Autographed by 49 Pan
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| Britain |
| Obama's blockbuster gift for Brown to reaffirm the 'special relationship': 25 DVDs |
| 2009-03-05 |
| He had put clearly great thought into giving the U.S. President lavish gifts to signify Britain's 'special relationship' with the U.S. During his historic trip to Washington, Gordon Brown gave Barack Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet - once called HMS President. The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that already takes place in the Oval Office in the White House, after being presented by Britain to the US in 1880. The Prime Minister went to the trouble of hunting down the perfect gift after becoming the first world leader invited to the White House by the new Commander In Chief. So it would be perfectly understandable if Mr Brown felt a little underwhelmed at the official gift he received in return. For despite being leader of the world's most bountiful nation, President Obama handed over nothing more thought-provoking than 25 classic American films on DVD. It was the equivalent of receiving a pair of socks from an unfamiliar aunt at Christmas - and a less-than-glowing affirmation of the UK-US bond. Despite being a 'special collector's box set', any film buff could have picked up the movies from their local video store for just £250. It is not clear what the Prime Minister - not believed to a great fan of cinema - thought about receiving the films. Downing Street yesterday THURS refused even to state which movies were in the box set - perhaps a reflection of their embarrassment that the gift was less generous than the ones taken to Washington by the Prime Minister. But the Mail understands the gift included Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, The Godfather and Orson Welles' ground-breaking flick Citizen Kane. Perhaps pertinently given Britain is floundering in an economic slump, the DVD collection was thought to feature the movie of John Steinbeck's Great Depression novel, 'The Grapes Of Wrath'. It also included the Oscar-winning boxing biopic 'Raging Bull' starring Robert Di Nero and Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho - maybe a comment on the PM's notorious short fuse? And he will hope that at a General Election the British public do not shun his imploration for another term in office by thinking at the ballot box of the famous line from another of the movies, Casblanca: 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.' But following Mr Brown's his recent troubles - the UK entering recession, soaring job losses and home repossessions, Labour struggling in the polls and threats of leadership challenges - he may be pleased at being able to settle down for a quiet night in front of the ultimate feel-good movie: It's A Wonderful Life. Number 10 was staying silent about the gift, but the Mail has learned the American Film Institute produced a box set of 25 top U.S. movies as a "special request" for the White House last month. Mr Brown also took to Washington a framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to mark Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria. He also gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert. Mr Brown and his wife also showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America. In return, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John. The Prime Minister has not had the best of luck when receiving gifts from U.S. presidents. He was given a fur-trimmed brown leather bomber jacket by George W. Bush during first trip to America in summer 2007. Emblazoned with the presidential seal and the logo of Camp David, it also boasted a black patch bearing the name 'Rt Hon Gordon Brown'. Commentators gleefully pointed out that the garment was hardly in keeping with Mr Brown's usual sober attire of business suit and tie. Not surprisingly, it later emerged that the PM had decided not to keep the gift. Instead, he gave it to charity. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #15 I wonder if the DVDs will play on a UK DVD player. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2009-03-05 21:37 |
| #14 The Big O should have given Gordon Brown's boys a couple of models of these: Autographed by 49 Pan |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-03-05 21:05 |
| #13 "Mrs Obama's gesture appeared to show Fixed. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-05 19:56 |
| #12 What? No unicorn? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-03-05 19:31 |
| #11 > What's next? MD 20-20 (wine) served at State Dinners? Crumbs the recession must be really bad! |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles the flatulent 2009-03-05 19:07 |
| #10 What's next? MD 20-20 (wine) served at State Dinners? He's saving that for the Sarkozy visit. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2009-03-05 18:46 |
| #9 Fair enough on the helicopter part, always a popular choice with small boys; but Marine One? ItÂ’s not as though anyone needs reminding that Barack Obama is President or that he has his own helicopter. Oh, I dunno. A model of Marine One given to you by the President is pretty damn cool, and it's something you probably can't come by in Britain. Frankly, I find giving presents fraught with peril, especially presents to kids. Dresses? How sexist! Books? How dull! Give 'em what they really want -- Bratz dolls? AIIEEE! Me, I love getting books. Though I wouldn't have turned up my nose at, say, a model Spitfire. Pocketa pocketa pocketa! Take that, Jerry! Rat-tat-tat-tat! And that bomber jacket would be SWEET. What a weedy wet that Brown is. And he will hope that at a General Election the British public do not shun his imploration for another term in office by thinking at the ballot box of the famous line from another of the movies, Casblanca: 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.' FAIL. That was Gone with the Wind. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2009-03-05 18:23 |
| #8 ed, now that was funny. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2009-03-05 17:46 |
| #7 Thanks Anon. The parallels are striking. The Kikuyu experience became the blueprint for other African wars of liberation as well. Very relevant piece of history. Others watched these events as well. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-05 17:20 |
| #6 A commenter on another site sheds some more light on this. It makes me think it's more of an directed insult instead of a careless slight. http://www.luoamerican.com/baldilocks/2009/03/vengeance-is-his.html If you recall, before Kenya became Kenya (1963) it was a British colony known as British East Africa. Between 1952 and 1960, there was this little “difference of opinion” between the UK and the natives of British East Africa—primarily from the Kikuyu tribe. That conflict is known as the Mau Mau Uprising. There were tens of thousands of African civilians killed and, according to Wiki, seven to ten thousand Africans interned by the British colonial masters. In Dreams from My Father, President Obama says that his grandfather was tortured by the British during the conflict, though he was not a Kikuyu but a Luo. Guess which prime minister ordered the Mau Mau insurgency to be put down. |
| Posted by: Anon4021 2009-03-05 16:47 |
| #5 After the envelope stuffed with cash was ruled out, the Obama White House was completely out of gift ideas. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-03-05 16:02 |
| #4 C'mon now. He has all the class of the Illinois state senator he's actually qualified to be... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-03-05 15:55 |
| #3 What an embarrassment to the nation. What's next? MD 20-20 (wine) served at State Dinners? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-03-05 15:51 |
| #2 L O L What classless clowns. |
| Posted by: Anon4021 2009-03-05 15:42 |
| #1 Empress Michelle didn't do much better with her gift to Sarah Brown First Lady Michelle Obama shows even she has a gift for the gaffe Like all good guests, Sarah Brown arrived bearing gifts for the children, Malia and Sasha. And they were really nice presents. A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them: Top Shop dresses (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors. Lovely. Mrs Brown may have two boys but she certainly knows the way to a little girlÂ’s heart. These were gifts chosen in the true spirit of present-giving: to please the recipient, not the giver. In return Mrs Obama gave the Brown children, Fraser and John, two toy models of Marine One, the Presidential helicopter. Fair enough on the helicopter part, always a popular choice with small boys; but Marine One? ItÂ’s not as though anyone needs reminding that Barack Obama is President or that he has his own helicopter. Short of giving the boys Action Man models of her own husband smiting the evil forces of neoconservatism, Mrs ObamaÂ’s gesture could not have been more solipsistic or more inherently dismissive of Mrs Brown. Not only did she demonstrate that she spent approximately three seconds contemplating the needs of the Brown boys (having an aide pop to the White House gift shop for a piece of merchandising does not imply a great deal of thought), she appeared to show a most uncharacteristic lapse of judgment. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-03-05 15:41 |