BCT Editorial – 9/11/06

This page was last updated on September 16, 2006.

Tacky TV; Editorial; Beaver County Times; September 11, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“A British television network is filming a drama about a fictional assassination of President Bush, ala the 1973 hit thriller ‘The Day of the Jackel,’ which portrayed a failed attempt on the life of late French President Charles DeGaulle.”

[RWC] You can tell the Times is a first class newspaper. Why? The movie the editorial claims is being filmed debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last night, the night before this editorial was published. What’s next, an editorial predicting the Steelers will win the Super Bowl in February 2006? <g>

How is a movie about the assassination of a sitting president the same as a movie about a failed attempt on a French president who had been dead for three years before the movie was made?

The editorial also failed to note that through the miracle of computer graphics, the movie actually put an image of President Bush’s head on the actor playing President Bush.

I’m being picky, but in the film title, the spelling is “Jackal,” not “Jackel.” As I noted above, a truly first class newspaper.

“Bush is unpopular in Europe, but this movie should win an award for the epitome of tackiness.

“The Associated Press reports the film will be a documentary-drama, using real footage that has been digitally manipulated to show Bush being fatally shot after delivering a speech in Chicago. British television network More4 plans to air the film in October.”

[RWC] Exactly how do you refer to a completely fictional piece of work as a “documentary-drama?”

“Entitled ‘Death of a President,’ the movie also is scheduled to be shown at the Toronto Film Festival in September.”

[RWC] As noted above, the movie debuted in Toronto last night.

“Peter Dale, the head of More4, called the program ‘an extraordinary, gripping and powerful piece of work’ and an examination of how the war on terror has affected American politics.

“‘It’s not sensationalist, or simplistic, but a very thought-provoking, powerful drama,’ Dale said.

“Pure baloney.

“Say what you want about Bush, he is still the sitting American president. As such, he should be afforded a little more courtesy.”

[RWC] Excuse me, I’m choking. The Times continuously refers to President Bush in vile terms, yet claims “he should be afforded a little more courtesy.”

“It’s curious that the network chose the American president rather than British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been a fervent Bush supporter throughout the war on terror.”

[RWC] My guess is the producers figured killing President Bush instead of PM Blair would result in a higher gross for the film.