Courting Condi
| Courting Condi | |
|---|---|
 Official Poster | |
| Directed by | Sebastian Doggart |
| Written by | Sebastian Doggart |
| Produced by | Sebastian Doggart |
| Starring | Devin Ratray, Adrian Grenier, Jim Norton, Condoleezza Rice, Frank Luntz, Carol Connors, George W. Bush, Lawrence Wilkerson |
| Cinematography | Matthew Woolf |
| Edited by | Dan Madden, Tom Lindsay, Diana DeCilio |
| Music by | Alexandra Gordon, Kerry Shaw, Carol Connors, Steve Earle, Devin Ratray, Sebastian Doggart, Jess King |
Release date | July 2009 |
Running time | 107 min |
| Language | English |
Courting Condi is a movie by British filmmaker Sebastian Doggart that portrays the quest of a love-struck man, actor Devin Ratray, who wants to win the heart of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Synopsis
Can one man with a dream win the heart of the world's most powerful woman?
Devin Ratray is a musician and besotted admirer of Condoleezza Rice, 'Condi,' who travels across America, learning more about Rice from those who knew her.[1] He speaks to her childhood friends in Birmingham, Alabama. In Denver, Colorado, he performs at Red Rocks [2], where he meets some of her former teachers, and the one man to whom Rice has been engaged, Rick Upchurch. Upchurch tells Devin that Rice made an oath to God not to have sex before she got married, and deduces that her continued single status, and her enduring Christianity, confirm that she is still a virgin. [3] Ratray follows Rice's rise to Provost of Stanford University in California, where he also discovers that she reversed affirmative action programs. In Los Angeles, he is given courtship advice by Adrian Grenier, [4] and cult comedian Jim Norton, and is presented with a power ballad to send to Condi from Oscar nominated songwriter Carol Connors. When he arrives in Washington DC, he is assisted by Republican strategist Frank Luntz, and counseled by Newsweek editor Eleanor Clift.
He also learns how, after failing to respond competently to warnings of an Al Qaeda attack on American soil, she made a Faustian pact to sacrifice her principles for power. Through noted contributors such as Colin Powell's Chief of Staff Lawrence Wilkerson, Watergate and 9/11 Commission investigator Richard Ben-Veniste and Congressman David Price, Devin learns how Rice abandoned her position as a realist on international relations and turned into an idealist neo-Condi.[5] He finds out how she misled the 9/11 Commission, and failed to prosecute the killers in the 2007 Blackwater Baghdad shootings, even though they were in her employ. Finally, Washington Post reporter, and Rice's pre-eminent biographer, Glenn Kessler, informs him how Rice selected and authorized torture techniques, [6] including waterboarding, fingernail extraction and sleep deprivation. [7] [8]
Style
The film is the first ever 'musical docu-tragi-comedy' in the history of cinema. [9] [10] In an original journalistic device, it uses an actor, Ratray, to interview friends, relatives and colleagues of Dr. Rice. It innovatively combines interviews, archive footage, animated stills, dramatizations and original songs. Critics described this hybrid genre as "a heady melange of styles and aims" [11] and "a strange mash-up by many measures." [12]
History
A promo of the film screened at the IFC Center in New York City in April 2007, [13] and led to Discovery Communications commissioning the film for $600,000. In August, one week before principal photography was due to begin, Discovery suddenly announced that they had 'canceled' the film. This followed pressure from Karl Rove, [14] who had found out about the film's critical stance on the Bush Administration and warned Discovery that the movie could damage their "good relations with government". [15] [16] Discovery settled with the producers, American Princess LLC, for a $150,000 'kill loan', forcing the producers to make the film on a shoestring. [17]
The Bush Administration continued to obstruct the film, sending State Department officials to raid the producers' guesthouse in Washington DC, and plant a bug under a coffee table in their living room -- actions which were documented on camera and broadcast on the internet. [18] In February 2008, Channel 4 in the UK provided further financing for the film, [19] leading to its completion in September 2008.
Tensions between Rice and the film's producers continued in the film's marketing and distribution stage. On October 28, 2008, the Stanford Film Society invited the film to screen at Stanford University where Rice is due to return as a fellow in January 2009. The SFS President Kerry Mahuron wrote: "I have seen the movie and am interested in showing it. However, as you are probably aware, Condoleezza Rice is a current faculty member of the Political Science Department at Stanford, and starting next February will be returning to the University as our Vice Provost. Showing a film that paints her in such a negative light is not only controversial, but also potentially inflammatory and a violation of Stanford policies." Despite these concerns, Mahuron proceeded to confirm a December 2 booking, arguing that "to prevent us from showing the film would violate our right to free speech, so I don't anticipate them being able to stop us." [20]
The SFS also scheduled a post-screening debate on the motion that "This house believes that Stanford University would be well served by welcoming back Condoleezza Rice to its faculty". The SFS invited conservative supporters of Rice, including Stanford fellow, Donald Rumsfeld, to debate in support of the motion. The film's director, Sebastian Doggart, was due to oppose the motion. The 500-seater Cubberley Auditorium was tagged as the venue; flyers and posters were ready for circulation, and invitations sent to the Hoover Institute, Stanford Daily, Intermissions, Stanford College Republicans, Stanford Review, Stanford Conservative Society, Stanford Amnesty, and Stanford Iraq Coalition.
On November 21, Mahuron sent an email to all these groups, stating that the Society had "resolutely decided to cancel the screening." [21] She wrote to the film's director, Sebastian Doggart, stating that the film had been canceled for "logistical reasons... Stanford's two conservative political groups are also hosting an event on the night of December 2, and we were counting on their members to attend the screening and lend plurality to the audience and the Q&A session. December 5 is not an option, because the Stanford's MFA Program in Documentary Filmmaking is hosting its own event that evening, and, since SFS and the MFA Program support each other, we do not want to schedule competing events." [22] Mahuron gave a second reason for the cancellation: "we are now convinced that any debate following the film would not be balanced, and that this event would not be a forum for open and bipartisan political discussion." [23]
Doggart wrote to Mahuron, suggesting they re-schedule the screening until January, to give them time to set up a "balanced" debate. [24] When Mahuron did not reply, American Princess released a press release stating that “the gutless cancellation of this debate is self-censorship at best and direct censorship by Dr. Rice’s friends, at worst. She is clearly trying to gloss over her tragic legacy with all the resources at her disposal."
Mahuron then told the San Jose Mercury News stating that the reason she had canceled the film because "put simply, it was bad". [25] American Princess issued a counter-statement, questioning why Mahuron had suddenly changed her mind about the quality of the film when she was the person who had invited the film to screen. It stated: "Come on Stanford Film Society, step up here! We all know Condoleezza Rice is an expert on Stalin, but do you really not have the cojones to stand up to this blatant violation of free speech? Sure, she is due to be your next vice-Provost in February, but is that really so frightening a prospect that you have to concoct untruthful stories for muzzling criticism of Stanford's most sacred cow? Screen the film in January, organize the debate in a balanced way, and let Stanford students decide for themselves." [26]
Meantime, various Stanford groups such as Stanford Amnesty and Stanford Says No to War wrote to the Stanford Film Society to re-instate or re-schedule the screening. Commenting on the story, Radar magazine wrote: "Wow. We thought this was a country where even Iran's radical prez could speak at Columbia University." [27].
Students from the University of Denver, where Rice was an undergraduate, responded by organising a screening of the movie on March 2, 2009, to be followed by a debate on the motion 'This house believes that Condoleezza Rice should stand trial for war crimes.' Proposing the motion will be Rice's history professor, Alan Gilbert; defending Rice will be Republican State Senator Sean Mitchell. [28]
Courting Condi is scheduled for general international release in July 2009 and for transmission on Channel 4 in December 2009. [29]
Awards
The film had advance screenings at a number of festivals, where it has won ten awards. Orlando Film Festival selected the film as the Opening Night film,[30] and awarded it three prizes: Best Performance (Devin Ratray), and second prize for Best Picture and Best Director categories. [31] At Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, the film won Special Award: Most Creative Concept. [32] At Paso Robles International Film Festival, the film won Best Comedic Documentary. [33] At the Mammoth Film Festival, where the film was selected as Opening Night performance, the film won Best Comedy/Musical. [34] And at the Treasure Coast International Festival, the film was selected for the Opening Night screening, and won awards in four categories: Audience Choice Award (as voted by audiences throughout the festival), Best Documentary, Best Director (Sebastian Doggart), and Best Song (Carol Connors' Condoleezza Condi, I think of you so Fondly).
Reviews
"An innovative celluloid approach to investigating Miss Rice, the film mixes the styles of a documentary, comedy and musical to throw light on the life of a very private lady. The star is Devin Ratray, best known from his child actor days as Buzz in Home Alone, who plays a hapless chubby musician hopelessly besotted with Rice. As he travels across America interviewing people who know the subject of his unrequited affection, a much darker picture emerges than he ever dreamed. There is a great episode featuring Republican pollster and consultant Frank Luntz giving Ratray advice on how to approach the love of his life. It's part Borat, part Michael Moore, highly entertaining and distinctly unsettling, and has already won 10 awards at various film festivals." -Philip Sherwell, Daily Telegraph[35]
"Courting Condi provides a rich background picture of the very private lady as she matures and emerges in political circles. Whatever side you're on, this is a clever documentary construction--a theatrical ruse to keep us amused while building a case against a cold-minded holder of high office. May the effort to distribute this film prove to be profitable." -Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals[36]
"Americans need to be entertained, which is probably why British director Sebastian Doggart chose to film his brilliant new documentary on Condoleezza Rice in the very unlikely genre of a musical comedy. Try to think of Courting Condi as a documentary about the fascinating and yet dark tale of Condoleezza Rice's rise to power as told by Borat and Michael Moore with a delightfully strange musical soundtrack... Devin Ratray's rich music talent and natural comedic brilliance are what makes this dark tale so utterly enjoyable. This movie is a wildly inventive, surreal satire that brilliantly accomplishes its goal of entertaining, educating and exposing the dark side of a prominent national figure at once. It may even be the first time a musical comedy has inspired the impeachment of a high-ranking politician." -Adam Rodriguez, Socially Superlative[37]
"Courting Condi offers viewers the first-ever musical docu-tragi-comedy. It's a highly creative piece of filmmaking… this unique movie presents fascinating information about one of the world’s most powerful women. Opinionated? Yes, but it’s also a lot of fun and quite provocative." -Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews[38]
“After viewing Courting Condi, it’s almost impossible to believe that the truth about Condoleezza Rice hasn’t been spilled all over newspaper pages across the country… This is the first ever musical docu-tragi-comedy in the history of cinema and has been completed in spite of the Bush Administration’s attempts to shut it down.” – The Mammoth Times [39]
"Witty, poetic and informative. It’s amazing how much of Rice’s life story is in the film.” Marcus Mabry, The New York Times [40]
“A roller-coaster ride from comedy to astonishment.” – The Beverly Hills Courier [41]
“A heady mélange of styles, it includes several brightly animated musical numbers and a delightful cameo by Adrian Grenier of Entourage.” -- Salon.com [42]
"Endearing musical interludes and production values straight out of Hollywood... A real-life tragic rise and fall worthy of Shakespeare."- Non Vivant [43]
"Hilarious, a classic love story and a biopic like no other."- The Treasure Coast Tribune [44]
"Courting Condi provides a rich background picture of the very private lady as she matures and emerges in political circles. Whatever side you're on, this is a clever documentary construction--a theatrical ruse to keep us amused while building a case against a cold-minded holder of high office. May the effort to distribute this film prove to be profitable." -Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals' [45]
"One of the most creative films in years. I loved it."- Blog Talk Radio [46]