In 1972, photographer Robert Frank was given carte-blanche to follow and film The Rolling Stones on their American tour. The result was a film deemed unreleasable by the band, but not because of the overwhelming amount of sex, drugs and rock 鈥榥 roll on display. Rumour has it the band banned the film because Frank unblinkingly showed the tedium of life on the road and revealed the real lives of the band members.
It's hardly the high-glam life that would be expected from the 鈥淲orld鈥檚 Greatest Rock and Roll Band,鈥 but these are the scenes that humanize the group and put a pinprick in the bubble of fame that surrounded the Stones in their glory days.
Director Jim Jarmusch said, 鈥淚t makes you think that being a rock star is one of the last things you鈥檇 ever want to do.鈥
I mention all of this because I think there is a correlation between the Rolling Stones film (whose title I can鈥檛 print here) and 鈥淭he Apprentice.鈥
The Trump campaign unsuccessfully worked to suppress this film, and I would guess - and that鈥檚 all this is - they wanted it shelved not because of the harder-edged portrait of Trump in the film鈥檚 second half, which falls in line with the candidate鈥檚 strongman image, but because of the softer, more humanist tone of the first hour.
When we first meet Trump (Sebastian Stan) he鈥檚 a desperate man, going door-to-door in his father鈥檚 buildings to collect rents from tenants who clearly loathe him, a lawsuit looms that could potentially bankrupt the Trump family and his brother Freddy is an alcoholic who is slowly losing his battle with the bottle.
Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in 'The Apprentice'
Enter Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), a lawyer Trump affectionately calls 鈥渆vil incarnate.鈥 The prosecutor in the espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy's investigations of suspected communists, he had a fearsome, take-no-prisoners reputation. The lawyer took Trump under his wing, greasing the wheels for him socially and professionally in 1970s New York City.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e the client,鈥 says Cohn, 鈥渂ut you work for me. You do what I say, when I say.鈥
The ambitious Trump begins as a lump of clay, but is soon molded into an effigy of Roy Cohn, merciless in business and in life.
鈥淭he Apprentice鈥 is several things. It鈥檚 the making of MAGA. It鈥檚 a story of unchecked ambition. It鈥檚 a cautionary tale. It鈥檚 a period piece of New York City in the go-go 1980s.
Mostly though, it鈥檚 an entertaining character study of one of the world鈥檚 most famous people that comes with the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good? Stan, who (mostly) avoids doing an 鈥淪NL鈥 style Trump caricature. In the last hour, when he has absorbed Cohn鈥檚 lessons and the student has surpassed the master, he鈥檚 recognizably Trump.
Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan in a scene from the film 'The Apprentice.' (Pief Weyman / Briarcliff Entertainment)
Before that, he is more fully rounded as a character. There are flashes of compassion when he interacts with Freddy, frustration at being under his father鈥檚 thumb and vulnerability. When he becomes the blustery Trump we鈥檙e more familiar with, it becomes less interesting, but still avoids imitation.
As Cohn, Strong is serpentine, to the point of predatorially flicking his tongue. Eyelids at half mast, he exudes maximum confidence in his ability to control every situation. When the tide turns for him, Strong manages to create empathy for a character who never had any in real life. When he complains to Trump that he鈥檚 "lost the last trace of decency you ever had,鈥 the words hit hard.
The bad? While Maria Bakalova, who plays Trump鈥檚 first wife Ivana, is credible in the role, it feels a bit cheeky to cast her, given her headline-making encounter with Trump associate Rudy Giuliani in 鈥淏orat Subsequent Moviefilm.鈥
Maria Bakalova and Sebastian Stan are seen in a scene from the film 'The Apprentice.' (Pief Weyman / Briarcliff Entertainment)
The ugly? The casual venality on display. It鈥檚 the kind that powerful people use to intimidate and control the people in their lives, and it is gruesome. It鈥檚 an ugly glimpse into the halls of power where cold-blooded mercenaries like Cohn will do anything to win.
There鈥檚 also a graphic and cruel scene of sexual assault, unflinchingly captured by director Ali Abbasi鈥檚 camera.
Donald Trump dismisses 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥 as 鈥減ure fiction鈥 and for sure it isn鈥檛 the whole truth and nothing but the truth. An opening title card acknowledges that, announcing that 鈥渟ome events have been fictionalized for dramatic effect,鈥 but it does capture the tenor of the times and the dynamic between Trump and Cohn. It鈥檚 an origin story, and while you may not learn anything new, it paints a potent picture of pure ambition run amok.
American officials have opted against condemning India's response to the explosive accusations that its diplomats were involved in an escalating number of violent crimes in Canada.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
When you go through the chore of cleaning your home, you hope the end result is a safer, healthier environment for you and your loved ones. But some of the products you are using might put your health at risk.
Latvian State Police are investigating the death of Capt. Aaron Wideman, a Canadian soldier in the capital city of Riga.
Amid mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider stepping down as party leader, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says there should be 'robust' conversations on the topic.
Rock guitarist Jake E. Lee, who鈥檚 played with heavy metal heavyweight Ozzy Osbourne, was hospitalized early Tuesday morning after he was shot 鈥渕ultiple times鈥 in Las Vegas, a representative for the musician told CNN in a statement.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
While more Canadians are signalling their support former U.S. president Donald Trump, the majority remains hopeful for a Democratic win.
Canada is listing the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist group, while the U.S. has added a Canadian citizen affiliated with the organization to its counter-terrorism list.
Representatives of a British Columbia Sikh temple whose president was shot dead last year, as well as the Sikh independence group he was involved in, say their communities won't feel safe until India's consulates in Vancouver and Toronto are shut down.
A La Ronge-area man faces impaired driving charges after a highway rollover that left a teenage boy dead on Saturday.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
A recent wastewater study shows Halifax has the highest THC levels per capita in Canada, with 748 mg per day per 1,000 people.
With the cost of inflation and shrinkflation, Maritimers are paying more for Halloween candy this year.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
From his shrink wrap shock to his obsession with luxury, King Charles III's personal life seems to be filled with surprises, that鈥檚 according to a new book by biographer Tom Bower.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to say whether he's spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office, but if the two did speak Trump said, it would be 'a smart thing' for the United States.
Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian man jailed for two years for discrediting the army after his daughter drew an anti-war picture, alleged after his release on Tuesday that he had been held in dreadful conditions.
British lawmakers are voting on a bill to strip hereditary aristocrats of the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords after more than 700 years.
North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson sued CNN on Tuesday over its recent report that he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website鈥檚 message board, calling the reporting reckless and defamatory.
While more Canadians are signalling their support former U.S. president Donald Trump, the majority remains hopeful for a Democratic win.
Amid mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider stepping down as party leader, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says there should be 'robust' conversations on the topic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify Wednesday before the federal inquiry into foreign interference, for the second time.
A veteran of Canada's national security systems has been named the new head of the national spy agency.
When you go through the chore of cleaning your home, you hope the end result is a safer, healthier environment for you and your loved ones. But some of the products you are using might put your health at risk.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says a Listeria outbreak linked to several plant-based milks appears to be over with no additional cases reported since August.
Expect to see more northern lights in unusual places as the sun continues to sizzle, space weather forecasters said Tuesday.
Hong Kong's oldest zoo is seeking answers in a monkey medical mystery after nine animals died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species.
A NASA spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a quest to explore Jupiter鈥檚 tantalizing moon Europa and reveal whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.
Lawyers for Sean 鈥楧iddy鈥 Combs asked a New York judge Tuesday to force prosecutors to disclose the names of his accusers in his sex trafficking case.
Rock guitarist Jake E. Lee, who鈥檚 played with heavy metal heavyweight Ozzy Osbourne, was hospitalized early Tuesday morning after he was shot 鈥渕ultiple times鈥 in Las Vegas, a representative for the musician told CNN in a statement.
Rufus Wainwright says he was 'horrified' to learn that Donald Trump played his cover version of 'Hallelujah' during a presidential campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
The chances of a half-percentage point interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada became more likely Tuesday after Statistics Canada reported the annual inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September.
Cash-starved Boeing, contending with massive financial losses from a crippling strike and years of operational and safety problems, is turning to major banks and Wall Street to raise tens of billions of dollars in cash.
The more than US$3-billion settlement TD Bank Group has reached with U.S. regulators for its failures to oversee money laundering risks has underlined what some say are relatively weak enforcement options in Canada.
If you鈥檝e been pining to plant a tree, now is a great time.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Jane Xue sent her dog, a 2-year-old Samoyed named OK, off to her first day of work in mid-September. Her employer? A dog cafe in Fuzhou, in southeastern China.
Tom Brady has another new role in the NFL: owner.
The PGA of America is facing backlash and accusations of pricing out fans, with a single day ticket for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, costing just under US$750.
The Super Bowl will return to Atlanta in 2028 at the home of the Falcons, following a vote of approval by NFL team owners on Tuesday at the league's annual fall meeting.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company鈥檚 self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population 鈥 that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
With the cost of inflation and shrinkflation, Maritimers are paying more for Halloween candy this year.
S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it鈥檚 written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Representatives of a British Columbia Sikh temple whose president was shot dead last year, as well as the Sikh independence group he was involved in, say their communities won't feel safe until India's consulates in Vancouver and Toronto are shut down.
A suspect has been arrested and charged after an allegedly unprovoked attack on a woman visiting Vancouver.
A Maple Ridge man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and attempted murder for his actions at a drug-user hangout in the city in July 2022.
Toronto police are appealing to dozens of witnesses who they say were standing nearby when a man was shot to death in an apartment stairwell in the city鈥檚 north end last week.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
Representatives of a British Columbia Sikh temple whose president was shot dead last year, as well as the Sikh independence group he was involved in, say their communities won't feel safe until India's consulates in Vancouver and Toronto are shut down.
As officials with the Calgary Public Libraryprepare to reopen locations on Wednesday, many questions about the cyber security breach that closed them remain unanswered.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is launching a $7-million series of ads against the federal government's proposed cap on oil and gas emissions, a move she believes will hurt production and "kill jobs."
Alberta now has a new provincial health agency to help residents access primary care services, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced on Tuesday.
More than 40 employees at Best Theratronics Ltd. in Kanata went on strike five and a half months ago - a situation that Canada's largest private sector union says is highly unusual.
For the first time, protective measures are being expanded to infants to ward off RSV this fall and winter.
Latvian State Police are investigating the death of Capt. Aaron Wideman, a Canadian soldier in the capital city of Riga.
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is proposing a special mediator in contract talks at the Port of Montreal for a three-month period during which strikes and lockouts would be off the table.
A family in Lanaudiere lost nearly everything when their home flooded two months ago. Making matters worse, the insurance company denied their claim because their coverage does not include sewer backup.
Bilingual Quebec municipalities have lost their bid to have several parts of the government's French-language reform suspended while their case makes its way through the courts.
The Alberta government continues to divvy up its provincial health authority, with the health minister saying the new agency responsible for primary care is expected to be up and running by November.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
Pitcher Erik Sabrowski of the Cleveland Guardians struck out three of the five sluggers he faced Monday night over 1-1/3 innings of work in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Three people, including a child, were killed in two separate collisions on Highway 101 in Nova Scotia鈥檚 Annapolis Valley over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The Nova Scotia government says that in the coming days it will start building a 500-metre-long berm to protect a low-lying land link between the province and New Brunswick.
A local entrepreneur is preserving an historic train station in Amherst, N.S.
A 28-year-old Winnipegger is facing charges after an altercation unfolded between a store employee and a man who allegedly tried to steal merchandise from a West Alexander area store.
Winnipeg's mayor is asking for patience from motorists during anticipated traffic delays at Portage and Main, as work begins to reopen the famed intersection.
The Winnipeg Jets have started the 2024-25 season undefeated on the ice and have seen a bump in season ticket buyers off of it.
Regina police say one person was taken into custody following reports of a weapons offence at Thom Collegiate Tuesday afternoon.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck has promised to hire 800 new frontline health-care workers over four years if her party wins the upcoming provincial election.
Regina police say a man was seriously injured when he was attacked by two dogs on Sunday afternoon while out walking.
Erick Buhr, the man accused of killing his grandmother in 2022, has pled not guilty to second-degree murder.
People living in the Ontario and King Street area of Stratford may notice a heavy police presence.
Bird feces has now been identified as the 鈥渕ysterious鈥 substance dropped onto Ayr, Ont. home in August.
A La Ronge-area man faces impaired driving charges after a highway rollover that left a teenage boy dead on Saturday.
Saskatoon police arrested five people and seized kilos of cocaine and methamphetamine in a targeted bust this month.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck has promised to hire 800 new frontline health-care workers over four years if her party wins the upcoming provincial election.
Impaired driving charges against a Brampton, Ont., man have been dismissed after his lawyer successfully argued that his Charter rights were breached during his Sudbury-area arrest.
A Greater Sudbury woman is upset about the charges laid against the man accused of attacking her son and a group of his colleagues downtown on Saturday.
A 33-year-old suspect in the Sault is facing several charges after reacting angrily when a youth knocked over their basketball net Oct. 5.
Residents are rallying for change in Lambton County following a fatal crash.
It took the full day for a jury to be selected in the trial of two people charged in connection with the shooting death of an 18-year-old Western University student more than three years ago.
鈥淚 wasn't using a walker in July, but I am now using walker all the time,鈥 said Martyn, who is struggling to move and can鈥檛 stand for long periods of time.
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in Springwater Township that they say happened over the Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
麻豆影视 has confirmed a Beeton, Ont., man accused in a historical sex crimes case involving a five-year-old girl is facing additional charges.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Family and friends of Soham Lane of Harrow, Ont. are gathering this week to remember the late 16 year old who died suddenly earlier this month following a collision on Oct. 6.
Essex County OPP are crediting police canine Philie for helping out in the seizure of illegal drugs, cash, and stolen property worth $110,000.
In his 20 years with MADD Canada, Chaouki Hamka has witnessed many changes regarding impaired driving, from heightened societal awareness to legislative shifts and better enforcement. Still, he says, impaired driving remains the 'leading criminal cause of death' in Canada.
New Democrat Leader David Eby is making a late appeal to voters to support his party even if they never have before, as the British Columbia election campaign enters the home stretch.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
Lawyers for the founders of Vancouver's Drug User Liberation Front say their clients are being wrongfully criminalized for operating a club that provided untainted drugs to people who would otherwise be at the mercy of a toxic and deadly illicit drug supply.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
Health-care advocates say the province's plan for a new primary care agency, operating separately from Alberta Health Services, won't help with doctor shortages in Lethbridge.
The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.
If you鈥檙e looking for something to do this long weekend, the Lethbridge Corn Maze is open and hosting its annual fundraiser on Monday.
A 33-year-old suspect in the Sault is facing several charges after reacting angrily when a youth knocked over their basketball net Oct. 5.
A suspected impaired driver who tried to walk away after running a red light and crashing into a ditch is facing several charges, Sault police said Tuesday.
Home sales declined in North Bay in September compared to a year earlier, but sale prices held firm, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
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