The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

[Lemmy Caution]

Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ Ignites Controversy in Cannes Over Rape Scene
Wonder if this film will get any sort of wide distribution.
Or how well done it is.
Dinesh D'Souza made a number of political films -- anti-Hillary, anti-Dem -- attempting to be the Right's answer to Michael Moore. But they didn't seem to gain much traction outside hardcore MAGA folks.

[The Curious Sofa]

Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ Ignites Controversy in Cannes Over Rape Scene
Wonder if this film will get any sort of wide distribution.
Or how well done it is.
Dinesh D'Souza made a number of political films -- anti-Hillary, anti-Dem -- attempting to be the Right's answer to Michael Moore. But they didn't seem to gain much traction outside hardcore MAGA folks.

I'm confused. What does Dinesh D'Souza have to do with this?

[MichaelB]

Surely a full and clear explanation is given in the post that you quoted? D'Souza has made a number of political films seemingly very similar to this one, all of which have failed to gain traction outside hardcore MAGA folks, the implication clearly being that this film will suffer the same fate.

[tenia]

The issue is that the post goes straight for The Apprentice to D'Souza, as if he has anything to do with THIS movie, which AFAIK he hasn't.

[Lemmy Caution]

The article link didn't make it into the last post.
Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ Ignites Controversy in Cannes Over Rape Scene

It sounds like a pre-election political takedown film of sorts. Which put me in mind of D'Souza's efforts, which largely were ignored. I don't really have a handle on who made this film, exactly why, or what kind of distribution it will get. Just read the above article. I guess this is more biopic than documentary.

[martin]

The Danish movie reviews for The Apprentice are quite positive. Doesn't mean the film will have any impact though. The Cannes press conference from a few hours ago is on youtube.

[The Curious Sofa]

Surely a full and clear explanation is given in the post that you quoted? D'Souza has made a number of political films seemingly very similar to this one, all of which have failed to gain traction outside hardcore MAGA folks, the implication clearly being that this film will suffer the same fate.

To me it read like D'Souza made or was involved in the making of the film, when from what I read the film comes from the opposite side of the political spectrum. I don't think we are anywhere near, where a film by D'Souza would make it into competition at Cannes.

[mfunk9786]

D'Souza may not have been involved, but former Washington Commanders owner and Trump pal Dan Snyder was, and he's pissed

[thirtyframesasecond]

Whilst there's a worry that biographies can humanise awful people, I've no doubt that this film aims to be a critique of Trump and his success (and capitalism) in the 70s/80s.

[colinr0380]

I'm just glad its not about that awful monster Alan Sugar.

[The Curious Sofa]

Whilst there's a worry that biographies can humanise awful people, I've no doubt that this film aims to be a critique of Trump and his success (and capitalism) in the 70s/80s.

I'd say any biographical depiction that doesn't humanise its subject, has failed. Even the most awful people are human and to acknowledge that, isn't the same as to approve of their actions.

[knives]

What if it’s a deliberately alien biography. I Can’t recall any off hand, but I could see a Greenaway type having interest outside of the human side of the subject.

[The Curious Sofa]

Different rules apply for experimental cinema, which frequenty disposes with conventional representation altogether. I doubt the point of The Apprentice is to subvert the conventions of narrative film though. Greenaway has made a few unconventional biographical films later in his career like Nightwatching and Eisenstein in Guanajuato but I haven't seen them as I'm not a huge fan.

[Mr Sausage]

Humanize in this context doesn’t just mean render recognizably human. It has the connotation of softening, making something seem more sympathetic, more humane, more civilized.

Also, when people say biopics ought to make their subjects more human, they mean more recognizable, ie. reaffirm the things we tend to believe about ourselves. It participates in conventions of thought. There’s a strain of biopic we don’t get very often, the one that renders humanity strange and people unknowable by rejecting those conventions. Alex Cox’ Walker is an example of this, where its central figure becomes stranger, more frightening, and more other as we learn more about him.

[knives]

Walker is such a great example of what I mean. I was also thinking of Sokurov’s leaders trilogy and how it others these mighty figures.

[Michael Kerpan]

Humanize in this context doesn’t just mean render recognizably human. It has the connotation of softening, making something seem more sympathetic, more humane, more civilized.

Humanizing Trump in THIS fashion would, I think, constitute falsification.

[Mr Sausage]

Walker is such a great example of what I mean. I was also thinking of Sokurov’s leaders trilogy and how it others these mighty figures.

Yeah, Sokurov’s another good example. I’ve only seen The Sun, but it made Hirohito, with his private obsessions and various myopias, physical and otherwise, very strange indeed.