OH BEAUTIFUL FOR CLOUDY SKIES // A FILM REVIEW OF "GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA"
Standing in a cemetery, with a cane holding his weight (and the weight of his entire life before him), a man looks down at a gravestone. One man rests there already. Another has yet to be buried. He stands over this grave, with a mixture washing over his face of wistful remembrance and acceptance of what’s to come. He doesn’t look scared. He looks quite content, actually. He stars down at this grave because it’s his own. It’s a beautiful moment opening the world of Gore Vidal’s fascinating story. Welcome to THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA.
Vidal was born into a political family in West Point, New York. His father was an Aeronautics instructor in the United States Military and even taught Vidal how to fly when he was only 10 years old. His mother was well connected in society and made her debut on the Broadway stage in 1928. When Vidal graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy he enlisted in the US Army instead of continuing onto a University. Around this time is when his first novel Williwaw was published, at the tender age of 19. It was an immediate success and thrust him into the national spotlight. Then came The City and the Pillar, his second novel and its frank description of homosexuality earned him a blacklist from many, including the editor of The New York Times. So he turned to writing teleplays (including The Best Man) and even Hollywood (he wrote Ben-Hur). Though he came from politics, he primarily remained on the other side of the fence, choosing to skewer both Democrats and Republicans (though he was extremely on the left side, far left). He did run for office twice, but what shot him to the forefront was the fact that he was willing to discuss and debate many things others had trouble talking about: homosexuality, the Vietnam war, and critiquing presidents with words that could cut through steel. His critique of George W. Bush: "We’ve had bad presidents before but we’ve never had a goddamn fool." He was highly opinionated, often tactless, paranoid, and one hell of a brilliant, stubborn man.
Directed by Nicholas Wrathall (Abandoned: The Betrayal of America's Immigrants), Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia (a not so subtle but still clever nod to America’s convenient memory loss over the years) is most definitely a biased portrait of a man who thought nothing of “romantic love” but lived with his domestic partner Howard Auster for 53 years. He had opinions on everyone and everything, and some come off as a bit of a surprise, especially how he now refers to his once great friend John F. Kennedy. He hung a portrait of the late President in his office to remind himself to never again be sucked in by charm and now dismisses him as a terrible leader who led us into Vietnam. His opinions may cause alarm for conservatives, but his candor for publicly speaking the truth and his outcry of injustice everywhere is a refreshing change to most public figures of our days. Wrathall gets exquisite sound bites from Vidal, and many others, highlighting his famed televised sparring with William F. Buckley among other gems. For those who know Vidal, there are only a few nuggets that you will learn here. But for all others, it’s a fascinating portrait of a man who refused to be silenced, ever. It also shows us that the political arena is primarily just as it was 50 years ago; flawed, fascinating, and frustrating. Much like Vidal himself.
MATEO’S GRADE: A-
Directed by: Nicholas Wrathall Starring: Gore Vidal, RATING: Not rated CONTENT ADVISORY: Language
BOTTOM LINE: A wonderful, charming, funny, and sharp documentary detailing the life of one of the sharpest figures you may not know much about.