With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America (2004) (TV)

Directors:

Calvin Skaggs
David Van Taylor

Release Date:

1 November 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot Keywords:

Morality | Interview | Conservative | Country Name In Title | Christianity

Cast

George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
George W. Bush	...	Himself
Jimmy Carter	...	Himself
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ritchie Coster	...	Himself - Narrator
Jerry Falwell	...	Himself
Billy Graham	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tim LaHaye	...	Himself (as Reverend Tim LaHaye)
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Pat Robertson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Paul Weyrich	...	Himself

Directed by
Calvin Skaggs
David Van Taylor

Produced by
Lewanne Jones	....	senior producer: archives
Ali Pomeroy	....	producer
Charles Schuerhoff	....	executive producer
Calvin Skaggs	....	executive producer
Calvin Skaggs	....	producer
David Van Taylor	....	producer

Original Music by
John Morris

Film Editing by
Pamela Scott Arnold		(as Pamela Arnold)
Sara Fishko		(as Sarah Fishko)
Jay Freund
Cindy Kaplan Rooney

Sound Department
Rick Dior	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andrew Garrison	....	sound
Katherine Gordon Miller	....	assistant sound editor
Daniel Pagan	....	supervising sound editor
Ali Pomeroy	....	sound
Rob Silverthorne	....	sound
Jeffrey Stern	....	supervising sound editor
Bob Sullivan	....	sound
Tony Volante	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Deborah Eve Lewis	....	camera (as Deborah Lewis)
Steve Schecter	....	camera
Brett Wiley	....	camera

Editorial Department
Rebecca Arndt	....	assistant editor
Steve Seng	....	on-line editor
Don Wyllie	....	on-line editor

Other crew
Jerret Engle	....	interviews
Jerret Engle	....	researcher
Bob Gill	....	titles and graphics
Sophie Lam	....	production office coordinator
Cara Leroy	....	production office coordinator
Lynn Mirabito	....	production office coordinator
Bennett Singer	....	interviews
Bennett Singer	....	researcher
Maura Wogan	....	legal services

Thanks
Michael Cromartie	....	special thanks (as Mike Cromartie)
Marc DeMoss	....	special thanks
Valerie Merrill	....	special thanks
Jesse Pomeroy	....	special thanks (as Jesse Hart Pomeroy)
Carol Stertzer	....	special thanks
Simone Van Taylor	....	special thanks

Distributors

• Lumiere Productions (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sundance Channel (2004) (USA) (TV)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

Channel 4 in the UK broadcast this film on 1 November 2004, the eve of the U.S. presidential election, 2 November 2004.

Movie Connections:

Features "The 700 Club" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Alleluia

The worst documentary I've ever seen

I don't get what this documentary is trying to do. If this is supposed to be about how politics and religion have combined over the years, it isn't. It doesn't do a good job in the beginning and then quits on that subject about halfway through. If it's supposed to be a conversion tool it fails on that as well and it also fails on how Christianity saved President Bush.

Overall, it keeps distracting itself and doesn't even end with any sense of a point being made.

If I had to pick a scene that best illustrates my point, it's the interview with Jerry Falwell about how abortion caused the September 11th attacks which is followed closely by a wondrous fanfare over the premature MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner for the war in Iraq. Then, the end credits. See? No sense of direction whatsoever. Avoid this.