Page 30 - ATD 17OCT,2015
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PEOPLE & ARTSSaturday 17 October 2015
CBS bans advertising for critical film Review: ‘Dark
Reservations’
DAVID BAUDER In this image released by Sony Pictures Classics, Robert Redford portrays Dan Rather in a scene is briskly paced
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — CBS has from, “Truth.” Associated Press This photo provided by
refused to run advertising Minotaur Books shows the
for “Truth,” the film star- do everything within their Redford and Rather have story by corporate own- cover of the book, “Dark
ring Cate Blanchett and power, sometimes at great appeared on NBC’s “To- ers Viacom, which had Reservations,” by author John
Robert Redford that revis- risk to themselves, to get day” show to talk about business reasons to main- Fortunato Associated Press
its a painful episode in the the story right,” he said. the movie, and Blanch- tain friendly relations with
network’s past involving “Truth” is told from the ett was on ABC’s “Good the Bush administration. A OLINE H. COGDILL
a discredited 2004 news points of view of Mapes Morning America.” Don’t low-level producer is de- Associated Press
story on former President and Rather, who left CBS expect similar discussions picted in the movie giving Politics, greed and Native
George W. Bush’s military News on bitter terms in on CBS News: The net- an angry speech about American artifacts provide
service record. 2006. He unsuccessfully work’s popular “Sunday Viacom as the story was a sturdy foundation for the
CBS has denounced the sued the network and Morning” broadcast con- falling apart. Mapes was compelling debut by John
movie, which opens Fri- has complained of being sidered Redford for an in- only months removed from Fortunato, the latest winner
day, as a disservice to the “erased” from CBS history. terview but it was nixed by a career triumph — break- of the Tony Hillerman prize.
public and journalists. Rather and Mapes have Executive Producer Rand ing an award-winning story The Hillerman Prize is award-
Redford plays Dan Rather always contended that Morrison, said an execu- about mistreatment of pris- ed annually to a debut
in “Truth,” with Blanchett despite the discredited tive familiar with Sony’s oners in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib author whose crime fic-
as producer Mary Mapes. documents, the underly- promotional plans who did prison, a story embarrass- tion honors the work of the
Together, they were be- ing story about Bush was not want to be identified ing to the Bush administra- late Hillerman and utilizes a
hind a “60 Minutes II” story true. because of the sensitivity tion whose veracity wasn’t Southwest setting.
that questioned Bush’s In the movie, Rather is por- of the role. questioned. “Dark Reservations” is a
Vietnam War-era commit- trayed sympathetically by Blanchett appeared on The issue presented to worthy addition to this prize
ment to service in the Tex- Redford, the actor who CBS’ “Late Show” on Oct. filmgoers is whether the as it delivers a highly enter-
as Air National Guard. But played crusading journalist 8, however. Colbert asked so-called “truth” of a story taining, multilayered plot
CBS apologized for the sto- Bob Woodward genera- her about the film and matters more than faults in steeped in the culture of the
ry after documents used tions ago. One of the final played a clip of her Mapes trying to nail it down. Fisch- Southwest and laden with
were called into question scenes shows Rather sign- portrayal. er points out that portions believable characters. For-
and could not be verified. ing off from his last “CBS In the movie, the indepen- of the film are unflattering tunato constructs the novel
Mapes and three news ex- Evening News” broadcast, dent panel charged with to Mapes, particularly the with a series of vignettes —
ecutives were fired. with staff members giving examining CBS’ reporting rush to get the story on the some only a page in length
Sony Pictures Classics him a standing ovation was depicted as hostile air. Fischer said filmmak- — from the points of view
sought a multi-million dollar when the camera light and eager to probe into ers were attracted by the of myriad characters. These
ad buy to promote the film switched off. whether Mapes was po- intersection of news, poli- many episodes work as
on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Brad Fischer, one of the litically motivated to go tics and business and the each scene, no matter how
Show,” the “CBS Evening film’s producers, expressed after Bush, at the time in story’s status as one of the short or who is the focus,
News,” ‘’CBS This Morning” surprise about CBS’ public the midst of a tough re- first to be undone by an In- carefully interlocks with the
and “60 Minutes,” but was denunciation. election campaign. The ternet outcry. next and adds to the plot’s
turned down, said Sherri “I don’t think anyone ex- panel’s report said the “I’m excited for people to intrigue while also maintain-
Callan, president of Callan pected them to send flow- facts did not conclude see the film, and talk about ing focus on the novel’s
Advertising, the company ers,” Fischer said. “To get CBS was motivated by an the issues and ask the ques- main character, Joe Evers.
that places ads for Sony. an official statement from anti-Bush attitude. But pro- tions themselves,” he said, Joe, an agent with the Bu-
Instead, Sony is advertising them that is negative was ducers were criticized for “because I don’t think the reau of Indian Affairs based
on ABC, NBC, Fox and sev- not surprising to anyone a “myopic zeal” in rushing movie really draws a con- in Albuquerque, New Mex-
eral cable networks. CBS, involved in the film. I think the story to air. clusion about these things. ico, is three months away
which confirmed the re- the one thing that sur- Some at CBS News are an- I don’t think it’s our job as from a forced retirement,
jection, told Callan it was prised everyone was the gered by an implication filmmakers to draw a con- the result of a botched case
not comfortable accept- tone and the emotional that news executives were clusion, but rather to pose that has lost him the respect
ing the ads because of in- nature.” pressured to quash the the questions.”q of his colleagues and super-
accuracies and distortions visors who consider him “a
in the movie, and that it walking mess.” His depres-
would offend longtime sion and drinking brought on
CBS News employees. because of his wife’s death
“It’s astounding how little has only intensified. But he
truth there is in ‘Truth,’” has one final case — “Clear
said Gil Schwartz, longtime it and you go out big,” his su-
chief spokesman for CBS pervisor tells him.q
Corp. and a character
in the movie. “There are,
in fact, too many distor-
tions, evasions and base-
less conspiracy theories to
enumerate them all. The
film tries to turn gross er-
rors of journalism and judg-
ment into acts of heroism
and martyrdom.
“That’s a disservice not
just to the public but to
journalists across the world
who go out every day and
