Customer Reviews

The War Room

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This celebrated documentary provides a bird's eye view into the inner sanctum of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus spent three weeks shot 33 hours of film, which was later combined with news footage to capture the cause-and-effect relationship between what happened inside "The War Room" and the election of the president. There is no voice over narration to this documentary, just clips spliced together. The dynamic behind it all is the Fire and Ice duo of chief Clinton strategist James Carville and director of communications George Stephanopoulos. Of course, both titles are gross simplifications of their roles in the campaign, and it is impossible not to see "The War Room" as being one of the inspirations for "The West Wing."

What stands out in watching this documentary is the complete sense that this is what it was really like, which, in the end, is more impressive than the fact that these guys won the election. Here you get to see the infamous Clinton "quick response" strategy at work, where every attack by the opponent is crushed in an immediate barrage of rhetoric. For me the most memorable sequences were when the Clinton brain trust discover the Bush-Quayle campaign is having its campaign signs printed in Brazil rather than in the U.S., Carville becomes emotional in the final staff meeting of the Clinton War Room, and when he and Stephanopoulos find themselves unsure as to how they are supposed to address the man who is now the president-elect.

From the perspective of today it is interesting to compare the Carville and Stephanopoulos we see behind closed doors with their more public personas as talking heads. The Jim and Mary (Matlin) traveling road show that keeps Carville in the political spotlight today might get more of the publicity, but the one who has impressed me the most is Stephanopoulos, whose work on the Sunday morning political roundtable "This Week" established his reputation as one of the most objective and restrained political analysts on the tube of either party affiliation. That assessment was codified this past year when Stephanopoulos replaced Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts as the hosts of the show. "The War Room" shows not only where he paid his dues, but gives him his bone fides as well.

The final irony is that the one clip showing Al Gore giving a campaign speech is more dynamic than anything we saw during the 2000 election.

This movie is the current state of the art look into a political campaign on the run.

Carville and Stephanapoulos are really the central characters in this documentary, not Clinton. The action is very entertaining, even though we all know how the story will end.

Watching the movie now, it is a bit interesting to see if you can sense the impending fallout between Clinton and Stephanapoulos.

Watch this movie, and read either "What It Takes" or "The Boys on the Bus" as an essential primer on how political campaigns are waged in the television age.

My only complaint is that this is exactly the type of movie that can take advantage of the opportunities offered by DVD: Historical charts, timelines, bios, etc. These were opportunities that were missed in this version.

Ok, so The War Room is really pre-West Wing. This is a great behind the scenes tale of how Clinton beat Bush. In fact, I would give it 5 stars if it was a bit longer.

The leadership and strategy of James Carville coupled with the style and substance of George Stephanopolous led the Clinton campaign to the ultimate prize.

The viewer sits in on many strategy sessions, hears a portion of phone calls with others in the Clinton camp and sees the behind the scenes maneuvering of other staff members in creating the atmosphere for Clinton's election. The other side is studied briefly, too.

George Bush's words and appearances serve as a counterpoint to illustrate the reasons for the tactics of the Clinton team.

A great study of a political campaign in action.

"The War Room" is an interesting documentary that shows you just exactly what goes on behind the scenes of a presidential campaign and all of the problems that can arise. Mostly centered around the Clinton campaign, we get a look at a man who is determined to be the next President of the United States. James Carville and George Stephanopoulos are the main brains behind the campaign, and they show it with their rapid thinking and reactions. The road to the White House proves to be a bumpy one for Clinton and company, as scandals surface and tabloid articles flood the newsstands. The people behind the campaign of Bill Clinton never get a break as they always have to be on their toes and figure out damage control. Even though you know how it all ends, it is still a tense and shocking film.

What I love the most about this documentary is that there is no overall narrator, and there really isn't an agenda to it. The film doesn't force-feed you a likable Clinton. The film's real purpose is to show you what happens during these campaigns. Even though it's centered around Clinton, this film really could've been about anyone. The film doesn't sugarcoat anything as it gives you the raw footage and shows you how both sides can play dirty. It was amazing to watch Carville and Stephanopoulos work the way they did, as I had no idea how much of an important role they played in Clinton's campaign.

I think this documentary can be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in how the system works. You really don't even have to like Clinton in order to enjoy it, as the film isn't trying to make it look like Clinton is a saint or anything like that. It is about how dirty people in these campaigns can fight, and it occurs on both sides. And since there is no overall narrator, there is really nothing in here that tells you that you should feel a certain way about it all. The DVD contains no special features, which is a shame.

I really enjoyed "The War Room," and I'm not a real big fan of politics. I think it presents an interesting look at what goes on behind the scenes. If you're looking for an entertaining documentary that is funny and tense, then this is definitely something you should consider checking out. A big triumph on all fronts, if you want my honest opinion. -Michael Crane

One of my all time favorite documentaries, The War Room depicts the behind the scene machinations of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. The documentary was originally supposed to be about the romance between chief Clinton strategist, James ( the "Ragin' Cajun") Carville, and Marlee Matilin, who, at the time, was a chief advisor to the George Bush campaign. But documentaries, like politics, have a way of taking on a life of their own, and The War Room turned into a cinema verité examination of a presidential election at work, through the eyes of the master, Carville, and George Stephanopoulos, Clinton's press secretary, with whom the audience identifies, idealist that he is.

The War Room gives one an opportunity to see up close the salesmanship, competitiveness, sincerity, frustration, and the unrelenting pace of king-making in politics. Carville and Stephanopoulos' work is exhilarating and exhausting. They are men of conviction, and have the battle-scars to prove it. As we watch the Convention showmanship, the strategies, the debates, and the cabin-fever come election day, we find ourselves knuckling down with our two guides and crossing our fingers as the results come in.

Hegedus and Pennebaker do a remarkable job of making the audience feel part and parcel of the Clinton campaign. Even more impressive, election strategy successes and failures come across as well. We see the Clinton strategists impressive "quick-response" system in action, as they do battle with the media over the Gennifer Flowers nightmare, and we see what at first seems to be a promising lead on the Bush campaign financing their sign-printing with foreign laborers fall off the nightly
news schedule.

Nobility and venality can coexist in the most talented and altruistic of people, but cannot be painlessly reconciled in the eyes of those who follow and admire them. This is a lesson lightly touched on by The War Room, and beaten over our heads by eight years that followed.

The War Room was an Academy Award nominee in the category of "Best Documentary."

Regardless of your personal ideology, this film is a must-watch for any political junkie. You may watch it with joy and cheering, or maybe you'll hate the ending. It doesn't matter, the real story is the interaction between people, not the point of view.

What makes this unusual and significant is the groundbreaking style of Carville & Co. As he correctly points out at the end, "We changed the way political campaigns are run." Nothing could be more correct.

Anyone looking to gain insight to campaigns, the 1992 election specifically, or just viewing from a historical perspective will enjoy this fine film.

The War Room is an excellent documentary that takes the viewer behind the scenes of the Clinton 1992 campaign. This video shows more of the tactics, strategies and means of how the Clinton campaign operated. James Carville and George Stephanopolus truly were masterminds in orchestrating an excellent presidential campaign. This video should be viewed by any political science major, or individual who plans to go into political consulting. Then again, having just about any individual watch the video will educate the viewer about an important component and function of any election process - the campaign.

The War Room - a phrase which is ever so fitting and appropriate for Clinton's campaign operations - represents the concept of strategizing and winning.

It has a superb touch to it, in the respect that it not only shows the process of campaigning, but it also shows the feelings and the "human side" of the individuals involved.

Highly recommended!

"The War Room" is a must-see for anyone interested in politics. Although Clinton campaign operative James Carville admits, "We changed the way campaigns are run," this historic documentary of modern-day politics is just a small glimpse into the inner workings of the Clinton-for-President Campaign in 1992.

After viewing the film, I asked, "Is that all there is?" (to win a presidential campaign). But in all honesty, I laughed, cried and cheered as I watched the film, enjoying every minute, except the end where I wanted to see a close up of the Clintons and Gores as they celebrated their election night victory from the statehouse stage in Little Rock. The end of the film seemed anti-climatic. No hype. No hoopla. And, that's where I expected the "big bang" -- news reports, TV election returns, headlines the morning after and lots and lots of partying to Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop (Thinkin' About Tomorrow)."

While I appreciated being a fly on the wall inside campaign headquarters and on the road, at times I felt like I was watching a high school or college student government campaign -- with all the joking and silliness that pervaded "The War Room." Much of the campaign "work" didn't really look like work on film because of campaign staffers' attitudes and antics. They seemed to really have fun working on the campaign -- with many key staffers treating it as a game, albeit a game with very high stakes.

Only near the end of the film do director of communications George Stephanopoulos and master manipulator James Carville seem to grasp what they've accomplished. "We helped changed America!"

But seldom is seen or heard the National Democratic Party hierarchy -- the fund-raisers, the state committee chairmen, the state campaign directors, the local party leaders, the thousands of volunteers needed to help make a national campaign a success. Only at a few campaign events -- and, eventually at the Democratic National Convention, do viewers of "The War Room" see the magnitude of this campaign. But instead of debating national policy or issues, the Clinton campaign staff is concerned with how TV networks will depict the convention crowd. "Do we make hand-lettered signs or use printed signs?" someone asks in a staff meeting the night before Clinton is nominated.

I wondered during the national convention segment of "The War Room" if Bill Clinton had a running mate. How nice it would have been to see the inner workings of the selection process for choosing Al Gore as vice president. Thankfully, Gore was not totally excluded from the picture. His dynamic stump speech, "Up is down, down is up ..." was absolutely awesome, making me wish I had been an active participant of the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns.

Another memorable speech from "The War Room" is President Bush's whiny "I'm damn tired" speech. Never have I seen or heard President Bush so angry. Little good his anger did him or the country. While Bush was getting angry, Clinton was getting votes -- campaigning across the country with thousands of smiles and handshakes. How rewarding it was to see candidate Clinton go from a small campaign plane to a huge jet (similar to Air Force One), after earning his party's nomination and respect.

"The War Room" reminded me how indecisive and devisive candidates Ross Perot and Jerry Brown were in 1992. While Clinton's presidency may not have been appreciated by everyone, it's still frightening for me to think how close we came to having Perot or Brown elected president in '92.

If there are any negatives about "The War Room" it's that the film doesn't really spotlight Clinton's superior campaign skills, including his charisma and intellect. Clinton knows how to connect with people and he has an uncanny ability to know what people want.

Clinton is a master politician -- and, in 1992, his dream team of campaign strategists and media handlers molded a campaign that was unbeatable, changing the course of history.

"The War Room" shows how effective Carville and Stephanopoulos were more than a decade ago, functioning as political and media strategists at the top of their game. But candidate Clinton is only occasionally featured in the film, with wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea shown a few times here and there. I would have liked to have seen more of the Clintons behind the scenes on the campaign trail and in strategy sessions.

George Stephanopoulos' "All Too Human -- A Political Education," a 456-page memoir published in 1999, is a highly recommended read for anyone wanting more details on Clinton's campaigns and presidency -- a real insider's view.

The gritty realism of the day-to-day operation of campaign headquarters in Little Rock coupled with Carville and Stephanopoulos' comments every step of the way made the "you-are-there" feeling of "The War Room" very real and very personal. I particularly enjoyed the opening hotel room sequence featuring an extreme close-up of Gov. Clinton conducting a media interview by telephone, as campaign staffers read newspapers nearby.

The counter media attacks waged by the Clinton campaign created numerous interesting segments in the film. I especially enjoyed seeing Carville and Stephanopoulos deal with the issue of Clinton's character -- dodging the draft and dodging allegations of a 12-year affair with Gennifer Flowers. Seeing Flowers as the scorned woman conducting her own news conference for the national media (much more than sound bites), accompanied by a media handler shouting down a heckler who asked if Gov. Clinton used a condom, is both fascinating and unreal.

"How'd he do that?" one might ask after considering all the obstacles that Clinton overcame to be elected president of the U.S. twice. "The War Room" is a good place to start to learn how "Slick Willie" survived media battles every day of his campaign and presidency.

I highly recommend "The War Room" as a wonderful way to begin to understand Clinton's magic and mystique.

What gauled his 1992 Democratic rivals in the primaries, infuriated Ross Perot all summer long, belittled George Bush in the general election, and humiliated Bob Dole four years later, was Bill Clinton's seemingly effortless ability to out-campaign anybody. Say what you want about Clinton as President, as a campaigner he was absolutely invincible.

THE WAR ROOM turns part of that perception on its head: the '92 Clinton campaign was anything but effortless. From the get-go, Carville and Stephanopoulus are scrambling to stay ahead of the scandal-a-day strategy the GOP used.

Luckily for them, the Bush team focused on spinning rooms full of political reporters and forgot to campaign.

If I could change one thing about THE WAR ROOM it would be to have spent more time with Carville. The Rajin' Cajun may annoy his opponents to distraction, but the man can talk, and he's the most successful campaign strategist of our time.

"The War Room", a film by Chris Hegedus and Da Pennebaker gives you unfettered access to the strategists of the 92' campaign to elect Bill Clinton and Al Gore. The film doesn't have many appearances by President Clinton or Vice President Al Gore, but that's not the point. The film shows you just how the campaign was won, the emotions that were felt and the ups and downs of running this campaign.
This film gives you an inside look at the truly revolutionary way in which this historic campaign was won.
The spotlight is on several star strategists of the Democratic Party such as James Carville, George Stephanopoulos and Paul Begala; all of whom are regulars on CNN's Crossfire.
The film is similar to many other notable documentaries on political campaigns (such as Journeys with George), but the emphasis is on those in charge the campaign, you see into their everyday work lives. The reason why this film was so successful in it's portrayal of campaigning is: this hadn't been done before. The film makers were looked at as "friend" not a foe trying to get a story for the evening news. The film makers are party to strategy meetings and every aspect of the campaign.
As stated in the DVD introduction, this film's historical significance changes everyday as history and current events change. It's and excellent film and if you like political documentaries, I suggest you give this a try.