The war room

Criterion has released onto DVD and Blu-ray Pennebaker and Hegedus's groundbreaking 1993 documentary examinating the 1992 Democratic primaries and general elections that put Bill Clinton into office and, up to the rise of the Internet, changed political campaigns. Twenty years later, the film, anchored by Clinton campaign strategist James Carville and communications director George Stephanopoulos, remains absorbing and amusing. This new edition includes four additional programs. In the 2008 Sundance Channel documentary Return of the War Room, Carville, Stephanopoulos, and others reflect on the impact of the 1992 campaign on later elections. Making of the War Room presents a conversation between the filmmakers on the challenges and rewards found in producing the documentary. Strategist Stanley Greenberg appears in an extended interview discussing the importance of and recent changes in polling and polling techniques. Finally, the set includes a panel discussion on the 1992 election sponsored by the William J. Clinton Foundation and featuring Carville, Clinton advisor Vernon Jordan, journalist Ron Brownstein, and the President himself. VERDICT This excellent film remains as relevant in 2012 as it was two decades ago. Highly recommended to political junkies, which in this day and age covers just about everyone.-Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.