Posted on 04/12/2006 6:18:21 AM PDT by Abathar
Rudy Giuliani better hope that a new documentary on his mayoralty, "Giuliani Time," never makes it to cineplexes in Iowa, New Hampshire and other presidential battlegrounds. The two-hour film, which debuts May 12, casts Giuliani not as the hero of 9/11 - the role that won him acclaim as America's Mayor - but rather as the iron-fisted ruler of a city where children went hungry, the poor were forgotten and many city cops were racists.
In short, "Giuliani Time" seeks to do for Giuliani what Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" did for President Bush - namely, shine an unsparing light on the darker corners of his life and career, just as he starts to run for President.
"It is always a mixed message with Rudy," said Kevin Keating, 61, a veteran cameraman who is making his directorial debut with "Giuliani Time." "But I don't think he is going to be remembered as a great mayor."
Giuliani is making his first trip to Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus in 2008, next month just a few days before "Giuliani Time" opens at Landmark's Sunshine Theatre on East Houston St. - its only venue right now.
The movie's producers hope it will grow from there, with plans for a broader DVD release in the fall - just in time for election season.
For New Yorkers who lived through the Giuliani era, the film offers few revelations: It winds from his Catholic school upbringing to his days as a mob-busting prosecutor and ultimately to his two terms as mayor, with particular focus on the racially charged police shooting of African immigrant Amadou Diallo.
Perhaps the most startling comments come from former schools Chancellor Rudy Crew, a one-time pal of Giuliani's who emerges as one of his toughest critics.
"There's something very deeply pathological about Rudy's humanity," says Crew, now the Miami-Dade schools superintendent. "He was barren, completely emotionally barren, on the issue of race."
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton adds his two cents, saying that "the great failing" of Giuliani was his inability "to put himself in [the] shoes" of the city's vast immigrant population.
Village Voice writer Wayne Barrett, a persistent critic of Giuliani's, serves as the movie's chief narrator, with lesser roles filled by Giuliani fans like Myron Magnet of the conservative Manhattan Institute.
Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel did not return calls for comment.
Some experts opined yesterday that such a film could even be helpful to the moderate Giuliani as he seeks to woo conservative GOP primary voters.
"If he is seen as the victim of a left-wing smear," said GOP consultant Nelson Warfield, "there are going to be a lot of conservative Republicans who say, 'Hey, Giuliani is my kind of guy.'"
SNIFF SNIFF! I Smell Democrat fear! The Democrats are scared silly of Giuliani and always have been. They have been slamming him since his first term as mayor! Nothing new here! Anyone who has to slam Giuliani who by the way has NOT said he is running is truly afraid that he will run and win!
That's called being color blind. Using logic, not feelings,
I think this may translate into the fact that he is apparently a fairly "equal opportunity" type of guy: you sink or swim based on your merits. Folks who wanted to drop standards to accomodate diversity were not satisfied. The NYFD still has virtually no women, because the gals along with many guys cannot meet the rigorous training. That is a positive thing, in my estimation.
Rudy would make a great Senator from Jersey or NY. I hope he realizes this and runs.
They are very afraid of Rudy because Rudy can pull in moderate Dems more than any other Republican right now. If he runs then their guy will turn to dust. From now on they are going to do all they can to make sure he is smeared and won't run. They don't realize that Rudy has been thru all this before with the NY Democrats and he's not afraid of them.
--Rudy Giuliani better hope that a new documentary on his mayoralty, "Giuliani Time," never makes it to cineplexes in Iowa, New Hampshire and other presidential battlegrounds. The two-hour film, which debuts May 12, casts Giuliani not as the hero of 9/11 - the role that won him acclaim as America's Mayor - but rather as the iron-fisted ruler of a city where children went hungry, the poor were forgotten and many city cops were racists.
He's running as a Republican. Not only will they be skeptical about such a film they probably won't bother to see it. This is a clueless article.
No doubt many have noticed that NYC is once again sliding towards Dinkins time.
The Democrats are really showing their fear. They are slamming a guy who has NOT said he is going to run for president and won't say until the 2006 elections are over. Right now he wants to raise as much money as he can for the Republicans to win in 2006. That is his goal. He's the best money raiser the Republicans have and we need him. Even if he doesn't run - he's still an asset to the Republican Party!
He got the murder rate down from 2200 to 600. And most of those people murdered were blacks.
Even with that reduction of crime in their neighborhood the blacks could not be molified. They hated Rud and they were always going to hate Rudy. Never mind that he made their lives immeasurable better.
Exactly. I remember I was at a NYC Run/Walk and Rudy did the honors of starting the walk and you could see the contempt the Dems had for him. We had the safest city, I was able to walk at night and the streets were clean, but still the Dems just hated him because of jealousy.
Ditto to that. Having lived IN NYC from 1998 til 2002 (and being from NY) I can attest to the wonders that Rudy did insofar as cleaning up NY.
Rudy Guillianni is absolutely the BEST mayor NYC has EVER had....and I knew that BEFORE September 11, 2001. His incredible handling of that evil day just proved him to be the strong, capable leader that he is.
Those who olay the race-card with him are generally the one's who are the racists...or they're just plain ignorant.
The left/MSM uses the politics of personal destruction because it works, everytime. Negative ads work, try running on drilling in ANWAR, you will be destroyed by the environmental ads. The public falls for these ads, which is why they are run.
It's not just the left. There are FReepers who rip Rudy to shreds as well. It's pathetic.
Maybe because Rudy is smearable!
Countdown until someone calls Rudy a gun grabber/pro-abortion/pro-homosexual/transvestite...10...9...8...7...
Rudy would make a great Senator from Jersey or NY. I hope he realizes this and runs.
EVERY POLITICIAN is smearable! If you want to look into their closets you will find a whole treasure trove.
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