CONTROVERSY SWIRLS AROUND CBS REAGAN FILM; SCRIPT REVEALED
Mon Oct 20 2003 20:30:29 ET
In the upcoming CBS telefilm on President Ronald Reagan, producers fail to mention the economic recovery or the creation of wealth during his administration, nor do they show Reagan delivering the nation from the malaise of the Jimmy Carter years.
The film depicts Nancy Reagan as a pill-popping control addict, who set the president's schedule based on her astrologer's advice and who had significant influence over White House personnel and policy decisions.
MORE
The NEW YORK TIMES has obtained a final script for THE REAGANS, according to newsroom sources.
TIMES reporter Jim Rutenberg does it again, and is planning a Tuesday splash.
"This was very important for me, to document everything and give a very fair point of view," says Leslie Moonves, the CBS chairman and a top Democrat supporter [he sat next to Hillary Clinton during her husband's re-nominating convention].
MORE
The film is set to air during next month's Sweeps. It stresses Reagan's moments of forgetfulness, his supposed opinions on AIDS and gays, his laissez-faire handling of his staff members. The scenes often carry a disapproving tone.
During a scene in which his wife pleads with him to help people battling AIDS, Reagan says resolutely, "They that live in sin shall die in sin" and refuses to discuss the issue further.
The film's producers, Zadan and Meron, acknowledge their liberal politics, as do the stars of the television movie, James Brolin and Judy Davis. But Meron tells the TIMES: "This is not a vendetta, this is not revenge. It is about telling a good story in our honest sort of way. We all believe it's a story that should be told."
DEVELOPING...
-----------------------------------------------------------
Filed By Matt Drudge
Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
drudgereport.com for updates
(c)DRUDGE REPORT 2003 |
