Tanner '88 (1988)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   I would have been very surprised if Aaron Sorkin hadn't acknowledged at some point that Tanner '88 had a strong influence on The West Wing, and in fact he did. Written by Doonesbury's Garry Trudeau and directed by Robert Altman, the 11-episode mockumentary follows a candidate on the campaign trail during the actual Democratic primaries, with both staged and spontaneous appearances by the real people involved. I'm never fooled as to this being a real documentary because there are recognizable actors in it and the cameras are allowed in place they never would, but it WAS shot on the periphery, and I did wonder if some real candidates DID think Tanner was real and if so, how they did it. So I don't exactly resent all the realistic cross-talk and noise you get in many scenes, but if some elements are going to say "yeah, it's fiction", then maybe it didn't need to be so extreme. I'm saying this far in the future where faux-documentary and found footage are common tools in the box though. Tanner '88 remains an influential piece of television that has a lot to say about the electoral process, and Michael Murphy is perfect as the somewhat befuddled Congressman who sees his campaign spin out of control. Criterion's presentation also has the Sundance Channel's 2004 recap/intros where some of the characters get to muse on the events of the series, and they're pretty fun. 3 years 1 month ago
2. 

   RonJensen

   A look at when American politics still had a Teeny-tiny bit of Integrity… 3 years 9 months ago

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