Intriguing

Bush, Cinematic Hero

The problem with political biopics.

What do George W. Bush, Richard Nixon, Idi Amin, and Adolf Hitler have in common? Calm down, Michelle Malkin. According to Kevin Maher in the London Times, they're all political "villains" (of varying degrees) who have recently received biopic treatment. Oliver Stone's W. is the latest, and it is "nothing less than the modern political biopic par excellence, a film that grabs its notorious subject matter by the throat and, instead of throttling it, as the world expects, simply looks deeply into its eyes." The problem is that these films, in a way, exonerate their subjects by humanizing them. "Movies," Maher writes, "are increasingly ignoring any responsibility to address the political issues surrounding the politicians."