Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts over at the Washington Post are reporting that the Washington premiere of Lions for Lambs was a veritable who's who of Hollywood and DC insiders.
In addition to stars Robert Redford, Tom Cruise, and his wife Katie Holmes, DC insiders in attendance included "Dan Snyder, Madeleine Albright, Ted Leonsis, Lynda carter, George Stephanopoulos, David Gregory and a bunch of congressfolk..."
events I'm very much looking forward to "Lions for Lambs" and am intrigued by the way Hollywood is interfacing with (and portraying) a post-9/11 world. For many years following the attacks, references to 9/11 or to terrorism were simply not allowed and did not appear in mainstream US cinema. The past couple of years (particularly since the release of World Trade Center and United 93) have seen a growing interest in film that is critical of US foreign policy in the Middle East, and the war on terrorism. My theory on this, and please tell me what you think, is that, WTC and United 93 provided the cinematic closure (the type of catharsis that is inherent in the moviegoing experience) that the American people needed before we could move beyond (but never forget) those events. In a way, reliving the tragedy restored the ability to question the decisions made in response to it.
Recent films that touch on the post-9/11world relative to US foreign policy include Syriana, The Kingdom, No End In Sight, and Vantage Point.