What's so special about March 15?
It's not just another date in popular culture.
One of 2011's most underrated movies is undoubtedly George Cooney’s taut political thriller, Ides Of March. Unfortunately it got a royal snub at the nominations of major film awards, so it lost out on a wide-spread theatrical release, when it opened in India last year.
But at a time when US politics is witnessing an exciting contest between Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney in the Presidential race, the movie is a relevant watch to understand all the unseen, backstage players, who are so integral to charting the future of their star campaigners.
Set against the backdrop of a tightly contested, Ohio election, the film marks the journey of a young campaign manager (from the Democrats side) and his transformation from being a naïve rookie to a shrewd-strategist, who learns to manipulate the dirty, dark secrets of his leader to his advantage. This film is a smart, almost unbiased account, of the extent of lobbying and blackmail that goes on behind the scenes, before any presidential election in the United States Of America.
But what exactly is Ides Of March? I must confess that at first glance I misread the titles as Ideas Of March. And it took me a few minutes on IMDB, to confirm my doubts about the spelling.
According to Wikipedia, Ides Of March, is the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar. Or in simple words, it is the ‘Middle Of March’. The word ‘Ides’ pronounced as ‘Idus’ in Latin, means ‘half’.
While the term was used to signify the middle of every month, in the Roman calendar, Ides Of March is significant in popular culture, for its references in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. In the play, Caesar is stabbed on this day, and is famously warned by his well wishers – "Beware Of The Ides Of March".
Ides Of March has also inspired a band by the same name and the title has even been used for a separate novel, dedicated to the last few days of Caesar’s life.
George Clooney’s film however borrows its inspiration from a 2008 play called Farragut North. Witten by Beau Willimon, a staff member who worked for 2004 Presidential Candidate, Howard Dean - The play is loosely structured around that year's Democratic Presidential campaign (Dean had dropped out half way from the race).
The name Farragut North is taken from a station on the Red Line of Washington’s Metro Rail. According to Wikipedia, the station is in the vicinity of downtown Washington. Which also happens to be the address of all the influential lobbyists and power brokers in American politics.
The New York Times calls it “predictable but enjoyable play about spinmeisters on the campaign trail”. Interestingly both Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio had acquired the rights for this play back then. And the Inception star is credited as an Executive Producer in the titles of the movie.
Farragut North is about the lust for power and what one is willing to endure, in order to achieve it. In the film, this ugly power struggle consumes the life of a young, female intern who falls prey to the political games between rival campaign managers and greedy candidates. Revealing anything more would be disservice to those who have not watched the film. It features powerhouses of talent like George Clooney (wish his film-making skills got more attention from the tabloids), Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tome and Hollywood's current fav, Ryan Gosling.
In an interview to the Atlantic, Willimon reveals that the character played by George Clooney is never shown in the play. And is only mentioned in conversations. So when he was planning the screenplay he visualized Clooney for Hoffman’s role and DiCaprio for the part that eventually went to Gosling. However George Clooney wanted the approach to be more visual so all the subtleties were explicitly explained by making use of a star-studded ensemble.
While the plot blends seamlessly with the political scenario of USA, the basic point of one's transition from idealism to cynicism holds true in any political premise. In the playwirghts own words he says, "Politics is theater. A campaign is trying to tell a story. A candidate is playing a role. They're trying to create a narrative. And in the same way that a piece of theater or a movie wants the audience to applaud at the end, politics is supposed to win people over, convince them of a world, suspend their disbelief".
And yes, before I sign off – Just in case you glanced at the date on your computer - Today is March 15, 2012 aka Ides Of March.