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NBC Rescues Jessica Lynch Again, Critics Pounce

Wed November 05, 2003 02:21 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The same day CBS pulled its controversial miniseries "The Reagans" claiming that it was not balanced, rival network NBC on Tuesday proclaimed the accuracy of its upcoming TV movie about the rescue of U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital.

"Saving Jessica Lynch" is set to air on NBC on Sunday, and the network previewed it for an audience including the Canadian actress who plays Lynch and the Iraqi lawyer who informed U.S. troops of her whereabouts.

When news of Lynch's rescue first surfaced in April, the mission was described as being a daring nighttime raid. Lynch was also reported to have been wounded as she battled attackers. It later emerged that the rescuers were unopposed and that Lynch was injured when her vehicle crashed.

The producers worked with the Iraqi lawyer, Mohammed al-Rehaief, who said "the movie touched my heart." Lynch, who is working on a book, was not involved.

The screenwriter of "Saving Jessica Lynch," John Fasano, told Reuters that he went through about 20 drafts as more details of the raid emerged "and all the way I had to prove everything. ... Everything in this had to be vetted."

Unfortunately, the truth may have gotten in the way of a good story. Entertainment Weekly labeled the film as "bland," while Time said it was "dull."

Lynch, played by Laura Regan, spends much of the film barely conscious in an Iraqi hospital, while al-Rehaief (Nicholas Guilak) strolls across the desert to share his knowledge with the Americans. The rescue, devoid of tension, goes off without a shot fired.

On the other hand, "The Reagans," about former President Ronald Reagan, and his wife, Nancy, came under fire for portraying the couple in an unflattering light.

In one scene from the film's final script, Reagan says of AIDS patients, "They that live in sin shall die in sin." But there is no evidence he ever expressed those views.

"NBC would have never let me get away with that in this film," Fasano said.

CBS dropped plans to air "The Reagans" later this month, and instead sold the four-hour miniseries to pay-cable network Showtime, which has a fraction of the audience. It said the movie "does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans," and that subsequent changes it had considered "did not address those concerns."

NBC is owned by General Electric Co., and CBS and Showtime by Viacom Inc .

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