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MOVIES / ON DVD / THIS DIVIDED STATE
This Divided State

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This Divided State (2005)

83%
67%
40%
N/A
N/A
N/A
83 %
Reviews Counted: 24 Fresh: 20  Rotten:4 Average Rating: 6.8/10
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 88 mins
Theatrical Release: Aug 4, 2005 Limited
Synopsis:
In a conflict that epitomized the battle between red versus blue states in the days leading up to the 2005 election, Michael Moore's invitation to speak at Utah Valley State College created a controversy previously unheard-of in the quiet community. Nestled within a deeply conservative... [More]
In a conflict that epitomized the battle between red versus blue states in the days leading up to the 2005 election, Michael Moore's invitation to speak at Utah Valley State College created a controversy previously unheard-of in the quiet community. Nestled within a deeply conservative state, the university is located in the heart of Mormon country, and when the invitation to Moore was issued, complete chaos broke out, with vitriol being spewed by proponents of both the right and the left. Petitions were launched, forums and protests held, while Moore supporters were accused of demeaning their religion, the apotheosis of offense. Prominent local businessman Kay Anderson offered a bribe to prevent Moore's engagement, while the UVSC student body president feared for his safety. Fox's Sean Hannity was eventually invited to speak as a counter-balance to Moore, and both speeches are included with with illuminating results. Documentarian Steven Greenstreet was there to document the entire process, after dropping out of college when he heard what was going on. The result is a non-judgmental presentation of the facts that, miraculously, avoids caricature and manages to capture the many shades of gray that are so often eclipsed in the deep divide between the right and the left. [Less]

Genre: Education/General Interest

Starring: Kay Anderson, Michael Moore, Sean Hannity

Director: Steven Greenstreet

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 27, 2005

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 0
  • NTSC
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • (unspecified) - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Additional Footage - 1. Michael Moore Press Conference (featuring Roseanne Barr)
  • 2. Student Anti-Hannity Rally
  • Bonus Features - 1. "Kay Anderson's Petition Drive"
  • 2. "Nelly Concert: Untold Story of Kay Anderson versus hip-hop artist Nelly"
  • Interview - 1. Kay Anderson - Featured (uncut)
  • 2. Sean Hannity - Featured
  • 3. Epilogue Interviews with the Main Characters
  • 4. Steven Greenstreet - Director (Q & A )
  • Music Video - The Slackers - "Propaganda"
  • Trailers - THIS DIVIDED STATE

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Full Review | Comment
07/27/07 03:15 AM
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews
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The approach to recording the story is everything its subjects aren't.

Full Review | Comment
03/28/07 03:17 PM
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
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Vivid, dramatic stuff.

Full Review | Comment
03/01/07 03:24 AM
Eric Monder
Film Journal International
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The intensity of the opposition and the deep fissures it revealed in the fabric of American civil discourse are still astonishing.

Full Review | Comment
02/08/06 06:30 PM
Marc Mohan
Oregonian
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If there's a weakness here, it's that there's no challenge whatsoever in making a closed-minded right-wing nutcase look crazy

Full Review | Comment
11/17/05 01:54 AM
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times
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An interesting and anger inducing documentary.

Full Review | Comment
10/08/05 03:31 AM
Don R. Lewis
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
09/26/05 03:15 AM
Onion AV Club
Ratings Image

It's a discomfiting film, bringing up all the ugly emotion of last year's electoral shouting match, concentrated in one town in one state and in one short 88-minute film.

Full Review | Comment
09/08/05 04:44 PM
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
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The problem is that Greenstreet apparently had no idea what kind of movie he wanted to make.

Full Review | Comment
09/08/05 01:20 PM
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
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As boisterous as it is sobering.

Full Review | Comment
09/02/05 03:16 PM
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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It lacks the substance to sustain its feature-length running time.

Full Review | Comment
08/29/05 03:15 AM
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
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Greenstreet’s film works as yet another painful reminder of the death of political discourse.

Full Review | Comment
08/27/05 03:03 PM
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com
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Compelling, intriguing, utterly absorbing.

Full Review | Comment
08/24/05 04:09 PM
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
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A hard-hitting documentary about the heated nature of the cultural wars in America and the hallowedness of free speech.

Full Review | Comment
08/23/05 06:21 PM
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
Ratings Image

No matter where you stand, This Divided State has a patriotic, galvanizing effect.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/05 02:49 PM
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
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It's a brave and highly commendable effort that's chock-full of chilling moments.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/05 02:47 PM
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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The 25-year-old filmmaker takes no sides himself. Wisely, he allows folks of all opinions to put their feet in their mouths all by themselves.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/05 02:21 PM
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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[It] plays like the ultimate anti-travelogue.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/05 02:16 PM
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
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Director Steve Greenstreet captures all the hubbub on film but, while he makes the point that we are indeed a house divided, he can't quite persuade us that this particular situation is a metaphoric example of our national malaise.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/05 07:27 PM
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Raw, chaotic and engagingly eager, This Divided State juxtaposes candid interviews with scenes of unrest as Mr. Greenstreet rushes gamely from one hot spot to another.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/05 06:55 PM
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
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