Primary Colors: Political Process

Primary Colors is the best movie I have seen about the political process. It grabs you as it plays with your emotions. One minute you can be laughing and the next crying. Primary Colors shows raw politics. The film follows a presidential campaign giving it the natural dramatic tension, but there are also funny moments and deep heartfelt scenes. John Travolta as Governor Jack Stanton is a candidate who clearly cares about the people and the difficulties they face, but at the same time he manipulates everyone he meets along his presidential trail. The film shows that he is flawed, but it also shows that he really does care, and would make a good president. The movie begins as Jack Stanton moves through a crowd of people and shakes their hands. Stanton goes through many types of handshakes as he stops to meet each person. One of his advisors off screen advisors narrates the scene “He might put that hand on your elbow or your bicep, like he's doing now. Basic move. he's interested in you.” In the opening scenes we see the configuration of Jacks political character. He cares about people and he is willing to tell a lie to let them know that. The different types of handshakes are used as a connections to
As he is whipping tears off his face, his voice rattling with emotion, Stanton tells a story about his illiterate Uncle Charlie. Charlie was too proud to admit his inability to read and because of it, Charlie never took any jobs offered to him when he returned from war. This story of the illiterate Uncle Charlie makes a connection between specific groups of people to form a common ground. Through his lies we see Stanton’s concern for people. This is illustrated through his actual care of literacy programs. He’s not lying when he says he cares. The handshake and the Uncle Charlie were just faster means of connecting with people and letting them know “he’s