Originally posted Saturday, September 1, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the surface comes across as a mild-mannered, modest, serious judge, the type of temperament you'd expect on the United States Supreme Court.
But dig a little deeper and it’s clear she is a closet firebrand. The octogenarian won key cases before the highest court of the land as director of ACLU's Women's Rights Project on fair pay, education and housing in the 1970s and after joining the court in 1993 has been a reliably sharp dissenting voice on a Supreme Court tilting ever rightward.
She became a cause celebre among folks who hate Donald Trump after her surprising critique of the man weeks before the 2016 election. "RBG," a critically acclaimed film about her life that has grossed nearly $14 million in theaters since May, will air for the first time on CNN on Labor Day at 9 p.m.
"She has an extraordinary life story," said Betsy West, an executive producer for the film. "She literally changed the world for American women." West said many younger fans of her Supreme Court work didn't know her full story. She was one of just nine women who entered Harvard Law School in 1956. She struggled to find work after she graduated simply because she was a woman."She handled her challenges in a very straight-forward, determined and I think courageous way," West said. "She ultimately overcame some of the discrimination she faced."
And as a bonus, the film is a romance between her and her biggest cheerleader and husband Martin Ginsburg. He comes across as outwardly sweet and funny, a perfect complement to his shy, introverted wife. After his death, West said she seemed to lighten up. She laughed when an on-line fan began referring to her as "Notorious RBG" in reference to the late rap star Notorious B.I.G. "She sees the humor in a tiny elderly lady speaking truth to power," West said.
And when the film-makers showed her clips of Kate McKinnon's ridiculously id-like rendition of Ginsburg on "Saturday Night Live," she chuckled, having never seen it before.
While Ginsburg may be ideologically to the left, the film shows how close she was with conservative justice Anthony Scalia. "They were extremely good friends," West said. "They shared a love for opera. Justice Ginsburg loved his sense of humor. She loves to laugh and has a sly wit. They also respected each other as intellectual sparring partners. They felt by engaging with each other, they made each of them better."
And it’s fascinating to watch clips of the Congressional hearings from 1993 when Senators were far more collegial and bipartisan. She was confirmed 96-3.
The film has Sen. Orrin Hatch, an inveterate Republican, say nothing but nice things about her. "He thinks she's brilliant," West said. "He totally admires her."
West said she and her co-executive producer Julie Cohen first approached Ginsburg to be interviewed for the film in 2015. At first, she demurred. They lined up some big names to talk about her including Bill Clinton and Gloria Steinem and she eventually cooperated. Ginsburg allowed them to film her working out and she even agreed to read out loud some of her dissenting opinions.
And the film eventually came together thanks to producing partner CNN Films, West added.
TV PREVIEW
“RPG,” 9 p.m. Monday, Labor Day, CNN
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