WRONG IS RIGHT
US, 1982, 117 minutes. Colour.
Sean Connery, George Grizzard, Robert Conrad, Katharine Ross, G.D. Spradlin, John Saxon, Henry Silva, Leslie Nielson, Robert Webber, Rosalind Cash, Hardy Kruger, Dean Stockwell, Ron Moody, Cherie Michan, Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Directed by Richard Brooks.
Wrong is Right was a film well ahead of its time. It was a satiric look at American politics, American culture, American media, the threat of terrorism from the Middle East. Many dismissed it at the time as far too exaggerated. However, in retrospect, it seems that many of the satirical aspects of the film have found reality, especially with terrorism and 9/11, with the presidency of George Bush, with the spying and surveillance techniques of the media as well as the exploitation media of such outlets as Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News.
The film was written and directed by Richard Brooks, a long-time Hollywood writer of such films as Crossfire, moving into directing with The Blackboard Jungle and making a number of high profile features over the years, including screen versions of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth.
The film has a very strong cast indeed, character actors led by Sean Connery as the top television news personality and reporter. The film is written in exaggerated style, George Grizzard as the sports-loving and exercise-loving president (anticipating George W. Bush). Robert Conrad is a right-wing hawk, anticipating such films as Tom Clancy’s The Sum of Us as well as mad generals and advisers like those in Murder on 1600 (Alan Alda) and Jon Voight in Most Wanted.
While the film is very much a film of the 1980s, it is entertaining, often witty, always satirical, and prescient.
1. The title? The ambiguity? The introduction, the range of double values and lack of values?
2. 1982 setting, the world of the 1970s, anticipation of the world to come?
3. The locations, the Middle East, Washington DC, the range of world locations? The focus on the Middle East, anticipating the 1990s and subsequent decades? The musical score?
4. The voice-over, Patrick Hale and Sean Connery’s voice and accent? The images of surveillance, satellites, images? The quoting of George Orwell on Big Brother? Computers, records? The manufacturing of the truth in the media?
5. Audience response to Patrick Hale? Sean Connery and his screen presence? Introduction, voice, his commentaries, the nature of the narration? The television personality, his reports? The satire in the crime therapy sequences? Issues of war? Going to the Middle East? Meeting with the king? The encounter with Sally? His inquiries, the American embassy? Hubbard and the CIA? Going to the desert, paying off the attacking Arabs, the rescue of Helmut Unger? The encounter with Rafeeq, the interview with him? Rafeeq and his revelation about attitudes towards the United States? The various connections? Back at the studio? The role of the media? Controversy and entertainment? Declaring itself apolitical? Yet the involvement of the media with political issues?
6. The king, his plans, oil in his country, Helmut Unger, the arms dealer, the bombs? The encounter with Patrick? The camera, the cause of his death in the gift?
7. The American government, the president and his advisers? His blasé attitudes, appealing to the public, his exercise regime and the varieties of exercise? Hacker and his being a yes-man? The vice president and her attitude (and her being called Mrs Ford)? The CIA chief, his concerns, visits to the White House? The various meetings, planning, issues of speech and implications, not doing what the speech said? Especially with the issue of the killing of the king? Patrick, his presence at the White House? The suicide bombers and their attack during the speech? The fickle nature of American politics?
8. The CIA, Hubbard, on the site, his contacts, the murders, the agent helping Patrick and bossed by Hubbard? Hubbard and his following Patrick? The trap? Rescuing him? The setup for Helmut Unger and his henchmen, death?
9. Unger, the international arms dealer, travelling in the desert, waylaid by the Arabs, turning up, his relationship with the king, the arms deal, his death?
10. Rafeeq, his attitudes, the interviews? (The anticipation of Osama Bin Laden?) His agents, the man and the woman, the various setups, Sally and her death, Unger and the setup? The aims of Rafeeq? To topple the US? His employment of the suicide bombers? (And the anticipation of this weaponry in the succeeding decades?)
11. The CIA, the head, his attitudes, supporting Hubbard or not, the death of the king, his agreement with the president or not?
12. General Wombat, the gung-ho attitudes, his rhetoric?
13. Mallory, the opposition to the president, speeches, the meetings, the challenge? The encounter with Patrick? A fool or not?
14. Patrick, the increasing involvement, the bombs, his cameras, his being in the desert, the crash, the encounter with Unger, with the studio chiefs, with the president?
15. The networks, Harvey and his ambitions? His staff? The methods? Moving to commercials? The eagerness for ratings? Anticipating (*?anticipation?) of the Fox network?
16. The suicide bombers, the protests, inaction?
17. The film released in the Reagan era? The shift from Jimmy Carters Democrats to Reagan’s Republicans? The gung-ho attitudes? The last years of the Cold War? The transition from this kind of world to the future (and the future imaging this kind of picture)?
