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American Morning

Film Meant to Define Spirit of America About to be Released

Aired December 20, 2001 - 09:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Perhaps the most American of all artforms, the movie. And at this time, when the current of American patriotism is running very high, a film meant to define the spirit of America is about to be released.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports from Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a film about films that captures the essence of the American spirit.

It's a three-minute montage of moments from 110 different American pictures that will be released in 10,000 theaters throughout the country.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Chuck Workman was commissioned for the job.

CHUCK WORKMAN, FILMMAKER: I wanted to kind of look into myself and into the movies, especially the American film, and see where it would life me in terms of just putting together certain images that would reflect what it is to be an American.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS: He had seen you folks at hospital from time to time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Workman shows a scene from "Eric Brockovich" to portray contemporary American heroism.

WORKMAN: "Erin Brockovich" is the best example, because there is a character that has a great deal of style, is a character we would not expect to be the hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What do they call you up there?

SIDNEY POITIER, ACTOR: They call me Mr. Tibbs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: He said he chose "In the Heat of the Night" for the category of pride.

WORKMAN: With courage, heroism, patriotism, diversity. All these are defiance, all these are various aspects of the American character.

GUTIERREZ: It was a mammoth project, not only to select the defining moments of America's cinema, but he also had to have the industry's cooperation.

WORKMAN: We had to get permission from every studio that owned the clips. We had to get permission from every actor or star, and we got it 100 percent.

GUTIERREZ: Workman says spirit of America could have cost more than a million dollars, but everyone pitched in, in the spirit of patriotism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, ACTOR: You think I liked? You all think I'm liked? Well, I'm not liked.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE)

REAGAN: Win just one for the Gipper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator.

GUTIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Hollywood, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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