Inspired by author Robert A. Caro's massive biography of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, the made-for-cable Path to War retraces the world-shaking events occurring between LBJ's jubilant inaugural in 1965 and his tired, dispirited decision not to seek another presidential term in 1968. At the crux of these tumultuous three years is the war in Vietnam, which forces Johnson (here played by Michael Gambon) to shunt his proposed "Great Society" to the back burner. Though famous in political circles as a wrangler and compromiser, LBJ cannot seem to do anything right in pursuing the war; nor are his chief advisors, the hawkish Robert McNamara (Alec Baldwin) and the dove-ish Clark Clifford (Donald Sutherland), able to forge a permanent policy agreement. As Clifford warns Johnson that "escalation will ruin you, and all the great good you want to do," McNamara presses for a continuation of the war lest America lose face and Vietnam fall to the Communists. The story unfolds with the inexorability of a Shakespearean tragedy, with Johnson as a modern-day Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear rolled into one. Of interest to non-history buffs is the appearance of two original cast members of the 1969 film M*A*S*H: Donald Sutherland as Clark Clifford and Tom Skerritt as William Westmoreland. Directed by political-movie veteran John Frankenheimer, Path to War made its HBO cable network debut on May 18, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Scott Meehan - Art Director, John Frankenheimer - Director, Richard Francis-Bruce - Editor, Cary Brokaw - Executive Producer, John Frankenheimer - Executive Producer, Edgar J. Scherick - Executive Producer, Howard B. Dratch - Executive Producer, Gary Chang - Composer (Music Score), Waldemar Kalinowski - Production Designer, Stephen Goldblatt - Cinematographer, Guy Riedel - Producer, Daniel Giat - Screenwriter, The Orphanage - Visual Effects
Path to War is a 2002 TV movie, produced by HBO that deals directly with the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of President Lyndon Johnson and his cabinet members. The movie starts off after LBJ's 1964 landslide election. It shows some of the good things the administration did early on, such as civil rights, before the war consumed it. The majority of the movie however, focuses on LBJ's good intentions being thwarted by a war gone wrong. The movie is considered[by whom?] an insightful view of President Johnson's often misunderstood and challenging Presidency.
Donald Sutherland won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Clark Clifford.
Dominic Houlder, Adjunct Professor of Strategic and International Management, uses excerpts from Path to War for the Capstone course as part of the Executive MBA programme at London Business School.
