The Prosecution of an American President
The Prosecution of an American President is a 2012 American documentary film about the Iraq War directed by Dave Hagen and David J. Burke. Former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi outlines his legal case for prosecution of George W. Bush for deliberately starting the war under false pretences, misleading America over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, and falsely blaming Iraq for 9/11.
The film is based on the 2008 book The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Bugliosi, a former Los Angeles district attorney who prosecuted Charles Manson and his "Family" for the Tate-LaBianca murders.[1] Bugliosi also testified to the House Judiciary Committee in 2008 on Bush's alleged crimes.[2] The film documents Bugliosi as he presents to a UCLA law classroom his case that former president George W. Bush should be prosecuted for the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers and 100,000 Iraqi civilians who died in Iraq.[3]
Release
The film had trouble getting into production and according to left-leaning website Daily Kos it faced a "media black-out": it was scheduled to be on HBO but dropped shortly before broadcast.[2] Due to the opposition or indifference of American companies, it was produced by Canadians, Windsor Ontario NAFTC Studios.[2]
The Prosecution of an American President premiered on October 3 at the Hollywood ArcLight theatre. It did a select market testing in the East Coast. A proportion of profits from its theatrical release went to a veterans' charity, the Lost Soldiers Foundation.[2]
Cast and crew
The film is directed by Dave Hagen and David J. Burke, produced by Jim Shaban and NAFTC Studios, and Lost Soldier Films, executive produced by Nathan Folks, Peter Miller and D. Channsin Berry.
Critical reaction
The New York Times found the legal arguments repetitious but said other scenes got across the human cost of the war.[4] The Hollywood Reporter found the film unconvincing, despite the writer admitting sympathy with its arguments.[5] Village Voice also had criticisms, finding the film made no attempt at impartiality, and sections were full of legalese.[6] Long Island Press found it visually uninteresting but fascinating in its exploration of the border between war and murder, and awarded it 3 stars.[1] Jim Emerson of the Chicago Sun-Times said it often felt like recycling of old news, but he defended its partisanship as a counterpoint to the dominant media.[3]
References
- 1 2 "The Prosecution of An American President (Review)". Long Island Press. October 27, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Lopez, Ralph (Oct 3, 2012). "Bush on Trial: After Media Black-Out, The Prosecution of an American President Opens at US Theaters". Daily Kos. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- 1 2 Emerson, Jim (October 11, 2012). "Crimes of Bush: Bugliosi's case for murder". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ↑ Webster, Andy (October 11, 2012). "No Fan of George W. Bush". New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ↑ Scheck, Frank (2012-10-15). "The Prosecution of an American President: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ↑ Nordine, Michael (Oct 3, 2012). "The Prosecution of an American President". Village Voice.
