Page 47 - RICHERT VS. SORKIN THEFT OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND THE WEST WING

84/83/ 1962 A9: e7 FR0t't
rD 1?1393826?t
P.g?
2.
Rock chalr'nen Alan Harn declares that Rlehert? s elaias are *utte* ly foundetlsnless. f,
The ev!dance suggests otherHlse.
Relner haE Eqld ln a to,/ls/g5 Hq.llvu,ped BepErter intervier* that the baeic coftcept of FThe Fregiaent et.,pe**-r*as told tn hin by Red- ford durlng a lSBg lunch ueeting. Peiner actded that Redford subsa-
quentlv sent hin a drsft of tThe Frestdant Elcpesil but thpt he never
read it. SorkLn, in a reeent phone lntervlev, slss says that Redfsrd
relay*d the bssla alaments ef the stary to Felner errd hlosetf durrig s lggg meetlng.
And yet Sorkin's attorney Riehard Helier, saVs Richert, ,testtfted
thgt until thts yEaF Ssrkin had no knovledge of, ny eartier scrrenplays, the re-Hrltes by other wrltere (i-e., Kevln gace, Alice Arlen, GIenn
Gardon csron' Lowel I Gane end Babaioo l,landel lln orn **"o"Jir;-;;" *hat IJGA offlcer Sally Eureelster leter teld Rtchert -- FRobert Fed-.
frlrd's remenbered Hcenes fron Ey strript." {Helier decllned to return calls.)
Sqrkin csnflrmg thts partry, saylng that (except fss thp flrst faur {tr f lve pages of s script by Ganz and l,landel l, I never read a rord isf any Fcrlptsl. trlhat Redfprd told ue{ i.e., htnEetf and Rptner dur- lng the'93 neetlng ilHas conveyed in a feu *entencas and it struck us aF e fairy tale' rthereas wtrat ve $anted to do uaE tel I a reelistlc stony about a President, t
Gastle Foctt hir*d Sorltin ln lgge tto urite en original ecreenplay tofl tThe Anerisan Fresldent'rn accsrdlng t€ a l*GA tetter to Rtchert
on 9"e9'95. In 1gg3' it addsn *Castlt Rqqk acqulred the Unlvereal/ lli ldvood FroFef *,yt -- l.e. , #T?re pregident Etopes' *ln order to galn the involvenent of Robert Fedford tn their progect.o Castle Rqck's purehaae etso entured that a E€rvie pf sThe president Elopes*
wsuld never corpete rrith FThe AE€ric*n ppeslderrt.rr
Sorkln ls probably tel ling tt straight a,beiut never havlng read any draft* of tThe Presldent Elopes.n It lE etsp raaeonable to ln- fer thqt the varlous etor)r points ln iThe Anerlsan Fsesident" that reEenble or cloEely uitrttr Etchert'* story points Here creeted by Sorkin on hlg otrn. (Scrkin's and Hlehter's bEth F6ftray the presi- dent betng hung uF on when ha fir*t calls tha grrltrlendr trying to order f louerE sn hI5 trurlr shering sln!.lar elielogue wtth his yot ig ehlld, etc. )
But the admlsalone by Reiner and Sorktn thet Redford verbal ly r.€- l*I?O story point* fssq cThe Frestdent Elopes" hcoopletety undercuts
Hel lerf s argunent in f ront sf t,ha trIGA bo*nd, i ssys iti*tt*ure attorney Davtd Evans, rwhleh was that fThe Amerlcan Freeidentt sas d6valeped independently of 'The Fresldent Hlapes! nlthout knswledge of any of the story elenents of the previous preJeet.n
41