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===A controversial line excised===
===A controversial line excised===
One of the most controversial points in the script, and often the only one referred to in media reports, was the depiction of Reagan telling his wife during a conversation about [[AIDS]] patients, "They that live in [[sin]] shall die in sin."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,536964,00.html|title=In Dutch|last=Susman|first=Gary|date=November 4, 2003|work=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=January 11, 2010}}</ref> The screenwriters admitted that there was no evidence that Reagan ever said this; however, they pointed to [[Edmund Morris (writer)|Edmund Morris]]' partially-fictionalized biography of Reagan, which quotes him as saying, "Maybe the Lord brought down this [[Pandemic|plague]] [AIDS]." <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh111003.shtml|title=SAD MAX! How inept is your press elite? Reciting a standard Reagan script, Max Frankel is eager to show you:|last=Somerby|first=Bob|date=November 10, 2003|work=The Daily Howler|accessdate=January 11, 2010}}</ref> This line was dropped in the Showtime and [[DVD]] versions of the film. ''The Reagans'' producers, [[Neil Meron]] and [[Craig Zadan]], have insisted that every fact, though not every line of dialogue, was supported by at least two sources. However, according to [[Patti Davis]], no family member or close friend of the Reagans was consulted by the filmmakers throughout the production.
One of the most controversial points in the script, and often the only one referred to in media reports, was the depiction of Reagan telling his wife during a conversation about [[AIDS]] patients, "They that live in [[sin]] shall die in sin."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,536964,00.html|title=In Dutch|last=Susman|first=Gary|date=November 4, 2003|work=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=January 11, 2010}}</ref> The screenwriters admitted that there was no evidence that Reagan ever said this; however, they pointed to [[Edmund Morris (writer)|Edmund Morris]]' partially-fictionalized biography of Reagan, which quotes him as saying, "Maybe the Lord brought down this [[Pandemic|plague]] [AIDS]." <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh111003.shtml|title=SAD MAX! How inept is your press elite? Reciting a standard Reagan script, Max Frankel is eager to show you:|last=Somerby|first=Bob|date=November 10, 2003|work=The Daily Howler|accessdate=January 11, 2010}}</ref> In his book [[And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic#Political and governmental agencies|And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic]] author [[Randy Shilts]] accused Ronald Reagan of neglecting to address AIDS to the American people until 1987 -- calling his behavior "ritualistic silence".<ref>p. 588, ''And the Band Played On''.</ref> This line was dropped in the Showtime and [[DVD]] versions of the film.
''The Reagans'' producers, [[Neil Meron]] and [[Craig Zadan]], have insisted that every fact, though not every line of dialogue, was supported by at least two sources. However, according to [[Patti Davis]], no family member or close friend of the Reagans was consulted by the filmmakers throughout the production.


Another factor which has motivated critics to claim [[media bias|bias]] was that Reagan was played by [[James Brolin]], whose wife [[Barbra Streisand]] is an outspoken liberal.<ref name="pulls"/> Brolin would later play Governor Rob Ritchie, a fictional [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican]] candidate for the Presidency in ''[[The West Wing]]'', while his son [[Josh Brolin|Josh]] would play the 43rd President [[George W. Bush]] in the 2008 [[Oliver Stone]] film ''[[W. (film)|W.]]''
Another factor which has motivated critics to claim [[media bias|bias]] was that Reagan was played by [[James Brolin]], whose wife [[Barbra Streisand]] is an outspoken liberal.<ref name="pulls"/> Brolin would later play Governor Rob Ritchie, a fictional [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican]] candidate for the Presidency in ''[[The West Wing]]'', while his son [[Josh Brolin|Josh]] would play the 43rd President [[George W. Bush]] in the 2008 [[Oliver Stone]] film ''[[W. (film)|W.]]''

Revision as of 00:46, 17 January 2011

The Reagans
Directed byRobert Ackerman
Written byCarl Sferrazza Anthony
Jane Marchwood
Thomas Rickman
Elizabeth Egloff
Produced byRobert Allan Ackerman
Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Dave Mace
Neil Meron
Lynn Raynor
Craig Zadan
StarringJames Brolin
Judy Davis
Bill Smitrovich
John Stamos
Zeljko Ivanek
Mary Beth Peil
Carolyn Dunn
Tom Barnett
Zoie Palmer
Shad Hart
Vlasta Vrana
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
November 30, 2003
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Reagans is a 180-minute television movie about U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his family which CBS had planned to broadcast in November 2003 during fall "sweeps", but was ultimately broadcast on November 30 of that year on cable channel Showtime due to controversy over its portrayal of Reagan.

Production

The miniseries featured James Brolin as Ronald Reagan and Judy Davis as Nancy Reagan, and covers the period in time from 1949 when Reagan was still in Hollywood, through his governorship of California until Reagan's last day in office as President in 1989.

Controversy

About a month before it was scheduled to air, portions of the script were leaked. As a result of these stories, the miniseries began to be widely criticized by conservatives as an unbalanced and inaccurate depiction of Reagan. CBS reportedly had ordered a love story about Ronald and Nancy Reagan with politics as a backdrop, but instead received what they later claimed was an overtly political film. Supporters of the film claimed that these criticisms were simply partisan bias, and were an attempt to censor a film because it did not always portray the former president in a positive light.[1]

Conservatives began criticizing it before it was broadcast and claimed that it put words in Reagan's mouth and condemned it as "leftist" historical revisionism. Some of the criticism was based upon early drafts of the script and featured scenes that were either never shot or dropped from the final version. Eventually, after several weeks of outspoken criticism by conservatives, on November 4, 2003, CBS withdrew the broadcast saying that it did "not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans." The network chose instead to broadcast the miniseries on the cable channel Showtime, which along with CBS was owned by Viacom.[2] In a statement on its web site, CBS said:

CBS will not broadcast The Reagans on November 16 and 18. This decision is based solely on our reaction to seeing the final film, not the controversy that erupted around a draft of the script.

Although the mini-series features impressive production values and acting performances, and although the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script, we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience. Subsequent edits that we considered did not address those concerns.

A free broadcast network, available to all over the public airwaves, has different standards than media the public must pay to view. We do, however, recognize and respect the filmmakers' right to have their voice heard and their film seen.[3]

CBS' denial that it was yielding to the furor did not persuade its critics. The producers of the movie noted that, before the outcry, CBS had approved both the script for the miniseries and had seen dailies as they were shot, and the film had been approved by two sets of lawyers. Jeff Chester, head of the Center for Digital Democracy, a communications lobbying group, said that CBS had chosen not to offend Republicans at a time when the federal government was considering rules restricting ownership of local television stations. CBS executives "made a business decision," he said. "In doing so, they clearly caved in to the political pressure." Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader of the time, commented that the decision "smells of intimidation to me."[1]

A controversial line excised

One of the most controversial points in the script, and often the only one referred to in media reports, was the depiction of Reagan telling his wife during a conversation about AIDS patients, "They that live in sin shall die in sin."[4] The screenwriters admitted that there was no evidence that Reagan ever said this; however, they pointed to Edmund Morris' partially-fictionalized biography of Reagan, which quotes him as saying, "Maybe the Lord brought down this plague [AIDS]." [5] In his book And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic author Randy Shilts accused Ronald Reagan of neglecting to address AIDS to the American people until 1987 -- calling his behavior "ritualistic silence".[6] This line was dropped in the Showtime and DVD versions of the film.

The Reagans producers, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, have insisted that every fact, though not every line of dialogue, was supported by at least two sources. However, according to Patti Davis, no family member or close friend of the Reagans was consulted by the filmmakers throughout the production.

Another factor which has motivated critics to claim bias was that Reagan was played by James Brolin, whose wife Barbra Streisand is an outspoken liberal.[1] Brolin would later play Governor Rob Ritchie, a fictional Republican candidate for the Presidency in The West Wing, while his son Josh would play the 43rd President George W. Bush in the 2008 Oliver Stone film W.

Cast

References

  1. ^ a b c "CBS pulls Reagan miniseries". CNN.com. Associated Press. November 5, 2003. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008.
  2. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (November 5, 2003). "Reagan series dropped after attacks from conservatives". The Independent. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "CBS statement regarding "The Reagans"". CBS. November 4, 2003. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  4. ^ Susman, Gary (November 4, 2003). "In Dutch". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  5. ^ Somerby, Bob (November 10, 2003). "SAD MAX! How inept is your press elite? Reciting a standard Reagan script, Max Frankel is eager to show you:". The Daily Howler. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  6. ^ p. 588, And the Band Played On.
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