of our Presidents have survived their terms, but many haven't been able to escape the "warts-and-all" movies of their lives.
I don't understand why the writers of these movies choose to make up stuff that isn't true, or is pure speculation. I will watch The Reagans, but I probably won't believe half of what I see. It's a shame too because some people will believe anything they see on TV and Mr. Reagan, though not my favorite President, doesn't deserve to be smeared this way, especially as he is lying in his death bed.