Robert Kolker notes:
 
> For some discussion of Roosevelt in forties films see Dana
> Polan's wonderful book, "Power & Paranoia: History,
> Narrative, and the American Cinema, 1940-1950." The
> interesting thing about the Roosevelt decade is that
> filmmakers considered FDR unrepresentable. He might appear
> through a surrogate, as in the California refugee camp
> director in "Grapes of Wrath," or as a figure shot only
> from behind in "Yankee Doodle Dandy."
 
It was OK occasionally to use an iconic representation as well, as in
pictures on a wall or even the Busby Berkely number that creates a
protrait with stadium-like flip cards.
 
But until very recently, hasn't this been typical of treatments of the
President in mainstream films?  It's been OK to show fictional
Presidents from GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE to DAVE and CLEAR AND
PRESENT DANGER and dead Presidents (Lincoln, Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt,
et al.) have always been fair game, but Clinton is the first President
I can think of whose image has been rather freely used while still in
office. (Of course, independent films such as BREATH DEATH were doing
it to even Eisenhower.)
 
Don Larsson
----------------------
Donald Larsson, Mankato State U (MN)
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