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British miniseries The Politician's Wife

The situation in the British miniseries The Politician's Wife by coincidence bears a resemblance to the problem that has obsessed much of the American news media for more than a year--the sexual indiscretions of President Clinton. Again and again, the viewer is reminded by the fictional account of actions he or she recalls form the past year in the newspaper or on television. For instance, when Flora Matlock is advised on how to behave with her husband in public after she learns of his affair--she should touch him and be close to him--she is told that the press will be scrutinizing her for such behavior. One can easily remember the number of times the American press watched Hillary Clinton and commented on her actions, drawing conclusions from whether she stood close to her husband in public or allowed him to grasp her arm as they descended from a plane. One might also assume that much else seen in the film about what goes on behind the scenes might also have been the case in the American instance.

Much of the political pressure from the beginning is brought to bear on the wife rather than the husband, though he clearly sees the matter in a different light and considers himself a victim when in fact he is making his wife into a victim. This story takes place in the same basic context as did the American one--in a democratic society with a free press, influential political parties, competing interest groups, and a concerned if somewhat malleable electorate. Duncan Matlock is a hypocrite, which colors everything he does and how his wife reacts during the course of the story. She must know that he is a hypocrite in some respects because she works side-by-side with him. When some women come to ask his help in saving a day-care center, he feigns interest and then makes a snide comment, showing that he has no conception of the suffering of others. This cannot be the first time he has acted in this way, and clearly it is his wife...

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British miniseries The Politician's Wife. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 07:01, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689505.html