Tribeca ‘documusical’ casts Rudy Giuliani’s arc as opera
A new documentary about Rudy Giuliani premiering at the Tribeca Festival weaves in musical performances to give the ups and downs of the man once commonly referred to as “America’s Mayor” an operatic flavor.
“Rudy! A Documusical,” directed by Jed Rothstein, is in large part a sober, conventional analysis of the unlikely trajectory of Giuliani’s political life, from New York prosecutor, mayor and Sept. 11 hero to the pusher of bogus legal challenges to the 2020 election for then-President Donald Trump. But to fully convey the exaggerated highs and lows of Giuliani, Rothstein felt he needed a Greek chorus.
“His story is very operatic,” Rothstein said in an interview. “The music can bring out emotional truths that’s different than having someone talk about it. It’s certainly unconventional in a documentary, but it brings out its own truth. I wanted to have a film that captured the craziness of his arc.”