Wag the Dog (1998, VHS)

When I come across a movie that manages to sarcastically poke at our reality, usually I find it quite funny. However, in a day and age where manipulation of the public by advertising agencies is so prevalent, I find it sad that people are so easily manipulated by slogans and jingoisms rather than facts. We are manipulated not only to buy the products they advertise, but also now to support various causes, platforms, or candidates. What s even worse is that when we find we have been lied to and manipulated by statements which are not true, the reaction seems to be either to shrug it off and...

Art Imitating Life? Wag the Dog is a Political Satire adapted from the American Hero, a novel which theorizes that George Bush started the Gulf War to counteract the wimp image he was suffering from. The final screenplay, written by respected Playwright and Screenplay Writer David Mamet, hardly follows the original work at all; the president is clearly not Bush (the scandal was different, and the war was fictitious), nor was it supposed to be Clinton or any other president; in fact, the face of the president was never clearly shown. Unfortunately, just weeks after the film premiered, the...

"Wag The Dog" is a fascinating look at the potential of the public relations industry within the political realm. Although the ethical approach went far beyond the pale of industry standards, the film gave us a chillingly accurate depiction of Machiavellian strategy at the upper echelons of government as well as the motivations of those controlling modern-day media. The client was depicted as the President of the United States and his White House staff. Drawing from the Lewinsky scandal and the ensuing Iraq smoke screen, the incumbent is said to have had sex with a Girl Scout-ish 'Firefly'...

In honor of the upcoming election, I am writing about a movie with a political theme every week until the election occurs. This week I viewed Wag The Dog, an amusing and cynical movie about the media and politics - and how vulnerable we are to manipulation by the media. The movie begins with a serious dilemma facing an incumbent President facing re-election; a young girl is accusing him of sexual misconduct. He needs to find a way to not only distract the public, but to strengthen his standing in the polls. The solution comes when Conrad Brean (played by Robert DeNiro) suggests creating a...