The Postman (1997) and Wag The Dog (1997) | Two films. The same weekend. Very different reputations
About this episode
This episode explores the contrasting receptions of 'The Postman' and 'Wag The Dog', both released in 1997.
At the end of 1997, Kevin Costner's second film as director - The Postman - made its way into cinemas, at the end of a difficult year for Warner Bros. The $80m, three hour movie would be savaged by critics, and fail to find an audience - but there was quite the story behind the film, before and after. There's quite a story too to Wag The Dog, a movie that could fit into the schedules when a far more expensive project was hit by a delay. And the political satire that followed made headlines for unexpected reasons within months of its release. Stories of both are told in this episode... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More episodes of Film Stories with Simon Brew
- Cape Fear (1991), and when Martin Scorsese read it three times and hated it
- Dick Tracy (1990), along with the strange trick to hold onto its rights
- Wild Wild West (1999), plus how it affected The Matrix and The Iron Giant
- In conversation with Paul Feig - The Housemaid, Bridesmaids at the Oscars, Ghostbusters and more
- In conversation with David Mackenzie | Fuze, Relay, Hell Or High Water, Starred Up, AI and more
- Judge Dredd (1995), and the long battle to get it made
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