I)
The Green Bus V. the White House What I feared would be another canonization of Paul Wellstone turns out to be an expertly paced campaign-trail doc covering the last three weeks of the 2002 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota--a race that, for Republicans, became a dry run for defeating Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. The film just happened to be in progress when the Wellstones' plane went down, and now emerges as a time capsule of its moment. A remarkable work from a first-time director, Sally Hanley, who slants left, but with eyes open, and has no hang ups talking to anyone in the room. (Hanley Productions site; blurb.)
Top 10 Films of 2005 (plus many more)
Peter S. Scholtes, complicatedfun.com
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2006/01/
II)
By Staff -- Library Journal, 6/1/2007
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6446880.html
The Green Bus v. The White House. color. 76 min. Sally Hanley, Inezdotter Films, dist. by National Film Network, 4501 Forbes Blvd., Lanham, MD 20706; 877-888-4395; www.nationalfilmnetwork.com. 2006 release. DVD ISBN 0-8026-0549-4. $31.95; public performance ISBN 0-8026-0550-8. $179.95. POLITICS
Through archival footage and interviews, Hanley's film, narrated by actor Peter Coyote, relates the story of the months leading up to the 2002 U.S. Senate ballot in Minnesota in which Democrat Paul Wellstone and Republican challenger Norm Coleman engaged in a heated race for the position. Just 11 days prior to the election, Wellstone and seven others, including his wife and daughter, perished in a plane crash in northern Minnesota. Walter Mondale was chosen to replace him but was unsuccessful in his bid to defeat Coleman. Excellent use of campaign footage illustrates Wellstone's commitment to bringing politics "down to the people's level" and the support he received in return. Recommended for academic libraries, especially those serving political science and history majors, and public libraries.—Angel Clemmons, Univ. of Louisville Lib., KY
III)
Critics Reviews from National Film Network website.
"One of the most polarizing statewide elections of recent times, the 2002 Senate race in Minnesota pitted incumbent Democrat Paul Wellstone against Republican Norm Coleman. The battle was seen as a test of President Bush’s political muscle-the White House personally chose Coleman to try to unseat the popular Wellstone in order to further ensure the Republican hold on the Senate. Wellstone’s opposition to the resolution to go to war in Iraq helped him take the lead in the polls, but days before the election Wellstone and his wife and daughter were killed in an airplane crash. What followed in the wake of this tragedy is captured in Sally Hanley’s The Green Bus v/s The White House, narrated by Peter Coyote, which provides a startling view of the increasingly crass and often desperate nature of American politics. All sides come across miserably here: the Democrats blindly reached out to former Vice President Walter Mondale to quickly fill Wellstone’s shoes, President Bush made his fourth visit to Minnesota only two days before the election, and candidates from the Independent and Green Parties struggled to find anyone interested in hearing what they have to say. A sad commentary on the decline of the American political system, this sharp, insightful documentary is recommended. Aud: C, P. "
-P. Hall - Video Librarian
IV)
THE GREEN BUS V. THE WHITE HOUSE
Monday, November 7, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Get Real 5 City Pages Documentary Film Festival
Sally Hanley, director. 75 minutes.
More than another worthy memorial to the late Paul Wellstone, this forward-thinking documentary characterizes the last three weeks of the 2002 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota as a landmark example of democracy in action. Handpicked by the Bush administration to unseat Wellstone, St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman stumps for war in Iraq while Minnesota—even in the wake of terrible tragedy—proves that, in a divided nation, every vote counts. Hanley will appear in person to introduce the screening and answer questions afterward.