The cartoonist who made presidents tremble

For as clichéd a piece of music as it is, Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is a perfectly appropriate score for a film about the life and work of political cartoonist Pat Oliphant. Grieg’s famous composition — written for Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 play “Peer Gynt,” and popping up in everything from the “Inspector Gadget” theme song to “Real Housewives” season trailers — is instantly recognizable for its swift sprint toward its electrifying, tense climax. In the context of Ibsen’s play itself, “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is played during a face-off against the titular Norwegian hero and a band of bloodthirsty trolls, led by their ruler, who forces the protagonist to ponder ego and morality. Remove the veil of folklore, and the plot isn’t too different from Oliphant’s caree