Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
Encyclopedia
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story is a 2008 U.S. documentary on the campaign tactics used by Lee Atwater
while working on the George H.W. Bush 1988 presidential campaign
, and how those tactics have transformed presidential campaigns in the United States
.
In an independent release from InterPositive Media, the film was a Critic's Pick in both the New York Times and Washington Post, screened at the 2008 Democratic
and Republican National Convention
s, played 40 American cities in the fall of 2008 and was #7 in nationwide per-screen average the weekend of its release. It has been called one of the best political documentaries ever made.
in the documentary's title is a triple entendre that refers to
, was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Theatrical Documentary, and director Stefan Forbes received the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the International Documentary Association
. Conservatives have charged the film contains left-wing bias.
on BBC Four
. When broadcast in Sweden
on SVT
(the national public service broadcaster), the film was retitled Amerikas ondaste man ("America's Evilest Man").
On November 11, 2008, the PBS
series Frontline broadcast a slightly shortened version of the documentary.
Reviews
Interviews with film director Stefan Forbes
Lee Atwater
Harvey LeRoy "Lee" Atwater was an American political consultant and strategist to the Republican Party. He was an advisor of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and Chairman of the Republican National Committee.-Childhood and early life:...
while working on the George H.W. Bush 1988 presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 1988
The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...
, and how those tactics have transformed presidential campaigns in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In an independent release from InterPositive Media, the film was a Critic's Pick in both the New York Times and Washington Post, screened at the 2008 Democratic
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
and Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s, played 40 American cities in the fall of 2008 and was #7 in nationwide per-screen average the weekend of its release. It has been called one of the best political documentaries ever made.
Movie name
The term Boogie ManBogeyman
A bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour...
in the documentary's title is a triple entendre that refers to
- the fear that Atwater evoked in his political enemies (RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
strategist Mary MatalinMary MatalinMary Joe Matalin is an American political consultant, well known for her work with the Republican Party. She was an assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney until 2003. Matalin has been chief editor of Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint...
is shown in the film using the term to describe Atwater's reputation among his DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponents). - the use that Atwater made of Willie HortonWillie HortonWilliam R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
(who was born the same year and lived in the same state as Atwater) to inspire fear of Michael DukakisMichael DukakisMichael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
during the 1988 presidential campaignUnited States presidential election, 1988The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the... - Atwater's love of boogieBoogieBoogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
music, especially playing blues guitar.
Critical reception
The film won the national Edward R. Murrow Award, a 2009 Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism, won the Chris Award at the Columbus International Film & Video FestivalColumbus International Film & Video Festival
The Columbus International Film + Video Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, USA annual film festival which is designed to encourage and promote the use of film and video in all forms of education and communication...
, was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Theatrical Documentary, and director Stefan Forbes received the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
. Conservatives have charged the film contains left-wing bias.
Other releases
The documentary was retitled as Dirty Tricks: The Man Who Got the Bushes Elected when it was broadcast in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
. When broadcast in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on SVT
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
(the national public service broadcaster), the film was retitled Amerikas ondaste man ("America's Evilest Man").
On November 11, 2008, the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Frontline broadcast a slightly shortened version of the documentary.
External links
General- Official web site
- Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story at Film-Forward.com
- Documentary on Frontline
Reviews
- A review of the documentary by Joe ConasonJoe ConasonJoe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
in The New York Observer - A review of the documentary by Roger EbertRoger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
Interviews with film director Stefan Forbes
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94931206'Boogie Man': The Paradox Of Lee Atwater interview with filmmaker Stefan Forbes, NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, September 23, 2008] - Interview of Stefan Forbes on MSNBC's Morning JoeMorning JoeMorning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
- Interview of Stefan Forbes by Elvis MitchellElvis MitchellElvis Mitchell is an American film critic, host of the public radio show The Treatment, and visiting lecturer at Harvard University. He has served as a film critic for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the LA Weekly, The Detroit Free Press, and The New York Times...
- Interview of Stefan Forbes by Laura FlandersLaura FlandersLaura Flanders is a British-American journalist who presents the current events show GRITtv, broadcast weekdays on Link and Free Speech TV....