POLIWOOD (TV)
Summary
This documentary is about the relationship between politics and Hollywood celebrities, with particular focus on the 2008 Presidential election. The program begins with director Barry Levinson discussing his first memories of TV in his family home and how he used the story in his semi-autobiographical 1990 film “Avalon.” He confesses to a love/hate relationship with television and talks about how it has changed and affected the world. Various celebrities are seen attending the inauguration of Barack Obama, and his own “celebrity” status is examined. Five months previously, at the Democratic National Convention, actors including Anne Hathaway, Richard Schiff and Tim Daly discuss their involvement with the Creative Coalition, a non-partisan, politically-active group of Hollywood individuals, and explain how fame can be used in regards to politics. A clip from Levinson’s 1997 political comedy “Wag the Dog” is shown, with Robert DeNiro’s character stating that “war is show business,” and Levinson discusses the strength of television imagery in affecting people’s opinions.
Hollywood’s tendency to lean to the left is discussed in a focus group, and actor Matthew Modine talks about his pre-fame middle-class beginnings and states that there can be elitism on both sides of the fence. Footage of various political rallies is shown, and Schiff discusses his experience on the political show “The West Wing” and how it affects his activism. Several people comment on the positive aspects of celebrities using their fame to further good causes, but a young man at the DNC states that those who are uneducated about the facts have little right to comment, famous or not. Susan Sarandon then voices her opinions at a State of the House Industry seminar, and later says that politicians have had to become actors too and discusses the changing state of advertising and marketing. She theorizes about what modern-day commentators would say about famous figures like Winston Churchill, guessing they would focus on trivial issues about his person rather than the facts. An article written by John F. Kennedy about television is quoted, saying that it can be used for manipulation and public relations more than information, and Levinson discusses how Kennedy was especially telegenic, more so than Richard Nixon, but that in a debate between the two of them, Nixon was declared the winner by those who listened to the radio broadcast. The changing nature of the news media is then examined, particularly the way sponsors and advertisers became involved for the purpose of making money and gaining ratings, and anchors and commentators are said to be “characters” with whom viewers should “fall in love.”
Political correspondent Tucker Carlson talks about the way in which news show ratings go sharply downhill when foreign issues are being discussed, and says that conflict between opposing figures is a big draw for viewers, especially when both sides typically refuse to cross party lines. The band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are then seen performing a leftist political song at a concert and receives an angry response from the audience, which surprises the band members. Modine talks about coming to understand that one cannot be passive and has responsibilities to be politically aware and active. At the convention, consultant Frank Luntz gives a communication seminar about dialogue between opposing side, which frustrates actor Josh Lucas, who feels that he is lecturing rather than informing. Other celebrities comment, including Gloria Reuben, who mentions the importance of freedom of speech, Alan Cumming, Sarandon and Daly, and Anne Hathaway later says that it is frustrating for the actions of one person to be cast upon an entire group.
The phenomenon of “Joe the Plumber” (Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher), an Ohio man who rose to fame in 2008 as a symbol of middle-class Americans everywhere, is then examined; he was simply filmed asking Obama a political question and then was exploited by the Republican party and turned into a commentator despite his lack of credentials. At an interview with New York Governor David Patterson, director Spike Lee asks questions about the lack of art programs in schools and how it can be fixed. Annette Bening weighs in on the importance of arts education, but Levinson states that few people are interested in the issue and that imagery of disasters is a better “sell” than more reserved issues. Hathaway states that she feels a particular responsibility to educate herself and not seem like another “careless” famous person.
The marketing of the DNC is examined, including t-shirts and other products with specific “iconography.” At the Pepsi Center arena, actor Ellen Burstyn gives an emotional speech about her experience witnessing prejudice and the need for change, and Obama takes the stage to wild applause. Elsewhere, actor Rachael Leigh Cook prepares to attend the Republican National Convention with the Creative Coalition and Daly goes with her, noting how “subdued” the event is in comparison to the DNC. Actor Stephen Baldwin discussed his “faith-based” political affiliation, and Ron Silver, founder of the Creative Coalition, discusses his worries about a perceived “intolerance” from the liberals. Musician Tom Morello plays a song for the crowd and says celebrity does not divest one of a right to comment on serious issues. Sting explains that he approaches political topics metaphorically in his lyrics, and musician Charlie Daniels talks about the dangers of extreme polarization. Michael Tomasky of the Guardian America and Senator Arlen Specter offer comments about the media’s exaggerations and “wedge issues” that separate the parties, and Burstyn laments that people used to be more courteous when discussing differences of opinion. Al Gore’s work on global warming is examined, including his Oscar-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” and actor Giancarlo Esposito speaks at a mental health information seminar at the DNC. At the RNC, John McCain and Sarah Palin are celebrated, and observers point out that the attendees are strongly supporting Palin despite not knowing who she was before McCain’s selection of her, and she proceeds to make pointed comments about Obama’s history as a “community organizer.”
Levinson talks about how politicians “create characters” as actors do, and Daly explains how some politicians’ lack of telegenic style can harm them, citing individuals like Abraham Lincoln and John Adams and suggesting they would not have been well-received in a television generation. Levinson conducts a focus group with celebrities and non-celebrities, and some people object to a perceived “level of arrogance” in Hollywood and debate hotly about celebrities’ right to comment on “real-world” issues. Carlson speculates about the value of a government “of the informed by the informed,” and Levinson concludes the program by pointing out the positive and negative effects of television and the media, saying that it can confuse “truth and reality” with “mythology” as further footage of the inauguration is shown.
Details
- NETWORK: Showtime
- DATE: November 2, 2009 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 01:30:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 100517
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Politics; Hollywood; Celebrities
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robin Bronk … Producer
- Robert Baruc … Producer
- Tim Daly … Producer
- Jason Sosnoff … Producer
- Barry Levinson … Director
- John Adams
- Stephen Baldwin
- Annette Bening
- Ellen Burstyn
- Tucker Carlson
- Winston Churchill
- Rachael Leigh Cook
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Alan Cumming
- Tim Daly
- Charlie Daniels
- Robert DeNiro
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Al Gore
- Anne Hathaway
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
- Spike Lee
- Barry Levinson
- Abraham Lincoln
- Josh Lucas
- Frank Luntz
- John McCain
- Matthew Modine
- Tom Morello
- Richard Nixon
- Barack Obama
- Sarah Palin
- David Patterson
- Gloria Reuben
- Susan Sarandon
- Richard Schiff
- Ron Silver
- Arlen Specter
- Sting
- Michael Tomasky
- Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher