Biopic to provide sparkle for campaign

Back in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan did it with Morning in America. In 1992, Bill Clinton, friends and family starred in The Man from Hope. Tonight, John Kerry is enlisting a little movie magic to boost his own bid for the presidency.

Back in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan did it with Morning in America. In 1992, Bill Clinton, friends and family starred in The Man from Hope. Tonight, John Kerry is enlisting a little movie magic to boost his own bid for the presidency.

If modern nominating conventions are four-day political infomercials, the 10-minute bio-pic "introducing" the candidate has become the infomercial for the infomercial.

Mr Kerry's will run just before the crowning moment of the Boston gathering - his acceptance speech.

The title has not been released, but one thing is clear: The Democrats want to repeat the success of The Man from Hope. The elegiac, honey- tinted film was a smash and, after it was broadcast, Mr Clinton ended the Democrat convention with a 20-point lead over the incumbent president, George Bush.