GBlog

Tut mir leid, aber über manche Fotos der Kriegsberichterstattung kann ich nur - zuweilen auch herzlich - lachen. Das ist eine Spätfolge des mehrfachen Ansehens von Barry Levinsons "WAG THE DOG".
Wenn ich zB heute die Дама с собачкой (Die Dame mit dem Hündchen) mit der Bildunterschrift eine ukrainische Soldatin trägt an einem Kontrollpunkt im Dorf Peski einen Hund auf dem Arm sehe



... muss ich an diese großartige Szene aus Barry Levinsons "WAG THE DOG" von 1998 denken:



THEY ARE WALKED OVER TO AN AREA IN WHICH WE FIND THE PET WRANGLER, SURROUNDED
BY SEVERAL ANIMAL CASES WITH DOGS IN THEM.
MOSS, AS HE SPEAKS, IS SURVEYING THE DOGS.

MOSS
Well, it's a little bit of a...

A.D.
...we're going for a direct buy-out.

MOSS
...you have your agent check with the...

TRUDY
No, I know it's going to be fine. I'm so excited, and
I'm looking forward to putting it on my resume. When
you called last...

BREAN TAKES TRUDY ASIDE.

BREAN
Eh, Trudy, could I talk to you for a moment...? You
know, this project is a... "Funny" kind of...

HE WALKS HER ASIDE. MOSS SELECTS A DOG, AND AMES COMES OVER TO HIM, HOLDING
A CELLPHONE.

AMES
(DESCRIBING THE SCENE, INTO THE PHONE)
A schnauzer. What appears to be a...

PET WRANGLER
Lhasa Apso.

AMES
(INTO PHONE)
Lhasa Apso, and a...

HE LOOKS AT THE THIRD DOG.

PET WRANGLER
What you have here is a cross-breed, between a dog
which was substantially a...

AMES GESTURES HIM FOR SILENCE, AS HE LISTENS TO THE PHONE.

AMES
(INTO THE PHONE)
Abso... absolutely, sir... Absolutely.
(TO MOSS)
He wants a kitten.
(PAUSE)

MOSS
(TAKING CHARGE)
Okay. Here's what we're gonna do.

HE GESTURES TO HIS ASSISTANT, WHO COMES OVER FOR A CONFERENCE.

MOSS
(CONT.)
I need a little bit of help...?

ANGLE ON BREAN WALKING TRUDY. HE GESTURES TO AMES.

AMES
Miss, we are going to ask you to sign this little sheet
of paper...

TRUDY
Well, my agent would be ril ril miffed with me, if I
signed anything, uh, to...

AMES
This does not have to do with your Deal. This is for
your Security Clearance.
(PAUSE)

HE TAKES OUT A SHEET OF PAPER FROM HIS POCKET.
THEIR WALK HAS BROUGHT THEM AND THE CAMERA BACK TO MOSS AND THE ASSISTANT, AND
THE DIRECTOR.

DIRECTOR
(TO MOSS)
...fix it in the mix.

ASSISTANT
We're going to do it digitally...

MOSS
...can we shoot one?

DIRECTOR
Alright, now we're gonna...

THE PET WRANGLER HANDS A DOG TO TRUDY. THE ASSISTANT WAVES HIM OFF, AND
LOOKS AROUND, AND HANDS HER A BAG OF POTATO CHIPS.

ASSISTANT
...run with this...

TRUDY
...these'r potato chips...

DIRECTOR
Just, uh, just hold the bag when you run.

MOSS
(TO BREAN)
We need it for the Arm Position, on the screen it'll be
a kitten.

TRUDY
Someone's bringing in a kitten...?

MOSS
No, no, no.... we'll punch in a kitten. Um... Later.

TRUDY
...you're gonna Punch in a Kitten Later.

MOSS
Yes.
(PAUSE)

TRUDY
Why...?

A.D.
Okay, settle, people. Settle... we're gonna try
one...

MOSS
It gives us a wider option.

TRUDY
A wider option of what?

MOSS
(DISTRACTED)
...of kittens...

LA Screenwriter



“Why does the dog wag its tail?
Because the dog is smarter than the tail.
If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog.”
Essay about Wag the Dog and how Media is influenced by Politics - Introduction to Visual Culture