Michael Murphy plays Jack Tanner, a ficticious Senator who enters the race to be the Democratic Party's 1988 Presidential candidate. Subtitled
"A Political Fable", this was an imagined account of a never-was which was interwoven with footage of the actual candidates who ran for the United States Presidency that year.
Cartoonist Garry Trudeau, known for his biting political cartoon strip
Doonesbury, wrote this mini-series, which was then directed by the renowned Robert Altman (the theatrical version of
M*A*S*H,
Gosford Park). Both were credited as Executive Producers. There were many well-known celebrities who guest starred in this production, some playing themselves and others playing character roles. Among the many names are Bob Dole, Ralph Nader, Pat Robertson, Gloria Steinem, Linda Ellerbee, Art Buchwald, Waylon Jennings, Rebecca De Mornay, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Anderson, E.G. Marshall, Cynthia Nixon, and Pamela Reed.
Now this mini-series is coming to DVD from none other than the highly vaunted folks at the Criterion Collection! Although no date has been announced, spine #258 is marked as "Coming Soon!" if you visit Criterion's
webpage for it. Here's what they have to say about the story:
During the 1988 presidential campaign, Democratic hopefuls spiritedly canvass the country, jostle for their party's nomination and the honor of opposing Republican Vice president George Bush, when Senator Jack Tanner, suddenly emerges from the shadows of a lengthy political hiatus to challenge candidates such as Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Gary Hart, and Michael Dukakis.
Filmmaker Robert Altman and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau created this mock-documentary television miniseries, which brought a fictitious presidential candidate out on the campaign trail and shed a revelatory light on America's political process and landscape. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Tanner '88 in its entirety, from New Hampshire to the convention. and beyond.
Criterion shows this as running 353 minutes, in 1.33:1 full-screen video. Soundtrack is English Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0, and the SRP is $29.95. No other details are available yet, but they do have the cover art:
This announcement comes on the heels of Altman's close of production on the new
Tanner '04 follow-up. The director has again teamed up with Trudeau, to update this fable to the 2004 Presidential race. This time, Jack Tanner's daughter Alex (Michael Murphy and Cynthia Nixon reprise their roles) is a filmer of documentaries, who plans to record her father's new run for the Presidency, as he is called back by members of the Democratic Party to once more try to retake the White House from the Republicans. The new version runs on the Sundance Channel, in the month of October. Filming just took place in Boston, in and around the Democratic National Convention at the Fleet Center.
It's a near-certainty that Criterion will come up with a release date that is near the time that the sequel gets ready to air. We'll keep a sharp eye out for that date, and bring it (and any other details we come up with) to you just as soon as we can. Stay tuned.
And, if I may take the opportunity to say so: don't neglect to vote. No matter what you believe in, it is very important to express your feelings on which way the country you live in is heading. It is one of our essential liberties to vote. In the hustle and bustle of a heated campaign, it may seem safer to stay home and not bother to vote. To quote the great Ben Franklin, "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Rock The Vote...this year and every year!
CORRECTION: Tanner '88 will not be the 1st TV-DVD among the Criterion Collection after all. That honor goes to spine #42,
Fishing With John, released back in 1999. The wording above has been corrected, and TVShowsOnDVD regrets the error.
