BOB ROBERTS
US, 1992, 101 minutes, Colour.
Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, Ray Wise, Rebecca Jenkins, Alan Rickman, Gore Vidal, Brian Murray, Anita Gillette, David Strathairn, Bob Balaban, Susan Sarandon, James Spader, Fred Ward, Helen Hunt, Pamela Reed.
Directed by Tim Robbins.
Bob Roberts is a clean-cut Pennsylvania senate candidate who embodies the reaction against the liberalism of the 60s. Divorced from his hippy parents, a wizard on Wall St, he is also a folksinger whose lyrics and television commercials and music videos dramatise the despising of hearts on sleeves Americans and alleged trendy causes. A British television team is following his campaign and doing a documentary on him.
Roberts is being funded by millionaire, Harte, whose financial deals are shady (drugs, gun-running) but who is also a public patriot. However, crippled black man, Buzz, stalks the campaign trying to bring social causes to Roberts' attention. The media, however, are eager to follow Bob and enthuse about him.
Roberts' opponent is incumbent Senator Bradley Paiste who is lampooned as soft and out of touch, especially in TV debates and manufactured photo-stories.
An assassination attempt of Bob is blamed on Buzz who protests his innocence but is framed by the Roberts team. Roberts, the hero and family man is now a martyr. However, some in his entourage are becoming disillusioned but are got rid of.
Roberts is elected - but it finally appears that his shooting was engineered and he is faking his injuries.
Bob Roberts is the work of Tim Robbins who wrote and directed the movie as well as starring in it and composing and singing Bob Roberts' repertoire of patriotic (satiric) songs. It is a Left perspective on American politics of the 1990s and was made at the time of the Gulf War.
By playing Bob Roberts straight, Tim Robbins is able to highlight the smooth and cunning shallowness of the clean-cut, allegedly clean, candidate. But, behind the smile is complete ruthlessness and a desire to win and to claim power. Alan Rickman is the shady financier behind the Roberts' campaign, also presented as a hypocrite, appearing at Senate committee investigations and wanting to pray in times of crisis.
Gore Vidal, as Senator Paiste, ridiculed and set up by the Roberts' campaign, represents a lot of the stances that Vidal did in real life. He gives pathos to his role. Giancarlo Esposito is the victim, Buzz, who is the mouthpiece for justice.
A gallery of stars take cameo roles, especially as smiling TV personalities with a penchant for adulation and/or inane chatter. Tim Robbins went on to direct Dead Man Walking and the political view of New York 30s, The Cradle Will Rock.
1.The work of Tim Robbins? His films, perspective on the United States? Left politics? The political scene, America in the '80s and '90s, conspiracies? The critique of the Right?
2.Pennsylvania, the cities and the countryside? New York City? Washington, DC? Authentic atmosphere?
3.The start and the indication of a documentary? The film relying on the documentary and its style? The range of techniques including video clips, political advertising, sports, the political conventions, musical numbers, hand-held cameras, television interviews and debates, naturalistic realism, the political hearings, the news services, television, the parody of Saturday Night Live? The cumulative effect of so many different techniques and styles?
4.The musical score, the songs, country and western style, the lyrics: Bleeding Heart, God, Complain and Complain, Alive etc? The musical style and its appeal, homespun, the guitar, the choir? The religious setting for some of the songs? The lyrics and their irony? The music videos of the songs, the dancers in the street and Bob Roberts and the Rap? The War of Independence and the shoot to kill? Concerts, religion, politics?
5.The guest stars and the parody, especially of the media? Peter Gallagher and his adulation? Helen Hunt and her reporting? The various hosts?
6.The US in 1990, the Bush government, the elections for the Senate, Paiste and his memories of the Kennedy years? The Opposition and their visualising in their advertising "Paiste's nightmare"? The contrast between the '60s and the '90s? The old hippies, the reaction to the permissiveness of the '60s? New heroes? The role of religion, violence? The concern about drugs? The background of Senate investigations, the invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, political scandals, assassinations, lies, arms deals and money going to drugs?
7.The documentary format and its styles: the realism, the glimpses of Bob Roberts and his entourage, going behind the scenes? The controllers and the minders and the censorship and editing? The spin doctors and their interpretation? The documentary and the possibility of critique or not? The irony of having the footage of the assassination attempt? The documentary maker, his British background, presence, the reaction of Bob, the assistants? His discussions with Buzz? His finally stating that he did not like Bob Roberts?
8.Tim Robbins and his screen personality and presence? Clean-cut and nice, presentable? The parody of the bland politician, surface and depths? His history, where he was born, age, his reaction to his parents (and the interviews with them, the newspaper headings, his separating himself from them and reacting against their values)? His military training, career - and the ambiguity of his behaviour? His assault on Wall Street? His trailer and his caravan and the computers, the continued money deals while he was on campaign, the phone and the assistants and the range of languages, Japanese and German? The background of shady deals? His being pushed by Harte? Bob Roberts in himself - a personality or not? Responding to perceived needs and ambition? His nice, inoffensive wife? The importance of the music, presenting himself as a country boy, the music clips and his style and presence, the advertising, the simple use of his name, the documentary showing the fans and their adulation? The interview with the mayor's wife and her strange-looking children and Bob as their hero? The range of his assistants, the minders? His relationship with them, smiling yet dominant? The fencing scenes, the bike crash and his reaction? The hard side of Bob Roberts? The discussions with Buzz, the arguments, the growing hostility? Going on the Cutting Edge - the reaction of the staff, the parody, his singing? The plug being pulled? Leaving and his being shot, seeing him in hospital, on television? The irony of his victory? The debate with Senator Paiste? Back home, the get-well cards and the sentimentality? The final concert and the irony of his being crippled - and his foot tapping? What did he win? The film's comment on the success of this kind of politician in the '90s? His policies, their implementation - the dangers of the Right-wing?
9.The contrast with Buzz and his appearance, wanting an interview, hounding the Bob Roberts entourage, his conspiracy theories, his arguments and failures? Discussions with the documentary interviewer? The Senate meetings and the hearings and Harte's behaviour? Discussion with Bob, not interviewing him satisfactorily? The protest, the set-up and his being the fall-guy, his arrest? His lawyer and his attitude towards the Roberts camp? Trying to tell the truth? The reality about the palsied hand, the possibility of the assassination attempt? Buzz and his being killed? Buzz's killer, glee, the rejoicing crowd (including the mayor's sons)? Buzz as the scapegoat and the object of hatred?
10.Paiste and the irony of Gore Vidal acting this role? His own political and social and cultural background? The link with the Kennedy era? The elder statesman, the '60s liberal? His being mocked by the young of the '90s? The advertisements, the polls and his losing? The media use of the photo and the implication of an affair? The TV debate and shaking hands with Bob Roberts? The interviews, the long explanation by Paiste of the danger of Bob Roberts, his critique? Losing?
11.The TV patter and the TV hosts? The initial hostile interview in Philadelphia with the black African woman, her walking off? The rest playing up to Bob Roberts? The discussions about bias? Going to the Cutting Edge, the reaction of the staff, the anger of the more Left-wing crew? John Cusack and the satiric Saturday Night Live-style parodies of Bob Roberts? Their walking off? The producer and his trying to placate Roberts? The executive and her pulling the plug?
12.Bob Roberts' staff and their loyalties, Ray Wise as the smooth minder? Their being smart, money men, completely loyal, wheeler-dealers? Dolores and her place on the staff, her loyalty - but the reason for her walking at the end?
13.The background of drugs and arms deals, the dark side of the American Right-wing and money-making?
14.Alan Rickman as Harte, his sinister voice, his presence, silent, his manner? Behaviour at the hearings? Present when Bob was shot? The interview - and the irony of his going to pray?
15.The range of people seen, especially the supporters and the enthusiasm and the fanaticism?
16.A portrait of US politics from a Left perspective at the beginning of the '90s?
