How Arnold Won the West

A smooth documentary that is also entertaining and revealing. It may not be very in-depth, but it doesn’t have to be, because deception and truth are fairly close to the surface. The director follows the film star and former bodybuilder closely during his campaign for the governorship of California for the Republican Party of President Bush, who openly supports him. Cooke does not only remain on the sidelines of the well-organised campaign show. She shows how strategically the performances by the star are organised and which powers are at work. How journalists are used as extras on Schwarzenegger’s political film set. The great star exploits his undefeatable and immovable image that he built up with action films like the Terminator series, but Cooke chose laconically how the man of steel can blow every which way. Elements like this make the film entertaining as well as informative, not to mention humorous. The film provides little insight into Schwarzenegger himself, who carefully avoids getting too close to the cameras, but a lot more into the circus and the war-room of the campaign. Without being able to do much more than follow the campaign, the film becomes a bizarre political satire as a matter of course. Incidentally, it also shows that things can get even crazier. Shots behind the scenes of a television show for candidate governors defy any description. (GjZ)