Unfinished Symphony: Democracy and Dissent
A gripping documentary that begins with the 1971 march of Vietnam Vets on Lexington, Massachusetts, "Unfinished Symphony" lets us hear the ex-soldiers' testimony about what they did in the war and how they felt about it afterward. To voice their protests, they first marched to the White House, then to the Washington Memorial. At the latter event, John Kerry, in protest, threw his medals down, in protest of US war crimes. In Lexington, the vets stage a mock-up of some of their atrocities. We also see former Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara and other men who led the country into and through the casualties of that war.((Backed by classical music from composer Henry Goreki, almost all the footage is from war crimes and protests, giving the viewer the impression that a lot of this is only now being seen, due to the sensitivity of the material, and that President Richard Nixon, notorious for his clamp-downs on controversial media, was then in office. Footage of Vietnamese families being abused by American soldiers is especially hard to stomach, as it brings home the truth of the vets' message. The soldiers' remorse helps redeem those reluctant participants -- and perpetrators.((The anti-government message may turn off some viewers, although this film, obviously made to coincide with the War on Iraq, eerily precedes John Kerry's bid for the Presidency.
Director(s): Bestor Cram and Mike Majoros
Writer(s): Bestor Cram and Mike Majoros
Cast: Interviewees and archival footage, including of John Kerry
Release Date: 2001  
Keyword: John Kerry; Robert McNamara; Vietnam vets protestors; Richar
Target Age: 15+
Category: war and peace
Documentary: yes
Language: English
Reviewer's Name: Micah
Review: http://MRQE
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