The War room

DA Pennebaker was a leading figure in the development of cinema-verite documentary, and in this fascinating film he turns his cameras on the campaign to elect Clinton for President in the 1992 US election. As we follow the campaign from Democrat preselection in New Hampshire to Clinton’s eventual ascendancy to the White House, what becomes clear is the paramount importance of the media’s role in contemporary American politics. The focus of the film is on Campaign Manager, James Carville, and the Communications Director, George Stephanopoulos, who led and directed the campaign. These two ferociously intelligent and dedicated men are aware of the complex and difficult questions concerning American democracy in the post Cold-War era, but their battle is attempting to address these issues in a society obsessed with the superficial and simplistic dominance of media images.