Also saw The Most Dangerous Man in America. My fave part is every time Nixon's DOJ sued a newspaper that would print the Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg would just give part of it to another newspaper. Plus, he got his wife back. Amazing. His transformation from US Marine Corps/lying McNamara flunky to full on Gandhi/H.D. Thoreau peacenik is near beyond belief (& so lovely.) SO highly recommended.
Another must-see doc is The Art of the Steal. A v different hero this time. Mr Barnes was a feisty bastard, who made his fortune w/ an eye-tincture that immunized children from certain types of VD. He amassed a phenomenal Impressionist/Modernist collection that he initially showed off in New York. Mr Barnes was from Philly. The NY critics savaged his showing, calling the pictures barbaric. Mr Barnes sed, "Fuck you, you'll never see them again!" He put them in his own institution, a school, outside of Philly (he had no love for that city, either- espec b/c he hated the Annenbergs [yes, those PBS funding Annenbergs], who were the Philly GOP Hearst/Murdoch newspaper tycoons of that era) and arranged the pictures in a superb esoteric way. Pictures & pieces & furniture covered entire walls & were arranged according to Barnes' own taste & theme. They were not arranged by artist or period, just by Barnes' personal taste. You've seen photographs of all these pictures. This collection is not wimpy. It is basically impossible to even assess a value to it. The Art of the Steal is a frickin' fantastic film.
Before I go, can I just express my disgust & frustration at film critics who moan aboot "preaching to the choir" & documentaries that are not "fair & balanced" (Gawd, Fox News has ruined near all types of commentary & criticism.) The filmmakers made the goddamn film, it is their frickin' film, & they can make whatever frickin' type of film they want to make. Just review the goddamn picture, you liked it or you dint, & why. Jeez Louise!
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