Clear & P. Danger Oval Office Scene (movie version)
Viper_Rob
on big screen, but I do love the final oval office scene dialogue in
Clear and Present Danger.
Here it is:
President: "And we have to do this very delicately, otherwise people
might get the wrong idea."
Jack: "We have to lie."
"Did I say that?"
"No, you didn't."
"You're upset."
"I'm upset."
"Well, it's understandable. You mind if I give you a bit of advice? Of
course, you know this, because you're a smart guy. You should never
make important decisions while you're upset."
"You did. And American soldiers and innocent civilians are dead
because of it."
"I never ordered any-"
"No! Don't even think about playing that game with me! I will not let
you dishonor their memories by pretending you had nothing to do with
it!"
"How dare you come in here and lecture me!"
"How dare you, sir!"
"How dare you come into this office and bark at me like some little
junkyard dog! I am the President of The United States!"
"It gives me no pleasure to do it sir. As Acting Deputy Director of
Intelligence, it is my duty to report this matter to the Senate
Oversight Committee."
"You're not gonna do that."
"I'm not?"
"No, no. You've got yourself a chip in the big game, now. You're gonna
tuck that away. You are gonna save that for a time when your own ass
is on the line, and then you're gonna pull it out, and I'm gonna cash
it in for you. Right?"
"I don't think I have anything more to say to you, sir."
"The country can't afford another scandal, Jack. To protect itself, it
won't allow the possibility of another deception that goes all the way
to the top. You'll take the blame. Cutter and Ritter'll take some,
too, but it won't amount to much. They'll get a slap on the wrist, and
then twenty thousand dollars an hour on the lecture circuit. The rest
of the blame'll fall on Greer. Oh yeah, you'll take him down with you.
You'll destroy his reputation. But, that's as far as it'll go. The old
Potomac two step, Jack."
"I'm sorry Mr. President, I don't dance."
J. S. Edwards
news:44434bf3.04120...@posting.google.com...
I haven't seen the movie, but I like that scene as you described it. I've
also never seen SOAF, although I loved the book. I think I've read all of
TC's books, except for the Op Center series and spin-offs.
-- Jeff Edwards
Author of 'Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller'
http://www.thedeckplate.multiservers.com/torpedo.htm
Tom Clancy
me to the premier, which was held an hour‘s drive from my home, claiming that
they thought I was out of the country at the time.
Observations: One does not raise one’s voice to the president in the Oval
Office, lest a special agent of the US Secret Service put a gun muzzle in
one’s mouth, and then suggest proper decorum.
Second, whatever actor they got to play the (unnamed) president was drawn in
such a way as to suggest Ronald Reagan, who was, after all, a pretty good
president, though Hollywood didn’t approve, as he destroyed the USSR
(bloodlessly!), which the film community loved passionately. Never pass up a
chance to clobber a conservative.
(November 3, 2004 must have been ever so hard on them. My heart bleeds.)
Third, Mr. Ford, fine gentleman that he certainly is, is not the current
incarnation of Lord Laurence Olivier.
In short, this scene, which I have seen on cable, by accident, is as crummy as
the rest of the abortion/movie. Which was, I believe, a commercial
disappointment for Paramount.
TC
Success will ruin your life.
Ogden Johnson III
>Second, whatever actor they got to play the (unnamed) president was drawn in
>such a way as to suggest Ronald Reagan, who was, after all, a pretty good
>president, though Hollywood didn’t approve, as he destroyed the USSR
>(bloodlessly!), which the film community loved passionately. Never pass up a
>chance to clobber a conservative.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109444/
Listing for Clear and Present Danger, 1994, with cast including:
Donald Moffat .... President Bennett
Donald Moffat, b. Dec, 1930, Plymouth, Devon, England, UK.
Bio at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0595567/ lists 77 movie credits
starting with an uncredited role in The Battle of the River Plate
[aka Graf Spee, aka Pursuit of the Graf Spee] in 1956. He also
has 37 "Notable TV Guest Appearances" listed in the IMDB bio.
I make the same defense of his performance in CaPD as I do for
that of Willem Dafoe. Donald Moffat is an excellent actor, who
can make the best of the material given him by the
screenwriter(s) and director. There may be some actors who carry
their own political baggage into their roles. Neither Donald
Moffat nor Willem Dafoe should be counted among their number.
Personally, I look upon HfRO and PG as reasonable adaptations,
for Follywood, of the original novels. I see CaPD as the total
opposite and, except perhaps for TSoaF which I have refused to
see despite the presence of Morgan Freeman, being the worst
possible adaptation of CaPD that Follywood could have inflicted
on an unsuspecting public.
>In short, this scene, which I have seen on cable, by accident, is as crummy as
>the rest of the abortion/movie. Which was, I believe, a commercial
>disappointment for Paramount.
Deservedly so.
--
OJ III
[Email to Yahoo address may be burned before reading.
Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast.]
J. S. Edwards
news:20041205113442...@mb-m17.aol.com...
> I've never seen the movie all the way through. Paramount neglected to
invite
> me to the premier, which was held an hour's drive from my home, claiming
that
> they thought I was out of the country at the time.
>
> Observations: One does not raise one's voice to the president in the Oval
> Office, lest a special agent of the US Secret Service put a gun muzzle in
> one's mouth, and then suggest proper decorum.
> TC
> Success will ruin your life.
I'll default to your superior knowledge on this one, Mr. Clancy, but I
rather think that depends on the President and the dynamic that he allows
and expects from his subordinates. As I recall from listening to the
Watergate tapes, some of Nixon's people got pretty shirty with the President
when things starting hitting the fan. Voices were raised, and a whole lot of
expletive-deleted(s) got thrown around. I'm certain that the Secret Service
would have stepped in if anyone touched or threatened the big guy, but it
seemed (from the tapes) that the Protection Detail let things heat right up
as long as the President didn't seem to be in distress.
J. S. Edwards
news:elmop-08544D....@text.usenetserver.com...
> In article <bnttd.3966$Ew6....@twister.socal.rr.com>,
> "J. S. Edwards" <ori...@san.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > > Observations: One does not raise one's voice to the president in the
Oval
> > > Office, lest a special agent of the US Secret Service put a gun muzzle
in
> > > one's mouth, and then suggest proper decorum.
> > (SNIP)
> > > TC
> > > Success will ruin your life.
> >
> > I'll default to your superior knowledge on this one, Mr. Clancy, but I
> > rather think that depends on the President and the dynamic that he
allows
> > and expects from his subordinates. As I recall from listening to the
> > Watergate tapes, some of Nixon's people got pretty shirty with the
President
> > when things starting hitting the fan. Voices were raised, and a whole
lot of
> > expletive-deleted(s) got thrown around. I'm certain that the Secret
Service
> > would have stepped in if anyone touched or threatened the big guy, but
it
> > seemed (from the tapes) that the Protection Detail let things heat right
up
> > as long as the President didn't seem to be in distress.
>
>
Indeed. I guess there's more than one type of distress.
Tom Clancy
Only been there once, as I recall, in 1985. Nancy Clark Reynolds, the lady who
gave RWR Red October for Christmas, 1984, and was thus instrumental in making
me filthy rich, took us in to meet the President. (She’s one of those people
who really does know everybody, and a fine, gracious lady she is.) I tell
people that it’s like meeting God, but the angels all carry guns. I guess the
experience was different for Monica Lewinsky.
I still have two red marks on the back of my neck from the eyes of the USSS
agent who was standing behind me the whole time, and I remember thinking
“Keep your hands in the open and quite still.” The Secret Service venerated
President Reagan (“Rawhide” was his in-house codename) to the day he died.
Probably because he was A) a good guy and B) treated his Detail well, as did
George 41 Bush. They seem to like George 43 Bush, too. As do I, as a matter of
fact.
However, in the Oval Office, you know by instinct that the rules are strict,
and that you do not EVER raise your voice. Yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full,
sir. I’ll never forget my impressions of Ronald Wilson Reagan.
I lunched that day in the Roosevelt Room (the food was pretty good), and the
President lunched with Henry Kissinger to discuss the new guy in the Kremlin,
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. Reportedly Kenry the K said he wouldn’t do
much. Oops. I’ve only met Kissinger once. Bright, likeable chap. Good sense
of humor. But nobody’s perfect.
TC
Howard Berkowitz
tomc...@aol.com (Tom Clancy) wrote:
> The Oval Office.
>
> Only been there once, as I recall, in 1985. Nancy Clark Reynolds, the
> lady who
> gave RWR Red October for Christmas, 1984, and was thus instrumental in
> making
> me filthy rich, took us in to meet the President. (She???s one of those
> people
> who really does know everybody, and a fine, gracious lady she is.) I tell
> people that it???s like meeting God, but the angels all carry guns. I
> guess the
> experience was different for Monica Lewinsky.
>
Might it have been better phrased, in the case of Ms. Lewinsky, that the
angels carry handguns, but another type was central to the experience?
>
Scott Millington
>>
>Indeed. I guess there's more than one type of distress.
>
WJC: You certainly look nice in dis-dress