Correction: The original version of this article published on Nov. 12 contained an error. “Angelina,“the escort Spitzer requested most frequently, did not refuse to be interviewed, rather she did not want her voice or image to be in the film. Gibney hired an actress to perform a dramatic reading her responses to the interview questions.
The documentary “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer” is full of attempts. Whether explaining the attempts of its characters or trying to prove things itself, some attempts are successful. However, others disconnect the flow of the story about the man who was once expected to become our first Jewish president, until the discovery of his relations with escorts led to his resignation from the governorship of New York.
The attempt to create an emotional basis for the audience prevails through the beginning of the documentary. From the artsy beginning credits to the great amount of focus on Spitzer’s days when he was known as the “Sheriff of Wall Street,” much time is spent rebuilding Spitzer’s old image. He is depicted as someone who left Wall Street shaking in fear as he sued General Electric for dumping poisonous waste into the Hudson River, fought for the minimum wage for delivery men and discovered fraud in the pharmaceutical industry.
The desire to connect emotionally could have been successful, as some may not have heard of him prior to his sex scandal. But the inclusion of interviews with those of the escort world, before Spitzer had even gotten involved with any, disrupts the time line of the story.
News clips of Ashley Dupre, the escort who was caught on a wiretap with Spitzer, further distract from the order of events in Spitzer’s political career.
This style of many cuts and segues through different topics and times creates an intensely raw tone. This rawness transcends to the film’s candid interviews. Many of the interviewees speak freely about Spitzer, especially those who were at war with him.
These include powerful men such as Ken Langone, a director of the New York Stock Exchange, who was under investigation by Spitzer’s team because of a controversial pay package for the Exchange’s chairman. When news of the scandal broke out, Langone replied that he wasn’t surprised.
There is one interview that isn’t as truthful. It was of “Angelina,” the escort who Spitzer requested most frequently. She did not want her voice or image to appear in the film, but sent Gibney her responses to his interview questions. He then hired an actress to perform a dramatic reading of her answers, which takes away from some of the credibility of the interview.
Nonetheless, Gibney does a great job trying to give an extensive view of the Spitzer scandal and what came prior to it through different points of view. Stories always have multiple sides, and it is evident that Gibney tried to get statements from as many people linked to Spitzer as he could.
The interviews with Spitzer are the strongest points of the documentary. One particular interview, which focuses on the scandal, is comprised of close-up shots of his face, emulating a direct conversation with Spitzer. These shots capture the discomfort Spitzer feels as he talks about the scandal and his attempt to keep his face composed in the tension that seems to permeate through the camera. This vulnerability is what really stirs emotion. When staring into Spitzer’s eyes, you see the slap in the face of reality Spitzer must have felt when he realized that he wasn’t untouchable.
As the interview comes to a close and the camera stays on his solemn face, it is impossible to not feel some pity for the man who used to be so great, whether you hate him or love him.
E-mail Jung at rjung@media.ucla.edu.