- Title: USA: WARREN BEATTY STARS IN "BULWORTH", A POLITICAL SATIRE
- Date: 4th May 1998
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MAY 4) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) ANNETTE AND WARREN WITH THE MEDIA HALLE BERRY HALLE BERRY SAYING OF WARREN BEATTY, (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) "HE TAUGHT ME TO BE IN A SCENE, KNOW MY INTENTION, KNOW MY MOTIVATION AND DO NOTHING. AND HE WOULD TELL ME THAT DAY AFTER DAY, JUST DO NOTHING. AND I SAID, BUT YOU'RE PAYING ME A LOT OF MONEY. HE W
- Embargoed: 19th May 1998 13:00
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- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA6JOWK4G1RDED9XT05AXMSHAIC
- Story Text: Oscar winner Warren Beatty juggles an unlikely mix of politics and rap in "Bulworth," a dark political satire which marks the star's first project since his 1994 version of "Love Affair".
Beatty, who has written, acted, produced and directed Hollywood movies, attended the film's world premiere in Los Angeles on Monday (May 4).
By his side was his wife Annette Bening, who starred in his last film.
In his latest movie, Beatty plays incumbant United States Senator Jay Bulworth, who's in the final days of the election campaign that could make or break his political career.
He hasn't eaten or slept in several days and he's in the midst of a nervous breakdown.In a moment of irrationality, he arranges his own suicide by hiring a hit man to assassinate him during the final campaign weekend -- but only after making a deal with a corrupt lobbyist for a lump sum of life insurance to benefit his daughter.
But Bulworth's plan yields two unexpected results -- the freedom to speak honestly and a meeting with Nina, a beautiful, intelligent woman who has been raised by 1960's activists, played by Halle Berry.
With new enthusiasm to live, Bulworth must now somehow stop the "hit" he has put out on himself.
Described as a "tragic-farce", the film takes a comedic look at race and class in America, campaign finance and the power of big money and media in America.
Besides Beatty and Berry, the film also stars Oliver Platt as Murphy, Bulworth's frustrated political operative, Christine Baranski as Bulworth's wife and Paul Sorvino, as Crockett, the corrupt insurance lobbyist.
Apart from taking the lead role, Beatty also handled writing, directing and producing chores, much as he has on many of his past films, including "Heaven Can Wait", "Dick Tracy" and the film for which he won his Best Director Oscar, "Reds".
In all, Beatty has been nominated for 13 Oscars and six movies he has produced have won a total of 52 nominations.
But not all was smooth sailing for Beatty with "Bulworth".
He repotedly has clashed with executives at 20th Century Fox who are at a loss how to market the film which covers delicate issues of race and politics.
In Hollywood, political movies are seen as the kiss of death at the box office.
None of this seems to bother Beatty, who says making movies isn't about making money.
One way the studio has found to market the film to a young audience is to push the rap-heavy soundtrack.While Beatty might seem to be a strange standard-bearer for this side of the music industry, he says he started listening to rap in the 80's and grew to like it as a form of protest.
In the film, he makes ample use of artists such as Dr Dre, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ice Cube and Ol'Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan, the man who recently interrupted the Grammy Awards with an impromptu rant.
Beatty even showed up to make a cameo appearance in Ol'Dirty Bastard's video of "Ghetto Supastar". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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