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| Wag the Dog | |
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| Directed by | Barry Levinson |
| Produced by | Barry Levinson Robert De Niro |
| Written by | Hilary Henkin David Mamet |
| Starring | Dustin Hoffman Robert De Niro Anne Heche Denis Leary William H. Macy Willie Nelson |
| Editing by | Stu Linder |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | December 17, 1997 |
| Running time | 97 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb | |
Wag the Dog is a 1997 film starring Robert De Niro, about a Washington spin doctor who distracts the electorate from a U.S. presidential sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, to construct a fake war with Albania. The scheme enlists the musician Willie Nelson (who creates a theme song for the 'war'). Hoffman's character was based directly upon Robert Evans; Hoffman emulated Evans' work habits, mannerisms, quirks, clothing style, hairstyle, and his large square-framed eyeglasses; the real Evans is said to have joked, "I'm magnificent in this film."1
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Plot
Wag the Dog was produced and directed by Barry Levinson. Hilary Henkin and David Mamet co-wrote the screenplay. The film is based on the novel American Hero by Larry Beinhart. The book, however, differs greatly from the picture. In the book the president is specifically George Herbert Walker Bush (in the movie he is unnamed) and the fake war operation is explicitly Desert Storm.
The film explores serious themes, such as the manipulation of the mass media and public opinion by the government, with a comedic sensibility. The film drew attention at the time for similarities to the Clinton sex scandal, although the movie also makes reference to the Persian Gulf War as an example of war used as an electoral tactic. The film also brings together the worlds of politics and Hollywood and explores similarities between the two.
Cast
- Robert De Niro - Conrad Brean
- Dustin Hoffman - Stanley Motss
- Anne Heche - Winifred Ames
- Denis Leary - Fad King
- Willie Nelson - Johnny Dean
- Andrea Martin - Liz Butsky
- Kirsten Dunst - Tracy Lime
- William H. Macy - CIA Agent Charles Young
- John Michael Higgins - John Levy
- Suzie Plakson - Grace
- Woody Harrelson - Sgt. William Schumann
- Michael Belson - The President
- Suzanne Cryer - Amy Cain
- Jason Cottle - A.D.
- David Koechner - The Director
Writing credits
Controversy surrounds the writing credits of the movie.citation needed Original drafter Henkin took the film’s producers to court and threatened to quit the Writers Guild of America after director Barry Levinson chose not to award her a screenwriting credit.citation needed
As a reviewer wrote at the time of the film's release:
- According to Levinson, Mamet had never read the novel nor Henkin's script, and the only commonality between Henkin's draft and the shooting script was the premise of a make-believe war. Citing clear-cut differences between the two scripts, including the entire Hollywood-angle and the soldier left behind enemy lines in Mamet's creation, Levinson appealed the ruling, but was rebuffed. [1]neutrality disputed
Music
The film featured many songs created entirely for the fictitious campaign waged by the protagonists: "Good Old Shoe", "The American Dream" and "The Men of the 303" are but salient examples. None of these pieces made it onto the soundtrack which was released on CD: it featured only the title track, by British guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, and seven of Knopfler's Instrumentals.
References
- ^ "Double Takes", Newsweek, The Washington Post Company (1998-03-02). Retrieved on 17 October 2008.
See also
- Astroturfing, a controversial public relations practice depicted in the film
- Canadian Bacon, a film about an American war started for similar reasons
External links
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 December 2008, at 23:34.
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