I don’t know what you have planned for tonight, but I’ll be watching HBO’s The Special Relationship, something of a follow-up to The Queen written by Peter Morgan who wrote The Queen as well as The Deal, both of which starred Michael Sheen as Tony Blair and this one is no different.
Directed by Richard Loncraine (“The Gathering Storm”) Sheen is U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair who in 1993 arrived in Washington D.C. to meet with advisers who helped bring Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid) into office. He is met with little fanfare – his driver doesn’t even remember to pop the trunk to accommodate his suitcase. At his meeting, Blair is given war room wisdom: ”Listen to what the people are saying. It’s easier to change what the party stands for than what the people want.” Moving ahead three years later, Blair is met with VIP treatment in the States as the film follows the two men and their terms in office including the conflict in Northern Ireland and the crisis in Kosovo.
Interestingly enough, a scene depicting Clinton confessing to his wife (Hope Davis) that he lied about his dalliance with White House intern Lewinsky has been cut from the final product. Apparently the decision was made so the film would stand up to scrutiny and avoid allegations of inaccuracy or treating the Clintons disrespectfully.
I hope to offer some sort of review of the feature after watching it so watch along as it airs tonight at 9 p.m. EDT and 6:15 p.m. EDT Sunday.
Now, here’s the trailer.
