Rachel Maddow Discusses 'W' with Oliver Stone (w/ clip)

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 07:24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR7fdSfDfR4   Posted on YouTube: October 15, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 15, 2008 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 1562

 
MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show - Oct. 14, 2008. Interview with director Oliver Stone.

[CoffeeCat]

1. Wow, Rachel is 35....

That is amazing!

She is very accomplished--sitting on top of the world--at such a young age.

She is a natural, and she has so much talent.

That is amazing that she is only 35! She must be an old soul.

:)

[BeliQueen]

2. I really felt for Oliver Stone after watching this clip.

I couldn't imagine how he felt watching the last 8 years as our nation marched to war even after he did everything he could to bring the horrors of war to our conscience.

But I can't wait to see W.

Hopefully I will see it Friday night and Sunday. Phone banking for Obama on Saturday inbetween.

Looks like this is going to be a good weekend.

[tavalon]

6. Wow, you couldn't imagine?

So many tried in their own way to sound the alarm and so many, myself included, have watched with shock and horror as this country has been hurtling into fascism. I don't have to imagine, I know exactly how he feels.

[barack the house]

3. Can't wait to see this film, perfectly timed release too. >

The impressions I get from early reviews is that it's kind of balanced so it won't be overly controversial, but still intresting. Most curious to see how they portray Condi and Rove if anything they probably need more scrutiny in what their character is like.

[tclambert]

4. I'm not sure what the net effect will be

Reminding people what W did to this country has to be good for Democrats. But the Republican base hates Oliver Stone. That may energize them. And they hate it when W is criticized for being stupid. It often seems nothing energizes them as much as defending stupidity. (Fill in your own Palin joke here.) Maybe that's because you can't defend stupidity with calm, reasoned arguments, you can only defend it with vehement emotions.

The Republican base, though, is already determined to vote for Palin, er, McCain. Some swing voters may swing toward Obama because of this movie. Moderate Republicans (both of them?) may go either way. I want to believe there are such people. I have hopes we can soon talk about "Obama Republicans" the way people used to talk about "Reagan Democrats." Here's an odd idea. After the election, when he returns to the Senate, will McCain become one of those "Obama Republicans?"

[Wetzelbill]

5. Oliver Stone is a filmmaker who has significantly shaped me

I went and watched "Platoon" in a now closed down theater in Browning, Montana. I'm about a year and a half younger than Rachel, so I was probably not quite 12 at the time. I went with my cousin, the son of a Vietnam vet.

Years later I attended video school and have since spent my time watching a great many films, for entertainment and enrichment, but also for intellectual and professional purposes. Oliver Stone, his former film school professor Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood are my three favorite filmmakers. Around 2002, I became nearly obsessed with Oliver Stone's work. I can't tell you how many times I have watched JFK and Platoon. Or Salvador. He's one of the most profound filmmakers ever. He can take something that may seem trivial, like football, and make it into an intense character study and a reflection of societal issues like racism, feminism etc. He can make Platoon, a war film in an era of shallow war/action films, and say something important that nobody else is willing to say. And he can take a tortured figure like Richard Nixon and show his humanity.

The last few days I have rewatched Platoon and JFK. I might even toss in Any Given Sunday in a few minutes. I'm thinking about renting Nixon again too. All I can say is I am very excited about watching W., it should be interesting.

[Lautremont]

7. I frequently watch the Mr. X scene from JFK.

I never seem to tire of it, and it never stops creeping me out very deeply.