By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Nicholas D. Wrathall
Country: italy, united_states
Year: 2014
Running time: 83
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745710/combined
Bruce says: “Gore Vidal was one of the great characters of our time and one of the greatest minds of the past century. He invariably saw through the smoke and mirrors and was able to succinctly summarize what was going on. His conclusions were usually out of sync with the majority of people who believed what they see and hear on TV and what they read in the news. Always outspoken, often impatient and rude, Vidal ruffled many a feather in his time. GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA examines the man and his career, focusing on his views of the United States Government and American institutions. Those views were not flattering. Vidal was a true expert on US Government foreign policy and, in particular, the country’s inherent need for perpetual war. He firmly believed that our government is moving towards ‘socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the poor.’
“With the view that ‘it is difficult to be a moral person if surrounded by immoral people,’ Vidal expatriated himself for much of his adult life, choosing to live on the Amalfi Coast. No hermit, Vidal and his partner of many years, Howard Austen, entertained an endless array of luminaries who sought them out. With dozens of turns in his career, Vidal had incredible highs and lows. ‘Self-pity is different if you are brought up by a blind man,’ is the way he explained his resilience referring to his father’s blindness. His mother was a different story; after a row with her in London, he never spoke to her again.
“Director Nicholas Wrathall does not skirt around the negative issues. Vidal had public feuds with William Buckley, Norman Mailer and others. His two attempts to run for public office were feeble and half-baked. On a more upbeat note, Wrathall spends a good deal of time on Vidal’s political novels, his essays, and his TV appearances. Vidal is candid about our country ignoring its history. ‘It takes generations to get truth back,’ Vidal claims.
“Wrathall sifted through volumes of archival footage and filmed interviews as he shaped his film. The result is a marvelously clear and concise documentary, one that is informative and entertaining. 5 cats
“(GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA screened at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2013 Provincetown International Film Festival.)”