The War Room (1993)

A documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and the organization who ran it.

Directors:

Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker

Stars:

James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, Heather Beckel

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Carville	...	Self
George Stephanopoulos	...	Self
Heather Beckel	...	Self
Paul Begala	...	Self
Bob Boorstin	...	Self
Mike Donilon	...	Self (as Michael Donnilon)
Jeff Eller	...	Self
Stanley Greenberg	...	Self (as Stan Greenberg)
Mandy Grunwald	...	Self
Harold Ickes	...	Self
Mickey Kantor	...	Self
Mary Matalin	...	Self
Mitchell Schwartz	...	Self
Dave Anderson	...	Self
Collier Andress	...	Self

Storyline

A behind-the-scenes documentary about the Clinton for President campaign, focusing on the adventures of spin doctors James Carville and George Stephanopoulos. Bill Clinton himself is almost never seen.

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Plot Keywords:

primary election | on the road | campaign | presidential campaign | president | 

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Taglines:

They Changed The Way Campaigns Are Won.

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #602.

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Quotes

George Stephanopoulos: [in a phone conversation with the director of the Illinois Perot Office] Read it to me. Well what is names and addresses? I could send you a fax of names, addresses, and phone numbers of who you had an affair with, it wouldn't make it true. Yeah, I just... believe me. Believe me that it's been looked at by every major national news organization. Everything. And it is completely bullshit. If you went on the radio and said that Bill Clinton is the father of an illegitimate black child, you would ...

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Connections

References Saturday Night Live (1975)

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Soundtracks

I Swung the Election
Written by Glenn Miller
Performed by Jack Teagarden
Published by EMI Reisp Catalog Inc.

User Reviews

A Political Education

As a student of Political Sciences, I believe this to be one of the most fascinating and introspective documentaries regarding the subject of campaigning. The first modern campaign, the 92 Clinton war is an amazing melodrama of quick rises to power, downfalls, villains, heroes, and the precursor to one of the most vicious political battles of our nation's history. In the film, if you look hard enough, you see the seeds of weakness being sown which would lead to an awesome political showdown which is more grand, more high-stakes, and more dark than the plotline of any film in this database. Note: If you like "The War Room," read Woodward's "The Agenda."

Details

Official Sites:

The Criterion Collection

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The War Room

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,264, 7 November 1993

Gross USA:

$901,668

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$901,668

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cyclone Films, McEttinger Films, Pennebaker Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1