Since the advent of television, a president’s charisma has been a deciding factor in an election and few had more of this quality than Ronald Reagan. Thanks to his early days as an announcer then as a Hollywood actor, he was well-equipped to appeal to the public and a new documentary, The Reagan Show, uses archival footage to showcase his performance as a president.
Directed by Pacho Velez (co-helmer of the brilliant Manakamana) and Sierra Pettengill (producer of Cutie and the Boxer), we’re pleased debut an exclusive clip from the film, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and will arrive in theaters this Friday. In the preview, we find the president dealing with a turkey (almost) on the loose, as well as commenting on the difficulty of being the leader of the free world vs. an actor.
Check out our exclusive clip below, along with the trailer, courtesy of Gravitas Ventures/CNN Films.
Teasing apart the spectacle at the heart of finger-on-the-button global diplomacy, THE REAGAN SHOW follows Ronald Reagan’s rivalry with charismatic Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, tracing how the Communicator-in-Chief uses his public relations chops to overcome Soviet mistrust, the objections of a skeptical press corps and the looming threat of WW III. Chock full of wit and political irony, and told solely through 1980s network news and videotapes created by the Reagan administration itself, the film explores Reagan’s made-for-TV approach to politics as he faced down the United States’ greatest rival.
The Reagan Show opens on June 30 in NY at Metrograph and in LA at Laemmle Monica Film Center, with an expansion to follow.