YCSC - The Movie!

Alternative title: All the President's Men
Starring Sruli Tannenbaum and Dror Barber, with various cameos

It was bound to happen, yet then again, who knew it would be as successful? Sruli Tannenbaum has once again gained the trust of the masses, as he has written and directed a remake of 1976's famous political opus - "All the President's Men." Not only has he been able to create a film of self-glorification and narcissism to recount his years in office, but he has also managed to tell the stories of these other such individuals who have bookended their time as YCSC president with just as much depth.

The first and perhaps major flaw in this film is that we've seen this all before. Sruli starts with his predecessor, Jason Buskin, in a prologue, followed by his own story, and then that of Dror Barber. It's generic, and though this film has been constantly seen by viewers at Yeshiva University and withstood the test of time, it comes with a feeling of deja vu. Said one student, who had already seen the film, "I've seen it before and I'm likely to see it again. Why? Because, well, it's just there, and there are no other interesting choices." Said another student, " It's brilliant. It works on so many levels. It's a history pic, with subtle nuances of nepotism. Damn brilliant." When asked if it could be compared to other films, the student responded with: "Well, I haven't seen any other films. That's all there is. Well, maybe it wasn't that great after all, I mean, I was there when it happened, and just like in the movie, the actors don't really do much."

The film starts in black and white, with a monologue given to a young Jason Buskin in the style of Brando's "I could've been a contender" speech. It spends time in the wild times of Election '96, with the "Get on the Bus" slogan taking the University campus by storm. The film then shifts to what seems to be the main story: The Sruli year/s (add the 's' if you still think he's in office). It seems that most of the film's budget was spent on that section. When asked what the money was spent on, Sruli said, "I wanted to make the film as realistic as possible, so most of the budget was spent on set design. We ordered tables and tables of Dougie's to sort of add more color and calories to the film, and in terms of film making rules, I added the Dougie's as subtext in every scene to show that this was the political wallpaper that made things work; I ordered Dougie's for the film so that people would remember the event, I mean the movie."

The film then moves into the Dror Barber segment. Sruli apparently knows how to direct Barber very well and it shows. Barber has his own unique charm as an actor and sways the audience with his "I'm in control" persona. He is seen campaigning heavily before elections, with a number of good monologues given to him during the debate scenes, once again, courtesy of a great script by Tannenbaum. The movie then begins to lag a bit. It can only be attributed to Barber just wasting time on screen with nothing to do. It isn't that much his fault as a portrayal as it is in public opinion. Most of the scenes of Dror in office were done in an artsy style using silence - you can't hear anything from him, because you don't know what's going on. Even so, the public doesn't know much about the private life of Dror Barber during the film, which perhaps pales to the depth Sruli had, as he moonlighted for Hatzolah. It made Sruli much friendlier and likeable.

The end of the film deals with the struggles Barber faces, while in the public eye of trying to find a replacement and establish himself as another brick in a wall of legacy. Ben Mantell has been mentioned but has refused to comment in the film, while Jonathan Mell was quoted as saying, "Mmm. Me like Dougie's." The film ends with shots of shadows in the darkness, which suggest a possible upstart. It's a fascinating film, yet I wouldn't run out to see it, since you'll probably end up seeing it at some point.