European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Plenty of room for recognition in Campaign film by Jennifer senior the new York times idea through a showing of the War room a documentary about the Clin ton presidential Campaign a woman near the front Row of Washington s Georgetown key theater let out an extravagant groan. Look at Paul Begala she muttered referring to one of Clinton s senior Campaign strategists. He looks awful. He looked much better when i saw him last  to those who live beyond the orbit of the capital the War room is an edifying primer on How presidential campaigns Are run and won. But to Many of those who live arid work in Washington it is a Home movie starring James Carville As a Peculiar dad. In a sense the War room is the Washington equivalent of the player said Carter Eskew who was part of the Clinton advertising team. It has the same kind of Broad Appeal the same kind of in %  the War room was the name for Clinton s Campaign Center in Little Rock Ark. Though the press was t usually permitted inside this Small Warren of chaos the filmmakers . Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus managed to secure partial Access and shot nearly 35 hours of footage there. Most of it entered on Carville arguably the most adrenal Campaign strategist this country has Ever seen As he bounced around the office screaming directives and invectives at his staff. After its Washington premiere nov. 12, the War room Drew hordes to the Georgetown key giving the theater its most lucrative opening week All year. Frazer Pennebaker who produced his father s film has a simple explanation for its popularity in  War room is blatantly a cynical about politics he said and i think people in Washington appreciate that. It says what i do for a living is All  the War room represents the dubious Triumph of the Washington political class. The definitive film on the 1992 presidential Campaign after All is not really about Clinton or heaven forbid ideas so much As it is about a few hired guns who fashioned his image. This kind of a movie could t have been made 20 or 30 years ago said Lyn Nofziger a longtime re publican political operative. This is a relatively new phenomenon where the political consultants Are More important than the candidates. And it s too  but there is More to it than that. The War room not Only seeks to legitimize Washington s cadre of handlers it also glamorize it which is important to a City that loves to watch itself. Politicians and pundits Rise Early on weekends to see themselves on meet the press or news maker sunday. They stay up past Midnight to watch their colleagues schmooze with Conan o Brien. And everyone went gaga Over Dave a movie about an Ordinary Joe who suddenly takes Over for the president because real senators and journalists were thrown into the mix with Hollywood stars. Small wonder that the War room was so popular. The opening credits even say starring James car Ville and George St thanopoulos the Campaign s director of communication Sand Many movie critics reviewed these two men with the same zest and vocabulary they Reserve for Hollywood actors. To wit with his impish death s head Grin and the personality of a sardonic Ichabod Crane Kenneth turan wrote of Carville in the los Angeles times Bill Clinton s pre eminent Campaign strategist is a natural actor and the War room gives him the Star ring role he thoroughly  James Carvise in april 1992 amid Bill Clinton s bid for the presidency is a Star of the War room. This kind of gushing makes some people squeamish.  v recently there s been a real blurring of the lines Between Hollywood new York and Washington about who the celebrities Are said Norman Ornstein a political analyst. We have actors playing Public policy figures and Public policy figures play ing actors and i can t believe that any of this is particularly healthy for the  former Bush administration staff members did t have much to say but that was because they Haven t seen the film. Look said Torie Clarke the former spokeswoman for the Bush 92 Campaign i bet the Guys who lost the super bowl last year Don t watch those game tapes too  she added but i can Tell you this i Don t know Why anyone would agree to be in a Home movie about a Campaign when people say and do things that they would t want their own mothers to find out  no matter. Democrats in . Are still practically transported with Delight. Let s face it what could be a greater thrill to a nerdy bustling reformer than a starring role in Art House a Span you have to remember that democrats were out of Power for a Long time said Mark Halperin a White House reporter for Abc news who mad Elvis and us another documentary about the Campaign. Now not Only Are they in Power but they re in their own  discouraged by democratic losses in recent May Oral and gubernatorial races Anne Glenzer who helped the Clinton Campaign in Wisconsin went to see the War room to revive her spirits. It made me cry said Glenzer a freshman at George Washington University. It was great to re capture that feeling of  even if democrats had made a clean sweep in last fall s elections life in the Clinton administration would have remained rough going. Robert Squier a democratic political consultant pointed out that this documentary can be appealing because it harks Back to the or Elasarian age of Clinton politics. There s a terrible letdown after every presiden tial race because government begins he said. The great thing about going to watch the War room is that you re Back inside the Campaign again. It s an Opportunity to go Back and watch the Victory  though they won t say it it has become something of a game for the Young foot soldiers of the War room operation who ordinarily Are tucked out of the limelight to search for themselves on screen. It was pretty surreal said John Shakow a car Ville aide who discovered himself grabbing a soda in the background. And i was notoriously under  Halperin said he doubted that Clinton s political sorcerers Ever lost sight of the camera. Because Stephano Qulos is the classic Model of control. And Carville is a lot More controlled than he lets  he ticks off a couple of examples the scene in which a slap Happy Carville reels off a mock conces Sion speech. And the one in which Steph Nopoulos drives away a blackmailer who threatens to publicize supposed sexual indiscretions by Clinton. Mark Shields a political commentator on pcs Macneil Lehrer news hour said he suspects that the press is simply jealous. Twenty years ago they were making movies about journalists and Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford were playing the parts he said. But now they re making movies about political handlers and people like Carville and Steph Nopoulos get to play themselves. No one Ever suggested to Woodward and Bernstein that they play themselves Carville gloats. It s not like i read a lot of film criticism or anything but this is one of the better re viewed films i be seen he said. But does he think anyone cares about the War room outside Washington Well jeez he said perhaps realizing at that moment that he was interrupting his honeymoon in the Blue Ridge mountains to defend his stardom. It s not . You Aren t going to see 13-year-old kids in shopping malls going to see the thing. You can t go on family Feu j and ask people to name their five favorite documentaries. But do i think that the War room will have a lasting Impact on a certain group of people like politicians and documentary film buffs yeah i think it will. I think it  the new York time George St thanopoulos on the Campaign plane. Be _ _ _ _ says it has t scheduled the War room to run on its circuit. Page 22 sunday january 16, 1994