History in a made-for-TV movie, or political stunt?

By Gayl Murphy

Hollywood, CA (Hollywood Today) 10/25/12 —“It’s about history” says, Oscar winning film producer, and longtime Obama supporter Harvey Weinstein, as he commented about adding additional news and documentary footage to his 90-minute film “SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden,” scheduled to broadcast in prime-time on the National Geography Channel, Nov 4th, just two days before the presidential election.

Weinstein, who purchased the U.S. rights to the film last May for $2.5 million at the Cannes Film Festival, surgically re-edited the film with additional archival footage and news reports featuring President Obama.

Pundits speculate, Weinstein’s additional footage of the president, gives him a larger role, making him look stronger, by showing Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s early disapproval to hunting down Osama Bin Laden.

“Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden” chronicles the account of how the CIA and US Navy SEALS tracked down Osama bin Laden and killed him in Pakistan in May of 2011. Producer Nicolas Chartier’s (“The Hurt Locker”) Voltage Pictures produced and financed the movie, with actor, producer, writer John Stockwell directing. And, it’s important to note, the original Voltage Picture’s version did prominently feature President Obama as well.

Weinstein’s decision to pump up the president’s presence has invited analysis by cable news channel pundits, saying the TV movie is politically motivated.

After seeing the film The New York Times called it “a political stunt”. Something, both Chartier and Stockwell insist is not the case, stating the re-edit was meant to give the film a stronger sense of realism and, that “…every edit was for historical accuracy.”