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	...	Himself
George Stephanopoulos	...	Himself
Heather Beckel	...	Herself
Paul Begala	...	Himself
Bob Boorstin	...	Himself
Michael Donnilon	...	Himself
Jeff Eller	...	Himself
Stanley Greenberg	...	Himself
Mandy Grunwald	...	Herself
Harold Ickes	...	Himself
Mickey Kantor	...	Himself
Mary Matalin	...	Herself
Mitchell Schwartz	...	Himself
Dave Anderson	...	Himself
Collier Andress	...	Himself

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

Details

Official Sites:

The Criterion Collection

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Kommandozentrale

Box Office

Gross USA:

$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

Did You Know?

Trivia

From 1:08:19 to 1:08:29, you can see a man in a gray suit pickpocket a camera operator on the right side of the screen.

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Quotes

James Carville: Every time that somebody comes along, that's got some ideas, a Democrat comes along, a Republican come up here and they ambush him. Remember Muskie? Okay? That is standard procedure. And here comes Clinton, he comes to New Hampshire, people are hurting, they want hope, they want somebody with vision, he gives it to 'em. So what do Republicans do? They get together with, "Well just, just knock it off." If they succeed THIS time, it's gonna be EVERY time. You are never gonna get a presidential ...

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Connections

Referenced in Stanley Greenberg (2012)

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Soundtracks

Vote for the Rythm
Written by Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger, Al Siegel
Performed by Ella Fitzgerald/Chick Webb Band
Published by Famous Music Corp.

User Reviews

Excellent political documentary. That shows Bubba's path to the white house.

"The War Room" is a fantastic documentary that shows the behind the scenes and takes an inside look at a presidential campaign for president. This film follows then Arkansas governor Bill Clinton's track from the snowy cold first Primary in New Hampshire in January of 1992 to the final victory party on election night in November of 1992. The best scenes are shown in the campaign room when you hear the plans and game plans of the two most important Clinton insiders that being James Carville and George Stephanopoulos. Carville the outspoken and fiery southern who ran the campaign with charm and hard working passion. Really an emotional moment is when James gives his speech at the end by breaking down and crying really a touching moment for the viewer. While Stephanopoulos the brilliant and young bright mind who was an ex Rhodes Scholar does a fine job as the communications director helping Bill dodge and maneuver around such scandals as Gennifer Flowers and the draft dodge. The film also has plenty of highlights from the debates, speeches, campaign tours, and highlights of final election results too. Really a fine documentary of how a political campaign should be done, which most will find both educational and informative.