Synopsis:
The little known and much maligned 1972 campaign of South Dakota Senator George McGovern was, as this documentary by Stephen Vittoria (BLACK AND WHITE, HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD) points out, a high point...
The little known and much maligned 1972 campaign of South Dakota Senator George McGovern was, as this documentary by Stephen Vittoria (BLACK AND WHITE, HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD) points out, a high point in American politics. Moreover, its ultimate failure was indicative of the problems in the electoral process as a whole, highlighting the impossibility of success for an honest, idealistic candidate. The film is partly a biography of a truly remarkable politician, and partly a political essay, full of analysis and historical information. Unabashedly partisan, Vittoria provides an alternative history of the events leading up to the election in which Nixon was running for his second term. The civil rights movement, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the student killings at Kent State, and the police riots at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, are all addressed with extensive archive footage and commentary by an assortment of luminaries. Warren Beatty, Gloria Steinem, Dick Gregory, and Gore Vidal are among those assembled to share their memories and experiences, and McGovern himself reflects without bitterness or regret. The hugely eventful four-year period from 1968 to 1972 forms the crux of the film, with McGovern a galvanizing force in politics, using grassroots tactics to become a formidable opponent despite his lack of funds. A staunch antiwar candidate, McGovern was vocal on many social issues, and demonstrated his willingness to stand up for his unpopular beliefs many times over in the Senate. Perched on the verge of success, however, McGovern made the fatal error that cost him the presidency and determined how history would remember him. In this film, drawing parallels between the Vietnam era and the Iraq war of the early 21st century, McGovern inevitably brings to mind candidates like Howard Dean and John Kerry, who have also been accused of being too decent and not charismatic enough. It is the man's grace, and the enduring strength of his idealism, that carry the film, which is narrated by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now.
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