I have not seen the movie, nor do I plan to do so. I understand that some parts are gathered from other candidates and some pulled from the writer's view of the dark side of politics. Unfortunately, since it was written by a Dean campaign staffer too much will be thought to be his fault. That's a little unfair, since apparently the screen writer did not even know much about the source of it.
So fair is fair in this ugly game, and I understand the candidate is composite.
Interview: Writer/Producer Grant Heslov on Ides of March Heslov met George Clooney in the early eights and a friendship was born. Both were struggling actors, and while Heslov had a number of key supporting roles throughout the 1990′s (including True Lies and Dante’s Peak), his friend George’s career grew to superstardom. Their friendship stuck, and the two have been writing and producing partners for nearly a decade. The two reworked the play Ides of March for the big screen, and Heslov talked about their working process and the film.
Question to him:
Obviously there’s going to be some kind of reference to Dean’s campaigns, but where were you pulling from to create the Morris Character?
Answer:
"When we optioned this play, someone came up to us and said “you’re doing the Howard Dean play, right?” And I said “Huh? I didn’t know that.” So I talked to the playwright and the producers of the play and they said no. Beau (Willimon) worked on the Dean campaign and that’s true, and it’s where he learned about this world, but for George and I, quite honestly that’s not an interesting campaign to write about. This is a made up campaign. George and I – along with Steven Soderbergh – did this show called K-Street, and we lived in D.C. for fourteen weeks immersed in politics – all we did was talk to politicians, and talk politics for this faux show, and that was really our research, this is where we did our research that’s mostly what we drew from to take the play and open it up."
We were very active on Dean's campaign. We really thought we would make a difference. He went after the wrong Democrats, and he paid a dear price.
I am not pleased with his return to his centrist roots the last couple of years, but I can't say that I blame him. In this party even a hint of liberalism will doom a person. But I have heard of the kitchen scene, and I do not believe that of him. I think I know another candidate who better fits the bill of such behavior.
When a movie by Clooney is laying out a scenario of a composite imaginary candidate, it should be made clear.
Beau Willimon wrote the screenplay, it was adapted by others for the movie. In so attributing it to a Dean campaign staffer all the evils included in the movie could all too easily be applied to him.
I noted the reference to the K Street show by the screen writer. That was James Carville and Mary Matalin...he was their star. Ides' Heslov called it a "faux" show, said they lived politics in DC for 14 weeks. He sounded like this movie was a composite of such things as they experienced then.
He went so far as to say that they were not even interested in making the movie about the Dean campaign.
In stating it is a composite character, and that he did not even know it had been written about the Dean campaign....there is either a lot of ass covering or real truth. If he had to go and ask someone, then he probably did not know.