HOW ARNOLD WON THE WEST
**** out of *****
Reviewed by Jarrod Baker

Screening in the 2006 New Zealand Documentary Film Festival
Back to KP's Documentary Film Fest Coverage

Genres
Documentary
Politics

2004
Directed by
Alex Cooke
Featuring
Arnold Schwarzenegger
George W. Bush
Mary Carey
Bill Clinton
Gray Davis

In February 2003, just a few months into Californian governor Gray Davis' second term in office, his political opponents began a recall campaign against him. Davis, a Democrat, was the victim of an archaic law enabling his Republican opponents to force a recall election, provided they could gather a certain number of signatures on a recall petition within a certain timeframe.

With the petition successful – in no small part due a generous donation ($2,000,000) to the recall campaign from Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, who hoped to replace Davis as Governor – preparations for the recall election began in earnest. Potential candidates for Governor were invited to submit their applications before the cut-off date of August 9, 2003.

Among the 135 candidates who eventually put themselves forward were diminutive former sitcom star Gary Coleman, adult film actress Mary Carey, and Austrian bodybuilder-turned-movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold's entry into the race brought it international media attention, and documentary filmmaker Alex Cooke was there to follow the recall election from the beginning.

Unashamedly partisan, Cooke's film starts in the Davis camp, following their outrage at what they see as a hijacking of the political process, before moving on to Issa and exploring his motivations, and finally documenting Cooke's time on the road as part of Schwarzenegger's media entourage. Along the way, archival footage is used to emphasise the circus-like nature of the recall, from footage of the Game Show Network's hastily assembled new program Who Wants to Be Governor of California, to vox pops from colourful California residents (notably a number of performers dressed as superheroes).

As presented, it's hard to see the recall as anything less than a travesty, exaggerated by the fact that Schwarzenegger's celebrity name recognition allows him to virtually coast to victory, casting off challenges to his candidacy as easily as his movie personae issue clunky one-liners.

The partisan nature of the film is probably taken further than necessary, however, which lessens its impact somewhat. Examples include the movie's treatment of Darrell Issa – whose every appearance on screen is accompanied by Godfather-style music, as if the information presented isn't already sufficient to brand his motivations as suspect – and Cooke's own voiceover, which unnecessarily injects her opinion into the film. Both of these things detract from How Arnold Won the West's otherwise sober presentation of the facts. The film also barely brushes over the reasons why California voters might have wanted to recall Davis, including his conduct during the previous election, which helped ensure the low electoral turnout that made the recall petition feasible.

Nevertheless, How Arnold Won the West presents a powerful indictment of the state of American democracy, as regardless of Davis' sins, the recall and Schwarzenegger's candidacy are shown to make a joke of the political system.

Two key pieces of footage make this hit home – firstly a speech from former President Bill Clinton, who comes to California to support Davis during the recall. In his speech Clinton points out that Davis has made a difficult decision during difficult times, and that should he be recalled from office for making that decision, this could discourage any politician from making a difficult decision for California ever again – a key observation, that unfortunately Californians choose to ignore.

But probably most poignant is a brief comment from actor David Carradine, appearing at an event in support of candidate Ariana Huffington. The Kill Bill star suggests that perhaps actors should stay out of politics, because their fame makes their words worth more in the public eye than is justified by their talents.

This thought perhaps provides the best summary the film, and the recall, could ever have.

Screening in Wellington on Monday October 2 at 6:30pm, and Wednesday October 4 at 5:30pm at the Paramount Theatre.
Screening in Christchurch on Saturday October 14 at 5:20pm at the Rialto.
Screening in Dunedin on Thursday October 26 at 8:00pm and Saturday October 28 at 5:00pm at the Rialto.
Refer to the Documentary Film Fest homepage for more information.

Or go back to KP's Film Fest Coverage

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