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Aug 26, 2016lukasevansherman rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
"It's the economy stupid." Watching this 1993 documentary about the Clinton campaign shows you how much has changed in documentary filmmaking over the past 2 decades. "The War Room," which refers to where the Clinton campaign team, led by James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, met to plan. Co-director D.A. Pennebaker emerged from the documentary movement sometimes called direct cinema or cinema verite, which avoided voice over narration, non-digetic music, and overtly cinematic techniques. His best known films are about music: "Don't Look Back," "Monterey Pop," and "Ziggy Stardust." He and co-director Chris Hegedus apply those techniques here and offer little commentary or context, which may be the source of confusion and frustration for some viewers. Now we're used to political documentaries that have an obvious point of view (Michael Moore) or use a wide variety of film techniques to create the story (Errol Morris). "The War Room" lets the story emerge somewhat more organically and in that case, the story is Carville and Stephanopoulos, more so than Clinton. While we know much more about how campaigns are run now, it was a unique behind the scenes documentary at the time and, as such, has historical importance. This deluxe edition features commentary, a follow up documentary, and an essay.