Painting a libidinous President in Primary Colors, Hollywood

But then, you have to contend with the inventiveness and prescience of the dream merchants. Hand it to them; looks like they have now begun to anticipate events. And their marketing savvy and publicity machinery is making us believe that they are virtually scripting the events unfolding in the world. The toast of the season though is Primary Colors. Based on the book Anonymous by former Clinton confidant Joe Klein, the movie is a thinlydisguised story about the Clintons — their Presidential run in 1992 — and the conflict betwthe White House.

But not Klein, not even director Mike Nichols, or lead actor John Travolta, nor Universal studios could have anticipated or orchestrated the kind of pre-publicity the movie is getting from the real life story that is unfolding by the day.

The book revolves around the story of Jack Stanton, an idealistic Governor of a small southern state, and his scheming wife Susan Thompson, and their unlikely quest for the American Presidency. A brilliant and genuinely compassionate politician, Stanton is pathologically libidinous, chasing every skirt in sight. Sounds familiar? His wife is ambitious and fiercely protective and is the one who fuels her husband’s journey. Sounds familiar? When the movie first went on the floor last year (in the pre-Monica Lewinsky days), there was concern about whether it was too tough on the President. In the post-Monica days, everyone wondered if it was too soft on thePresident. Now with the latest Kathleen Willey episode, there is talk of whether the film goes far enough.

Despite publicly bitching about saturation coverage on television, privately Americans are lapping up every new detail about the Clinton saga. Hollywood pundits say Travolta has turned in such a magnificent performance that he is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination.