The richard warringfield article...
From this beginning... not a good start for him...
Quote:
“Fair Game” (Movie Release Date: November 5, 2010)
Based on Fair Game, written by Valerie Plame Wilson, published 2007. (Movie credits list that the movie was also based on The Politics of Truth by Joe Wilson. I did not review that book for this post.)
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The Movie: “Fair Game” the movie is actually based on two books, Valerie Plame Wilson’s book, Fair Game, and Joe Wilson’s book, The Politics of Truth. I did not review The Politics of Truth for this post. This post is also complicated by the many redactions from the text of Fair Game, and the fact there are so many scenes in the movie not in the book. It leads me to wonder how many of these scenes are invented, and how many are based on redacted materials the filmmakers had access to, but were not in the book. But I will stick to a straight analysis of what is actually in the book.
First, a general comment about characterization. My impression of Joe Wilson from the book is that of a smooth, dignified, diplomatic type of person. He is a career diplomat, a retired ambassador. He is portrayed in the movie as often very undiplomatic, blustery, foul-mouthed at times. This makes me wonder how much of the movie character was Joe Wilson, and how much was Sean Penn. Obviously, I have never met Joe Wilson, so this is my own subjective impression/opinion.
The movie starts with a tense undercover scene in Kuala Lumpur. This shows Valerie Wilson doing her CIA job, a competent, seasoned agent with important work to do, as the book depicts. But these specific scenes are not depicted in the book, and I am speculating they were probably invented.
The movie depicts Valerie Wilson having nightmares, the implication being that the operations she was involved in were causing them. I do not recall this from the book.
The children in 2001 appear to be older than the Wilson children would have been at the start of the story.
He didn't read both books, and pretty much admits to guessing about things that he really doesn't know about...
He acknowledges that the copy of Plame's book he read was heavily re-dacted, so when he says something is not in the book, how does he know? He again didn't even bother to read Joe Wilsons book, so how would he know...and to me this doesn't mean everything in the books is 100% accurate...just if he was trying to point out the difference's between source material and the movie, he shoulda read both books.