Posted on 10/04/2004 5:43:36 AM PDT by Numbers Guy
Bloomfield Hills - In a 330-seat Bloomfield Hills theater Sunday afternoon, five loyal supporters of Sen. John Kerry turned out for a showing of a new documentary about the Democratic presidential nominee's involvement in the Vietnam War. Directed and produced by Kerry's friend, George Butler, "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" describes the Massachusetts senator's experience as a Vietnam War soldier and as a war protester when he returned home.
The 90-minute film is showing in four locations in Michigan: Livonia, Bloomfield Hills, Ypsilanti and Sterling Heights.
"It was wonderful and inspiring," said Detroit resident Bob Boyer, 63. "That was the events of my time. It was like dejá vu."
Boyer said he remembered seeing Kerry in the news when he made his protests against the conflict. In 1971, Kerry testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the negative feelings concerning the war and the atrocities soldiers committed while there. Kerry was a leader of a group called "Vietnam Veterans Against the War."
Although the film tries to emphasize Kerry's leadership and heroism, some experts aren't sure if the documentary will be effective in boosting support against President Bush.
"It seems more like preaching to the converted to me," advertising Professor Bruce Vanden Bergh said. "It would take very high involvement for people to be motivated to go see it."
Vanden Bergh said undecided voters might not make the effort to drive to one of the four locations and pay the cost of a movie ticket. He said the most effective campaign messages are those that are short and simplified, much like Bush's labeling Kerry as a "flip-flopper."
"A long, complex message doesn't stay in the mind," he said. "You've got to break through the clutter and say something simple."
And the manager of the Bloomfield Hills' Maple Art Theatre said only a few people have made the effort to see the film.
"It hasn't done as well as most movies do," David Day said. "A lot of people are pretty tired of all the political movies.
"They've seen enough."
A number of documentaries critical of Bush's presidency were released this year, including "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War."
But without a high-profile advertising campaign, many people involved in political campaigns said they were not aware of "Going Upriver." Representatives from Michigan's Bush/Cheney campaign and the Michigan Republican Party declined to comment because they hadn't heard of the film.
"No one has mentioned it," said Jim Agee, co-director of Michigan Political Leadership Program, which teaches new politicians how to be effective. "It's unusual.
"If this is a political strategy, it's a new political strategy."
this is too funny.
Pretty ballsy to entitle a movie in support of Kerry "Going Upriver" considering that he refused to do just that at his first operational swiftboat assignment in An Thoi.
Bloomfield Hills is a very wealth, very Jewish community.
"Going Upriver." Interesting title.
Sending someone upriver gives me the idea someone is getting sent away for a long time for having committed a crime...........and "selling someone up the river" is another expression for a con game or scam........
Of course we are talking about Jf'Kerry here..............
Michael Moore territory. If a political propaganda movie based on delusion cant make it here, it wont make it anywhere..
Yes, that's right -- according to this article, the political movies this year run the gamut from anti-Bush to pro-Kerry...
(The astute reader will note that the author neglected to mention any of the anti-Kerry or pro-Bush films...)
Pro-Kerry movie not doing well. Ping
My thought, too. Sing Sing.
A colorful history has helped to make Sing Sing arguably the most famous prison in the world. Located just 30 miles north of the media capital of the world, its construction by its own prisoners brought it instant fame. Wardens such as Elam Lynds, Thomas Mott Osborne and Lewis Lawes were magnets for a sensationalist press. A generation of movie-goers learned the colorful prison slang spoken by Jimmy Cagney on Sing Sing's cell blocks, and a local reference to being "sent up the river" would become code everywhere for a prison sentence.
Thank you - I couldn't remember the exact wording.
Your wording was correct.
I just added the film information to provide background to what both of us thought of.
I guess you're right ;)
I appreciated the film reference as I was unaware of it.
and people wonder why I love FR so much!!!!!!!!!!
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
Once again Anti War and Communist Sympathizers of the Vietnam era are shown to be an insignificant number of the population... yet they won't care, they'll keep repeating the BS that they were a movement...
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