Tonight, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day (which is actually this Thursday, April 22), PBS is presenting a documentary that I promise you, if you see it, will alter much of what you think you know about the modern environmental movement. It's called Earth Days (it will be shown Monday, April 19, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. on American Experience), and as directed by Robert Stone, it's a rapturous, provocative, fascinatingly researched, and altogether stirring piece of deep-dish cultural reportage that's organized around an eye-opening perception. Namely, that if you think of environmentalism as a liberal-left movement -- and let's be honest,...
- 4/18/2010
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW.com - The Movie Critics
Oswald's Ghost
Seventh Art Releasing
At once fascinating and frustrating, Robert Stone's documentary about the assassination of JFK never really decides whether it wants to concentrate on providing information or sociological analysis, with the result that it fails to fully satisfy on either level.
But ultimately its wealth of archival footage (much of which is unfamiliar) and insightful interviews with knowledgeable sources make Oswald's Ghost a relentlessly gripping cinematic examination. Currently receiving a limited theatrical release, it is scheduled to air early next year on PBS.
At first the film seems like it will concentrate entirely on its title subject's life and motives. But ultimately we learn less about Oswald than on the ramifications of his world-changing act. Stone delves deeply into the aftermath of the assassination, from the coverage by the news media to the conspiracy theories that sprang up almost immediately.
Included are interviews with several of the best-selling authors who delved into such controversies -- including Mark Lane and Edward J. Epstein -- as well as such figures as Tom Hayden, Gary Hart and the late Norman Mailer. They comment on the political and social shock waves that resulted.
The docu touches on several of the numerous theories about the case, including the oft-repeated conjectures about the Mafia, Castro, the Russians, the CIA, etc. A lengthy segment covers the crackpot notions of New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison, which became the focus of Oliver Stone's JFK.
While the film never quite comes down on one side or the other, it seems to settle on the idea that Oswald acted alone, with even former staunch conspiracy theorists admitting that the fact that no solid evidence has emerged in the intervening decades would seem to make that case. Still, as the film informs us, even now about 70% of Americans believe that Oswald didn't act on his own.
At once fascinating and frustrating, Robert Stone's documentary about the assassination of JFK never really decides whether it wants to concentrate on providing information or sociological analysis, with the result that it fails to fully satisfy on either level.
But ultimately its wealth of archival footage (much of which is unfamiliar) and insightful interviews with knowledgeable sources make Oswald's Ghost a relentlessly gripping cinematic examination. Currently receiving a limited theatrical release, it is scheduled to air early next year on PBS.
At first the film seems like it will concentrate entirely on its title subject's life and motives. But ultimately we learn less about Oswald than on the ramifications of his world-changing act. Stone delves deeply into the aftermath of the assassination, from the coverage by the news media to the conspiracy theories that sprang up almost immediately.
Included are interviews with several of the best-selling authors who delved into such controversies -- including Mark Lane and Edward J. Epstein -- as well as such figures as Tom Hayden, Gary Hart and the late Norman Mailer. They comment on the political and social shock waves that resulted.
The docu touches on several of the numerous theories about the case, including the oft-repeated conjectures about the Mafia, Castro, the Russians, the CIA, etc. A lengthy segment covers the crackpot notions of New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison, which became the focus of Oliver Stone's JFK.
While the film never quite comes down on one side or the other, it seems to settle on the idea that Oswald acted alone, with even former staunch conspiracy theorists admitting that the fact that no solid evidence has emerged in the intervening decades would seem to make that case. Still, as the film informs us, even now about 70% of Americans believe that Oswald didn't act on his own.
- 12/4/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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