Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

Shading the Truth Column for the week of November 16-22, 2003

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"You can’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see,” so the saying goes. The guy who said that must have been watching made for TV movies. This past week two current event movies made it to the small screen. One was about Jessica Lynch and the other about Elizabeth Smart. What amazes me is how quickly these movies get made. Of course there is always the question of just how much fiction is mixed with the little bit of truth the movie contains. For example, it is true that Jessica Lynch and Elizabeth Smart are real people. The rest of the accounts may be questionable.

Shading the truth is a great American pastime. We all do it. Men say, “I caught a fish this big,” while they stretch their arms way out, “but you should have seen the one that got away!” Women say, “I was in labor 4 days before I delivered little Johnny,” while holding their stomachs, “but it was worth it!” Our grandparents walked 7 miles one way to school in the snow barefoot. Yada, yada, yada…. It’s hard enough for us not to stretch the truth when we tell our own stories but when dealing with the lives of others what do we care if we aren’t totally accurate? In the entertainment world it’s called creative license. We see a lot of “creative license” in movies about real people.

The movie industry used to wait until a person was dead before an unauthorized biography was produced. It is not so now. The poor person depicted has no choice but to grin and bear it, or just bear it. Slander cases can’t be won unless malicious intent is proven. Public figures are up for grabs and inquiring minds want to know. Martha Stewart became a hot property after the insider trading scandal this year. Her film bio made the Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley look almost nice. The D.C. sniper flick ran before he was even prosecuted. Soon they will be making the movie before the event actually occurs.

To tell the truth I was glad when CBS decided not to air The Reagans after a script was leaked to the New York Times. According to the November 15 issue of TV Guide the script “falsely accused Reagan of saying of AIDS sufferers, ‘They that live in sin shall die in sin.’” Many were also displeased with a trailer sent to the press. Charlie McCollum stated in the November 10 edition of the San Jose Mercury News that filmmakers and the network underestimated “the passion of those who saw the film as an attack on a 92 year-old former president suffering from Alzheimer’s disease…” Some say that Nancy came across like “Nancy Dearest” (move over Joan Crawford) and the film strongly implies Ronald Reagan gave the FBI names during the McCarthy era, which cannot be substantiated. This kind of “creative license” may be spilling over into the lying column. (Proverbs 6:17; Proverbs 12:22; Psalm 31:18; Psalm 52:3) Unfortunately we can’t always distinguish between truth and fiction when we see these movies.

In the November 17 Time’s interview with CBS president, Les Moonves, Les claims he yanked the movie because it didn’t portray a balanced version of Reagan’s life. He made a “moral decision” not to run it. Yeah, right! I’m sure letter writing campaigns, organized boycotts, a letter from Rock Hudson’s ex-lover stating that Ronald Reagan was not a homophobe, talk show chatter, and outraged public opinion had nothing to do with it. Why can’t we let an old, ailing ex-president die in peace before we proceed to degrade and demoralize him? We are not a patient society.

It was an interesting project from the beginning. Even the casting of James Brolin, Barbra Striesand’s (some have labeled her the demented, Democrat diva) hubby, was a little suspicious. Just how would a devout Democrat portray a staunch Republican president? Well, you will be able to find out if you subscribe to Showtime because they bought the CBS mini series. Moonves feels it was too biased for CBS but okay for Showtime because “when somebody’s paying $30 a month, that’s their decision. A cable network can be a bit more one-sided” than a regular network. So The Reagans will be coming to a Showtime Channel near you. Check your local listings for the time and station. But remember, “You can’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” In the case of the movies you might not be able to believe anything you hear or see. Best remember that next time you watch a film bio. Their goal is to entertain you not inform you. Unfortunately sometimes the public doesn’t quite get that concept.

By the way, “Just how big was that fish?”

Be sure to visit this page every week to read the next edition of Walking in the Valley. You can write to the author at bdahlgren@wcgsouthbay.org.