[Ronald Epstein]

A Revealing and Darkly Funny Look into the
Modern American Political Process
A Perfect Candidate
THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED FILM IS NOW ON DVD!


Just in time for the 2004 election season, comes the often hilarious, sometimes horrifying documentary A Perfect Candidate, which takes viewers on a twisted journey into the graphic details of the glib, destructive and negative tactics that make up an American political campaign. It will be released on DVD on April 20, 2004.

In one of modern politics' most outrageous elections, you can witness the graphic details of spin, pandering and manipulation--along with some surprisingly emotional glimpses of hope. *Candidates come and go in politics, but the film's insights remain penetrating. *As campaign strategist Mark Goodin says: "Getting people elected has a lot to do with dividing, but that is different from what it takes to govern Š *We are obsessed with the show, so we provide daily entertainment. *What we are not providing is serious solutions to what's going on in the country."

This comment is one of many offered with astounding candor to filmmakers R.J. Cutler (The War Room) and David Van Taylor (Dream Deceivers). The pair was granted unparalleled access to the back-room games played by the candidates, and their handlers, during the hotly contested 1994 campaign Iran-Contra Icon Oliver North against incumbent Democrat Chuck Robb.

Like the campaigns, the press also comes under scrutiny for its role in America¹s political decline. *Veteran Washington Post reporter Don Baker, who starts out as a jaded objective observer, is drawn into the fray and undergoes a transformation that mirrors the audience¹s responses.

Many of the film¹s subjects continue to affect American politics, including campaign staffers like Mike Murphy (late of the Schwarzenegger campaign) and Mark Merritt (now heading the pharmaceutical industry¹s lobby) as well as candidates Ollie North (now a popular right-wing talk show host) and Chuck Robb, just appointed by George Bush to head the inquiry into WMD intelligence. *The political dynamics are also up-to-the-minute with the current presidential election shaping up as a Democratic moderate against a Republican die-hard, and charges of waffling and prevarication already flying.

DVD Bonus Features include a recently produced Audio Commentary by directors R.J. Cutler and David Van Taylor, Ollie & Chuck React, Photo Gallery, filmographies and Chapter stops.


"A fine, trenchant political documentary on a par with The War Room. It would be hard to find a more chilling view of the American electoral process than what A Perfect Candidate captures on screen." *New York Times

"Loved this movie! Absolutely fascinating! Two thumbs up!" - Siskel & Ebert





"The best American documentary since Hoop DreamsŠone of a small handful of essential films about politics in this country." -Washington Post

"A sharp, conscious, startling portrait of modern America!" *-LA Weekly

"Brilliant, riveting and unforgettable! A great film about American elections and the people who control them." *The Onion

"Sometimes hysterically funny, sometimes terrifying. Truly brilliant!"
-Baltimore City Paper





A Perfect Candidate

105 Minutes, Color, 1996
Retail Price: $24.95
UPC #: 7-20229-91100-9
Catalog #: FRF 911009D

Pre-Book: March 16, 2004 *********Street Date: APRIL 20, 2004