Introduction to A Dangerous Game, Ritzy Picturehouse Brixton,
September 14, 2014
Alexandra Sage
This is Scottish director Anthony Baxter’s second film featuring Donald Trump, the first one is titled, You’ve Been Trumped. One film follows on from the other and the two make for interesting comparisons, but equally work as separate films. Baxter summarises key elements of the first within the second to set up the continuation, and to ensure they function independently.
You’ve Been Trumped has been described as a David and Goliath story; it’s the local community against the billionaire golf-course developer Trump, and follows a classic narrative arc. Inciting incident (eg Trump’s aggressive development plans), the ensuing conflict, and a resolution (of sorts). The bulk of the story is about the battle and the cause, and it’s a film with a campaign at its heart. Anthony Baxter is a dogged irritant to Trump and his plans. He has a quality that money can’t buy, or eliminate, and that is righteous determination.
Weaving throughout are clips from Local Hero, BAFTA winning film, directed by Bill Forsyth, about an American oil company representative who is sent to a fictional village on the west coast of Scotland to purchase the town and surrounding property for his company. No points for making the connection there!
Baxter had very little money for his first film. In interviews he has spoken of rejection by funders, and the decision eventually to remortgage his house. He was roughed up by police, put briefly in a cell, and his camera confiscated. His position is that of an outsider. Neither Trump, the Scottish government or police show him respect, and even the fringe funding establishment isn’t visibly supporting him. This low status leads to Trump refusing to take part directly in his film, and places Baxter’s viewpoint firmly with the local people – many other key viewpoints rendered inaccessible to him.
As Marshall Fine wrote in The Huffington Post, “You’ve Been Trumped isn’t particularly revelatory, nor is it an outstanding piece of film-making. Director Anthony Baxter does what he can with what he’s got, but he only has so much to work with. Still, it’s enough to lead you to the undeniable conclusion that Donald Trump is all hat and no cattle, a rich guy who can buy influence and bullyboy security, while trampling the lives of anyone who gets in his way.”
There’s a cliffhanger of sorts at the end; Trump gains permission for one course, but continues to do battle for a hotel, and a second golf course in the same area. A Dangerous Game picks the story up at this point and is altogether a slicker affair, although arguably less focused in its storyline. Baxter now has support from the National Lottery, Creative Scotland and the BBC; and has grown in confidence as a filmmaker. Like most independent documentary funding, it is a patchwork. Notable is crowd funding from 182 people in 12 countries.
Increased establishment recognition of Baxter and of his main character Michael Forbes, who is now, to many Scots, a national hero, means that Trump chooses not to ignore Baxter again. This time, he takes part, along with his son, in direct interviews. Trump candidly acknowledges that he is cooperating because You’ve Been Trumped achieved BBC transmission, and Baxter is now too important to ignore.
The main reason for Baxter’s increase in status however is the enormous and widespread success achieved by You’ve Been Trumped following release, both at a grassroots, and international level. The democratisation of the distribution, promotional and viewing process via the web, resulted in the film reaching a huge audience, despite the initial lack of funding. And therein lies its power. Power that has very positive repercussions for this next work. For one thing, prospective contributors in A Dangerous Game had the added incentive of a potentially huge platform for their views.
So Baxter had a sturdier springboard to work from; but it’s still an anxious process for a filmmaker, Following release of A Dangerous Game, things are looking positive. It premiered at Hot Docs in Toronto in April this year, then screened at Sheffield DocFest, and the Edinburgh Film Festival. With several recent good reviews in the national papers, a solid base audience looks assured.
This more polished sequel announces itself with thrilling animated titles, and score music composed by Dominic Glynn, of past Dr Who theme tune fame. His composition is playful and accomplished, aligning Trump to the famous sting from Jaws.
Archive images depicting Scotland’s early golfing culture, and placing Baxter firmly as a local resident, are presented in 3-D that is enhancing without being gimmicky. There are clever references to cinema verite, as subjects comment on playback footage. And in the same spirit that caused him to reference Local Hero last time, Baxter plays this story off against an interweaving narrative in the shape of songs from Karine Polwart, Scottish folk singer.
Gone are the slightly amateur, jarring graphics of the first film. Instead there are numerous sweeping aerial shots to illustrate the swathes of land that are at stake. This bigger budget allows for a parallel story filmed in Croatia, and for increased access to experts and politicians like the fabulously articulate Robert Kennedy Jr., who evaluate the personal and global impact of Trump’s plans.
Baxter is brave as an interviewer and never shies away from the difficult questions, yet he doesn’t impose his polemic on the viewer in the way arguably that a director like Michael Moore does. And he never reverts to dishonest tactics to corner his adversaries. Described in its Guardian review as agit-doc, Baxter has created a film that is neither neutral nor leading. The Independent compares him to Louise Theroux, but I see him as less foregrounded, less performative, and less invasive. Baxter’s position is increasingly assured but not complacent. He strives for a high quality mix of campaigning, investigative and personal filmaking.
A more balanced range of views may be on show but the threat remains clear, and the stakes are very high. Baxter is rooted in the Aberdeenshire area and his empathy is tangible. Like his first film, his real strength for me lies in the illustration of local people, their lives, and the impact they feel of Trump’s actions. They are where the heart of this story lies.
There are insights into Scottish culture and the Scottish psyche, particularly poignant today as the Scots prepare to make one of the biggest decisions in their history. Ironically, this was not Alex Salmond’s finest hour. The pressures of wealth and power have worked their influence, and democracy threatens to elude the decision-making process.
To sum up, I’ll quote from the review on my docexchange blog: “The film … never becomes a dull-but-worthy story of the little people against the corporate giant. The camerawork captures the glory and scale of the environments at stake, and the film has many characters, ordinary people who assume heroic proportions, and erudite and compassionate experts who outline a range of sobering consequences. It is entertaining, at times hilarious, and thoroughly researched.”
docexchange 