Recount (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Recount | |
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| Directed by | Jay Roach |
| Produced by | Michael Hausman Danny Strong (co-producer) Len Amato (exec.) Jay Roach (exec.) Sydney Pollack (exec.) Paula Weinstein (exec.) |
| Written by | Danny Strong |
| Starring | Kevin Spacey John Hurt Laura Dern Tom Wilkinson Denis Leary |
| Music by | Dave Grusin |
| Cinematography | Jim Denault |
| Editing by | Alan Baumgarten |
| Distributed by | HBO |
| Release date(s) | 25 May 2008 |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Recount is a 2008 made-for-TV movie about the 2000 Presidential election in the United States. It is a political drama written by Danny Strong, directed by Jay Roach, and produced by Kevin Spacey (who also stars in the film).
Recount premiered on HBO on 25 May 2008.
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[edit] Plot
Recount chronicles the Bush v. Gore case between (then) Governor of Texas George W. Bush and (then) Vice President Al Gore. It begins with the election on 7 November and ends with the Supreme Court ruling which stopped the Florida election recount on 12 December. Key points depicted include Gore's retraction of his personal telephone concession to Bush in the early hours of November 8; the decision by the Gore campaign to sue for hand recounts in Democratic strongholds where voting irregularities were alleged, especially in light of the statistical dead heat revealed by the reported machine recount; Republican pressure on Florida’s Secretary of State Katharine Harris in light of her legally mandated responsibilities; the attention focused on the hand recounts by media, parties, and the public; and finally the adversarial postures of the Supreme Courts of Florida and the United States, as well as the dissenting opinions amongst the justices of the higher court.
[edit] Cast
| Actor/Actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Kevin Spacey | Ron Klain |
| John Hurt | Warren Christopher |
| Laura Dern | Katherine Harris |
| Tom Wilkinson | James Baker |
| Denis Leary | Michael Whouley |
| Ed Begley Jr. | David Boies |
| Bob Balaban | Ben Ginsberg |
| Paul Jeans | Ted Olson |
| Mary Bonner Baker | Carey Carpenter |
| Doug Williford | Mark Fabiani |
[edit] Filming
The film was filmed mostly in Jacksonville, Florida. Many scenes were shot in city hall, the federal courthouse, or the Riverplace Tower. Other scenes were shot on location in the Florida Supreme Court and the exterior of the US Supreme Court.
[edit] Production
In April 2007 it was announced that Sydney Pollack was going to be the film's director[1]; by August, weeks away from the start of principal photography, Pollack withdrew from the project due to a then-undisclosed illness.[2] Pollack died of cancer on May 26, 2008, one day after Recount premiered on HBO.[3]
[edit] Response from those portrayed in the film
Warren Christopher, who was sent by Gore to supervise the recount, has objected to his portrayal in the film. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Christopher
...has not seen the film, but he read transcripts of scenes featuring his character, who is portrayed as a high-minded but naive statesman. In one scene, Christopher, played by John Hurt, suggests to former Secretary of State James Baker - who was spearheading Bush's Florida legal team - that they try to resolve the recount through 'diplomacy and compromise.' 'That's absurd,' Christopher says. 'Both Baker and I knew this would be a fight to the end that only one side could win.' (Baker agreed that the film exaggerated his rival's stance: 'He's not that much of a wuss.')
—Matea Gold, San Jose Mercury News[4]
Democratic strategist Michael Whouley has objected to the amount of swearing he does in the film, and was also uncomfortable with a scene involving a broken chair.
In contrast, Bush legal advisers James Baker and Benjamin Ginsberg have largely given the film good reviews; Baker even hosted his own screening of it, though he does refer to the film as a "Hollywood rendition" of what happened.[4]
[edit] Reception
According to Reuters, approximately 1 million viewers watched Recount on the evening of the film's premiere. This was a lower number than two previous HBO film releases (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and John Adams).[5] Reuters also noted that Recount "aired over Memorial Day weekend, when audience levels are lower than usual" and that "ratings tend to improve over subsequent airings after their premieres."[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Pollack 'making Bush poll movie', from the BBC News website
- ^ Ill Pollack steps down from film, from the BBC News website
- ^ US director Sydney Pollack dies, from the BBC News website
- ^ a b Gold, Matea (22 May 2008). HBO's 'Recount' revisits hanging chad debacle. San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ a b HBO's Recount underwhelms at polls. Reuters (30 May 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
[edit] External links
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