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In a review for ''[[IndieWire]]'', film critic David Ehrlich writes, "This is the same old dog and pony show upon which D’Souza has built his brand. It’s his usual shtick of piggybacking a baseless personal attack onto a pseudo history lesson, a feature-length dog whistle that’s blown at a pitch so high that only the most ignorant or paranoid of people are capable of hearing it."<ref>{{cite web | last1=Ehrlich | first1=David | title=Hillary’s America Review: New Dinesh D’Souza Doc Is Impossibly Stupid | url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/hillarys-america-review-dinesh-dsouza-documentary-1201707590/ | date=July 19, 2016 | publisher=''[[IndieWire]]'' | accessdate=July 21, 2016}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[Jordan Hoffman]] described the film as "paranoid" and "so demented that no synopsis could do it justice" and D'Souza as a "simpleton". He goes on to say that the basis of the film, the "purposely misunderstood fact" that "the Republicans used to be the good guys when it came to the issue of racial equality in America" is as surprising a discovery as the Soviet Union being an ally of the United States in World War Two because: "things change, and labels are semantics, and the concepts that bind a political party then might not be the same ones that bind them now."<ref>{{cite web | last1=Hoffman | first1=Jordan | title=Hillary's America Review – Dinesh D'Souza Says: Beware Racist Democrat Super-Villains | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/18/hillarys-america-review-dinesh-dsouza-racist-democrat-super-villains | date=July 18, 2016 | publisher=''[[The Guardian]]'' | accessdate=July 21, 2016}}</ref> Dann Gire of the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' called the film "an embarrassment to propaganda films", full of "mind-boggling conspiracy theories" and "fried thoughts and lapses of basic journalistic practices".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160721/entlife/160729855/|title=Filmmaker juggles mind-boggling conspiracy theories in 'Hillary's America'|publisher=Boston Herald|author=Dann Gire|date=July 21, 2016|accessdate=July 26, 2016}}</ref>
In a review for ''[[IndieWire]]'', film critic David Ehrlich writes, "This is the same old dog and pony show upon which D’Souza has built his brand. It’s his usual shtick of piggybacking a baseless personal attack onto a pseudo history lesson, a feature-length dog whistle that’s blown at a pitch so high that only the most ignorant or paranoid of people are capable of hearing it."<ref>{{cite web | last1=Ehrlich | first1=David | title=Hillary’s America Review: New Dinesh D’Souza Doc Is Impossibly Stupid | url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/hillarys-america-review-dinesh-dsouza-documentary-1201707590/ | date=July 19, 2016 | publisher=''[[IndieWire]]'' | accessdate=July 21, 2016}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[Jordan Hoffman]] described the film as "paranoid" and "so demented that no synopsis could do it justice" and D'Souza as a "simpleton". He goes on to say that the basis of the film, the "purposely misunderstood fact" that "the Republicans used to be the good guys when it came to the issue of racial equality in America" is as surprising a discovery as the Soviet Union being an ally of the United States in World War Two because: "things change, and labels are semantics, and the concepts that bind a political party then might not be the same ones that bind them now."<ref>{{cite web | last1=Hoffman | first1=Jordan | title=Hillary's America Review – Dinesh D'Souza Says: Beware Racist Democrat Super-Villains | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/18/hillarys-america-review-dinesh-dsouza-racist-democrat-super-villains | date=July 18, 2016 | publisher=''[[The Guardian]]'' | accessdate=July 21, 2016}}</ref> Dann Gire of the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' called the film "an embarrassment to propaganda films", full of "mind-boggling conspiracy theories" and "fried thoughts and lapses of basic journalistic practices".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160721/entlife/160729855/|title=Filmmaker juggles mind-boggling conspiracy theories in 'Hillary's America'|publisher=Boston Herald|author=Dann Gire|date=July 21, 2016|accessdate=July 26, 2016}}</ref>


Reviewing the film, Alan Zilberman of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' stated that "any conservative voters who check out the latest film ... will be disappointed by what they find. Incurious to a fault, it’s also too incoherent for serious argument."<ref name="Zilberman">{{cite web | last1=Zilberman | first1=Alan | title=‘Hillary’s America’ Travels Through Time and Finds the Democratic Party to Blame | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/hillarys-america-travels-through-time-and-finds-the-democratic-party-to-blame/2016/07/21/5152a75c-4ac1-11e6-90a8-fb84201e0645_story.html | date=July 21, 2016 | publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]'' | accessdate=July 25, 2016}}</ref> In addition, Kurt Hyde of ''[[The New American]]'' called the film "a mixed bag", stating that "parts of the movie were well-researched, the accounts of numerous other events, especially those more than 100 years in the past could have been researched more thoroughly" and stated that "[t]here isn't any great difference between the two parties", contrary to what the film claimed, among other things.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Hyde | first1=Kurt | title="Hillary’s America — The Secret History of the Democratic Party" Is a Mixed Bag | url=http://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/movies/item/23656-hillary-s-america-the-secret-history-of-the-democratic-party-a-mixed-bag | date=July 18, 2016 | publisher=''[[The New American]]'' | accessdate=July 26, 2016}}</ref> However, in a more positive review, [[John Fund]] of the ''[[National Review]]'' stated that "[the film] is over the top in places and definitely selective, but the troubling facts are accurate and extensively documented in the D’Souza book that accompanies the movie [and that] the film is intensely patriotic".<ref name="Fund">{{cite web | last1=Fund | first1=John | title=Hillary’s America — A Two-by-Four Bashing Democrats | url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438016/hillarys-america-dinesh-dsouza-democrats-racist-past-corrupt-present | date=July 18, 2016 | publisher=''[[National Review]]'' | accessdate=July 21, 2016}}</ref> In addition, on July 23 [[Donald Trump]], the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential nominee against Clinton, called on supporters to see the film.<ref name="Top10"/>
Reviewing the film, Alan Zilberman of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' stated that "any conservative voters who check out the latest film ... will be disappointed by what they find. Incurious to a fault, it’s also too incoherent for serious argument."<ref name="Zilberman">{{cite web | last1=Zilberman | first1=Alan | title=‘Hillary’s America’ Travels Through Time and Finds the Democratic Party to Blame | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/hillarys-america-travels-through-time-and-finds-the-democratic-party-to-blame/2016/07/21/5152a75c-4ac1-11e6-90a8-fb84201e0645_story.html | date=July 21, 2016 | publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]'' | accessdate=July 25, 2016}}</ref> In addition, Kurt Hyde of ''[[The New American]]'' called the film "a mixed bag", stating that although "parts of the movie were well-researched, the accounts of numerous other events, especially those more than 100 years in the past could have been researched more thoroughly" and that "[t]here isn't any great difference between the two parties", contrary to what the film claimed.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Hyde | first1=Kurt | title="Hillary’s America — The Secret History of the Democratic Party" Is a Mixed Bag | url=http://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/movies/item/23656-hillary-s-america-the-secret-history-of-the-democratic-party-a-mixed-bag | date=July 18, 2016 | publisher=''[[The New American]]'' | accessdate=July 26, 2016}}</ref>
In a positive review, [[John Fund]] of the ''[[National Review]]'' stated that "[the film] is over the top in places and definitely selective, but the troubling facts are accurate and extensively documented in the D’Souza book that accompanies the movie [and that] the film is intensely patriotic".<ref name="Fund">{{cite web | last1=Fund | first1=John | title=Hillary’s America — A Two-by-Four Bashing Democrats | url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438016/hillarys-america-dinesh-dsouza-democrats-racist-past-corrupt-present | date=July 18, 2016 | publisher=''[[National Review]]'' | accessdate=July 21, 2016}}</ref> On July 23rd, [[Donald Trump]], the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential nominee against Clinton, called on supporters to see the film.<ref name="Top10"/>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 18:04, 29 July 2016

Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Dinesh D'Souza
  • Bruce Schooley
Produced byGerald R. Molen
StarringDinesh D'Souza
Music byStephen Nathanial Limbaugh III
Production
company
D'Sousa Media
Distributed byQuality Flix
Release dates
  • July 15, 2016 (2016-07-15) (limited)
  • July 22, 2016 (2016-07-22) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes
LandVereinigte Staaten
SpracheEnglisch
Budget$12.5 million[1]
Box office$5.2 million[2]

Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party is a 2016 American political documentary film about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and an in-depth examination of the history of the Democratic party, written and directed by Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley.[1] The film had a limited release on July 15, 2016 before a wide release on July 22, 2016 and accompanies a book by D'Souza by the same name.[3][4]

Background

Dinesh D'Souza, a conservative author and commentator who co-directed Hillary's America, is known for also directing 2016: Obama's America (2012), which criticized incumbent president Barack Obama during the 2012 presidential election.[5] The film made $6.5 million in its opening weekend and $33 million altogether,[5] making it the 4th highest-grossing documentary of all time[6] and the 2nd highest-grossing political documentary of all time in the United States.[7]

In 2014, D'Souza released the film America: Imagine the World Without Her which sought to portray United States history in a more positive light in contrast to perceived liberal critiques of its history, including the theft of Native American and Mexican lands, black slavery, contemporary foreign policy, and its capitalist system.[8][9] America grossed $2.7 million in its opening weekend and over $14 million altogether,[10] becoming the highest-grossing documentary in the United States in 2014.[11]

Synopsis

The film begins with scenes of D'Souza at the halfway house where he spent time at due to a conviction for making illegal political contributions. The film then switches to examining and criticizing the history of the Democratic Party, from Andrew Jackson to the present day. This scene recreates D'Souza sneaking into a basement of the "Democratic Headquarters" where he reveals secrets of the party's history. The film then switches to examining and criticizing Hillary Clinton. The film ends after playing patriotic music.[12][13]

Interviews

D'Souza conducted interviews with the following individuals:[14]

Release

Hillary's America had a limited release on July 15, 2016, being played in three theaters in Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix, and making a box office of $77,500.[15] Despite this, the success of the film during that period was described as "massively frontloaded" because it made about $41 thousand on the first day.[15] On July 22, 2016, Hillary's America was released nationwide,[15][16] being released to 1,217 theaters.[2] This date fell between the end of the 2016 Republican National Convention and the beginning of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[5] On its opening weekend, the film's box office was $3.7 million, in the top ten of all the films in theaters that weekend.[5][17] On July 23, 2016, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers released the music video "Stand Up and Say So (Hillary's America)", a song they wrote and performed for the film.[18]

Reception

Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party has been panned by critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 5%, based on 22 critics reviews, with an average rating of 1.5/10.[19] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 2 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[20] The film has the second all-time lowest score in the site's history.[21]

In a review for IndieWire, film critic David Ehrlich writes, "This is the same old dog and pony show upon which D’Souza has built his brand. It’s his usual shtick of piggybacking a baseless personal attack onto a pseudo history lesson, a feature-length dog whistle that’s blown at a pitch so high that only the most ignorant or paranoid of people are capable of hearing it."[22] Writing in The Guardian, Jordan Hoffman described the film as "paranoid" and "so demented that no synopsis could do it justice" and D'Souza as a "simpleton". He goes on to say that the basis of the film, the "purposely misunderstood fact" that "the Republicans used to be the good guys when it came to the issue of racial equality in America" is as surprising a discovery as the Soviet Union being an ally of the United States in World War Two because: "things change, and labels are semantics, and the concepts that bind a political party then might not be the same ones that bind them now."[23] Dann Gire of the Boston Herald called the film "an embarrassment to propaganda films", full of "mind-boggling conspiracy theories" and "fried thoughts and lapses of basic journalistic practices".[24]

Reviewing the film, Alan Zilberman of The Washington Post stated that "any conservative voters who check out the latest film ... will be disappointed by what they find. Incurious to a fault, it’s also too incoherent for serious argument."[12] In addition, Kurt Hyde of The New American called the film "a mixed bag", stating that although "parts of the movie were well-researched, the accounts of numerous other events, especially those more than 100 years in the past could have been researched more thoroughly" and that "[t]here isn't any great difference between the two parties", contrary to what the film claimed.[25]

In a positive review, John Fund of the National Review stated that "[the film] is over the top in places and definitely selective, but the troubling facts are accurate and extensively documented in the D’Souza book that accompanies the movie [and that] the film is intensely patriotic".[13] On July 23rd, Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee against Clinton, called on supporters to see the film.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Johnson, Ted (March 22, 2016). "Coming Soon to Campaign Season: The Anti-Hillary Movie". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  3. ^ D'Souza, Dinesh (July 22, 2016). "Dinesh D'Souza: The secret history of the Democratic Party". Fox News Channel. Retrieved July 25, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party". amazon.com. Retrieved July 25, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e Bryan, Alexander (July 24, 2016). "'Hillary's America' Documentary Cracks Top 10 at Box Office". USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Documentary Movies at the Box Office - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Documentary - Political Movies at the Box Office - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Synopsis". americaintheaters.com. America Film, LLC. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  9. ^ Harrod, Andrew E. (July 2, 2014). "Imaging a World without America; Dinesh D'Souza's New Film Refutes Detractors Who Scorn Her History". Washington, DC: The Washington Times. Retrieved July 28, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "America (2014)". boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Gray, Tim (December 2, 2014). "15 Documentaries Land on Oscar's Short List". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Zilberman, Alan (July 21, 2016). "'Hillary's America' Travels Through Time and Finds the Democratic Party to Blame". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ a b Fund, John (July 18, 2016). "Hillary's America — A Two-by-Four Bashing Democrats". National Review. Retrieved July 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved July 26, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b c Mendelson, Scott. "Box Office: 'Hillary's America' And 'Cafe Society' Do Big Limited Release Business". Forbes. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  16. ^ "D'Souza Offers a Look Inside Hillary's America". trunews.com. July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Brevet, Brad (July 24, 2016). "'Star Trek Beyond' Debuts at #1, 'Lights Out' Opens Strong and 'Ice Age 5' Bombs". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "Dinesh D'Souza Drops Music Video for 'Hillary's America' Doc Ahead of the DNC". Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  19. ^ "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  21. ^ "Best Movies of All Time - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  22. ^ Ehrlich, David (July 19, 2016). "Hillary's America Review: New Dinesh D'Souza Doc Is Impossibly Stupid". IndieWire. Retrieved July 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (July 18, 2016). "Hillary's America Review – Dinesh D'Souza Says: Beware Racist Democrat Super-Villains". The Guardian. Retrieved July 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ Dann Gire (July 21, 2016). "Filmmaker juggles mind-boggling conspiracy theories in 'Hillary's America'". Boston Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  25. ^ Hyde, Kurt (July 18, 2016). ""Hillary's America — The Secret History of the Democratic Party" Is a Mixed Bag". The New American. Retrieved July 26, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Template:Gerald R. Molen

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