• Home Page
  • About this website
  • Biography
  • Dr. B's Notes
  • Contact
Richard S. Beam

64       Mostly About a Movie, but Politics, too, in a way…

7/17/2016

0 Comments

 
A couple of weeks ago, I was flipping through the channels on my TV and ran across The American President, directed by Rob Reiner, written by Aaron Sorkin, and with a brilliant cast.  Since I’ve liked that movie for a long time (released in 1995), I watched the last part of it, enjoying it thoroughly.
 
It did strike me that there were similarities between one of the current “presumptive nominees” and president Shepherd’s political opponent, Bob Rumson, based on attitude expressed, rhetorical style, and a certain willingness to (apparently) make things up as he goes along, relying on questionable sources, etc., but I didn’t think more about this until I heard someone on one of the political talk shows allude to the same idea. 
 
This got me interested, so I found a copy of the screenplay on the Internet in order to read it.  (I like having “hard copy” when I want to really look at something closely.)  While studying the script, I made an interesting discovery.  There was a scene in the screenplay between Andy and his daughter, Lucy, which didn’t make it through the final edit, but which changes (in my opinion for the better) the entire thrust of “the speech,” which is certainly one of the major high points of the entire film.
 
If you don’t know this movie, take a look at it.  I think it’s worth a couple of hours just because it’s a good movie, but take a look at the part of the screenplay I’ve quoted below and consider how much leaving out this scene changes it.  I may be making too much of this edit.  I think it was an incorrect choice, but I confess to wondering what others might think. 
 
Anyway, enjoy the movie, the chemistry is (I think) great, the casting excellent, the script wonderful and, overall, it’s just a “good” movie.  If it makes you think about current politics a bit, I won’t be surprised, but I think you’ll enjoy it in any event.
 
This begins with the last bit of the final “pool playing" scene between Shepherd and A.J., his Chief of Staff and oldest friend.
SHEPHERD gets to the doorway...stops...turns around...
 
                    SHEPHERD
          If Mary hadn't died...would we have
          won three years ago?
 
                     A.J.
          Would we have won?
 
                     SHEPHERD
          If we'd had to go through a character
          debate three years ago, would we have
          won?
 
                     A.J.
          I don't know.  But I would've liked
          that campaign.  If my friend Andy
          Shepherd had shown up, I would have
          liked that campaign.
 
     SHEPHERD looks away...nods absently...
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (pause)
          Yeah.
 
     SHEPHERD exits, leaving A.J. alone as we
 
                                                          CUT TO:
 
     INT. WHITE HOUSE CORRIDOR - NIGHT
 
     A series of shots showing SHEPHERD walking down the corridor
     to the dish room, then walking down a long corridor which
     contains a series of paintings of various presidents.  Then
     sitting alone in the Oval Office, lost in thought...
 
                                                       DISSOLVE TO:
 
     INT. RESIDENCE DINING ROOM - EARLY MORNING
 
     SHEPHERD and LUCY are eating breakfast in silence, neither of
     them very happy, each with their own problems.  A nearby T.V.
     MONITOR glows with the live coverage of ROBIN's morning press
     briefing.
 
     Finally...
 
                     SHEPHERD
          You're not hungry?
 
                     LUCY
          This is oatmeal.
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Yeah.
 
                     LUCY
          We never have oatmeal.
 
                     SHEPHERD
          It's good for you.
 
                     LUCY
          I'm from Wisconsin.  I need food.
 
                     SHEPHERD
          You're not from Wisconsin.  I'm from
          Wisconsin.  You've lived in
          Washington your whole life.
 
     He glances toward the T.V. screen. ROBIN's standing up there
     doing what she's been told: "No comment...No, this President
     is not participating in character debates..." He mutes the
     volume.
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (continuing)
          How are you doing in your
          Constitutional debates?
 
                     LUCY
          We're done.
 
                     SHEPHERD
          You're done?
 
                     LUCY
          We ratified it last week.
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Oh...well...that's good.  Why didn't
          you tell me?
 
                     LUCY
          It's not a big deal, Dad.
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Okay, I give up.  I don't care why
          you're not happy in social studies.
          I care about why you're not talking
          to me about why you're not happy in
          social studies.
 
                     LUCY
          Dad, I'm perfectly--
 
                     SHEPHERD
          You're not perfectly happy.  You
          don't think I know when something's
          bothering you?
 
                     LUCY
          Damnit, Dad!
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Hey!
 
                     LUCY
          You know--
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Talk to me.
 
                     LUCY
          Look--
 
     LUCY winds herself up.  It would appear she's about to burst.
     She's about to say the hardest thing she's ever had to say in
     her life--
 
                     LUCY
                  (continuing)
          --sometimes when you talk, you say
          things I disagree with.
 
     SHEPHERD is stunned and totally confused...
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Almost every time I talk, I say
          things you disagree with.
 
                     LUCY
          I mean politically.
 
                    SHEPHERD
                  (pause)
          Politically?
 
                     LUCY
          Yes.
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (pause)
          What do you mean?
 
     It just starts spilling out in a stream--
 
                     LUCY
          Yes.  Okay.  Yes.  Sometimes, I mean,
          I'm not sure.  You know a lot more
          than I do -- but still, I have these
          feelings, and I don't think they're
          wrong.  Like, okay, for instance, I'm
          not so sure it's all right to burn a
          flag.  I mean, it really bothers a lot
          of people, and I don't know why you
          think it's okay.  I hear Senator
          Rumson talk, and some of the things
          he says sounds right to me, and I
          think, "God, am I like Bob Rumson?!
          I mean, Dad thinks he's a jerk. Dad
          hates this guy!
          Why am I agreeing with him" And then
          I think, "Well, maybe I'm not really
          like Bob Rumson, but maybe I'm not
          like Dad either."  But the point is
          I'm the President's kid, and people
          pay attention to what I say, and if
          I say something different from what
          you say, it'll be embarrassing for
          you.  So I can't just get up in social
          studies class and say whatever I want.
 
     SHEPHERD is silent...totally blown away...he had absolutely
     no idea...
 
     He stands up slowly and moves toward her...LUCY doesn't know
     what's coming...
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (quietly)
          Stand up please.
 
     LUCY gets up slowly...
 
     She's never seen her father like this...
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (continuing)
          I want you to pay very close
          attention to what happens now.
 
     SHEPHERD knees down, cups her daughter's face in his hands,
     and gently kisses her forehead.  He pulls her to him and
     holds her in a tight embrace...
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (continuing)
          In your lifetime, you will never
          embarrass me.  It could never happen.
          You're not the President's daughter,
          Lucy, you're mine.
          And no one's gonna vote me out of
          that job.  You're my daughter, and
          everything else is a distant second.
                  (more)
          School is for you, Lucy.  You say
          what you want.  The only thing you
          have to do to make me happy is
          come home at the end of the day.
 
     LUCY squeezes her dad tight...they hold the embrace for a
     long moment.
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (continuing)
          One more thing.  I don't dislike
          Senator Rumson because of his
          political views.  And even if you
          voted for everything he would vote
          for, that wouldn't make you like him.
          There's a fundamental difference
          between you and the Bob Rumsons of
          the world.
 
                     LUCY
          What's that?
 
                     SHEPHERD
          The difference is that he says he
          loves America.  Saying you love
          America is easy.  What takes
          character -- and this is what you
          have--
 
     SHEPHERD trails off, realizing he's about to quote Sydney...
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (continuing)
          What takes character is loving
          Americans.
                  (beat)
 
     And now it's as if SHEPHERD is waking himself up from the
     longest trip of his life...
 
     ...he looks over at the T.V. monitor..."No comment"...
     "No, I don't know how many other ways I can say it.  The
     White House isn't getting involved in..."
 
                     SHEPHERD
                  (continuing)
          Luce, I gotta go.
 
                     LUCY
          Dad, is everything all right?
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Everything's fine.  I'm just a little
          late for work.
 
     He heads for the door, shouting out as he goes--
 
                     SHEPHERD
          Somebody get my daughter some food!
          The girl's from Wisconsin, for cryin'
          out loud!
 
     And he's gone as we...
 
                                                          CUT TO:
 
     INT. THE PRESS BRIEFING ROOM - EARLY MORNING
 
     ROBIN is on her last drops of energy and patience.
 
                     REPORTER #4
          Robin, will the President ever
          respond to Senator Rumson's
          question about being a member of
          the American Civil Liberties Union?
 
     But instead of hands going up, the PRESS CORPS suddenly
     stands.  ROBIN turns to see SHEPHERD stride in and step up to
     the podium.​
​And we are off into the well-know speech which is the high point of this movie.
 
I think it’s important to note that in the script I copied from IMSDb (which I have quoted here) there is what I believe to be a minor, but important, change in the speech as used in the movie.  In the released movie, Shepherd says “…you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago.”  As originally written, if the script I have is correct, the original line was “…you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a couple of minutes ago.”  (emphasis added).
 
I think this is important because it makes the change more about the (left out) scene with his daughter and less about just getting Sydney back, without, in my opinion, weakening the overall speech, which I think is very powerful and sums up a good deal of the point Sorkin was trying to make in the script.  I think it also goes a long way towards explaining the reference to “…celebrate that in your classrooms,…” which I’ve never fully understood as a part of the discussion of free speech in this scene.
 
On the other hand, the scene which was cut does include a clear reference to an earlier scene, at Camp David, during which Sydney says “How do you have patience for people who claim they love America but clearly can't stand Americans?” in reference to something Bob Rumson has said, so it is made clear, I think, that while Sydney may have had some influence on Andy’s thinking, but it’s his daughter who truly precipitates “the speech” with her confusion about what’s been going on in her life.  I think that’s important and changes how we should think about “the speech” a bit.
 
If you don’t know this speech, I’d encourage you to look it up online, or, better, watch the whole movie.  I think it discusses ideas of MUCH greater importance than the specific discussion of Shepherd’s “crime bill,” environmental proposals, or romantic life.
 
While I think I can understand that Rob Reiner (the director) may have felt he had good reason for leaving this scene with Lucy out of the movie, I think that, in the long run, it would have been a better movie with it left in.
 
What do you think?
 
LLAP
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Just personal comments about things which interest me (and might interest others).

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly