When
President Clinton was asked whether he had an extramarital
affair, was the question itself proper? This is the conundrum
subliminally posed in The Contender, written
and directed by Rod Lurie, who has improved greatly from the
misfired Deterrence
(2000) by cloning the classic Advise and Consent
(1962). President Jackson Evans (played by Jeff Bridges),
a Democrat, is considering various nominees for Vice President
after the death of the elected Vice President. The press clamors
for Senator Jack Hathaway (played by William Petersen), whose
nomination is assured because he has the support of Illinois
Representative Shelly Runyon (played by Gary Oldman), the
Republican slated to chair confirmation hearings. Evans instead
nominates Ohio Senator Laine Hanson (played by Joan Allen),
who would be the first female Vice President. In order to
knock her out of contention, Hanson is rumored to have been
involved in an orgy during college, and the media are complicit
in transmitting innuendo without checking the facts. With
doctored photographs and perjured testimony, Runyon tries
to embarrass Hanson, who steadfastly refuses to answer any
question regarding the alleged incident, which she knows to
be untrue, because she believes that the question itself is
improper, stating "It is simply beneath my dignity.'' Moreover,
she discerns a double standard, "If I were a man, nobody would
care how many sexual partners I had in college; if it's not
relevant for a man, it's not relevant for a woman.'' In other
words, women are called "whores" for conduct that is considered
a mere "indiscretion" in men. As exculpatory evidence emerges,
however, Senator Hathaway is discredited, Congressman Runyon
is exposed for framing Senator Hanson as a sexual McCarthyite,
and she is confirmed after a dramatic speech by President
Evans to a joint session of Congress. Clearly, the film is
telling Washingtonians that American democracy depends upon
a debate on issues of national and international importance
rather than gossip and rumors, for which the Political Film
Society nominates The Contender for awards as
best film raising consciousness of the need for greater democracy
and improved human rights. Dedicated "To our daughters," the
film indicates that those involved in the movie are arguing
that the time has come for qualified women to break through
glass ceilings that prevent them from rising to positions
of responsibility at the top of corporate and political ladders.
The Contender demonstrates that men of both
major political parties are quite capable of mean-spirited
political chicanery to advance their own partisan, personal,
and policy agendas, with the press willing dupes in mudslinging.
In contrast, Vice Presidential contender Hanson (a Republican
who switched to become a Democrat) remains above the fray,
the only one who puts principles above the pursuit of power.
The film has drawn criticism for pitting reactionary Republicans
against progressive Democrats just before a close presidential
election, but of course the producers are staunch Democrats.
MH
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