Investors sue filmmaker over `Long War of John Kerry'

[Pirate Smile]

Investors sue filmmaker over `Long War of John Kerry'

(New York - AP) — Two investors are suing a filmmaker for allegedly misleading them about plans for a documentary on the life of presidential candidate John Kerry.

The federal lawsuit says brothers Marc and Russell Abrams were misled into thinking that George Butler and the film's producers were trying to make a commercially successful film.

Butler is a longtime Kerry friend.

Instead, the brothers allege that "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" was intended primarily to influence the 2004 presidential election in Kerry's favor.

Butler said the lawsuit's allegations are "baseless and insulting to the artistic integrity of the film."

http://www.wrgb.com/news/regional/regional.asp?selection=article_28676

Well, we knew when Butler released it for free on the web he was giving up trying to make $$$ on the film and he also gave up any chance of getting an Oscar (I think I heard that back then).

He was doing everything he could to combat the Swift Liars - to me he is almost a saint - at least a great Patriot who loves his country more then money, his career and himself.

[elshiva]

1. Too me he is almost a saint, too.

I study the Catholic Saints and they include some good statesmen that sort of remind me of JK, like St. Thomas More, patron saint of politicians.

As for the lawsuit, no fair saying it swung the election in JK's favor when he "lost" because of election fraud. Nominate them for conservative idiots top ten.

[GRLMGC]

2. They just care about money

That's why Hollywood is in the sorry state its in right now. Nobody cares about art, just the bottom line. And to think, this is the industry I want to go into. Sheesh.

[Pirate Smile]

3. I hoped HBO would get the rights to it and play it over and over again on

all of its various channels. Why don't they, damn it!

[LittleClarkie]

4. Okay I will admit it has some campaign talking points in it, BUT

They advertised it and it got good reviews in newspapers like the NYT. Is it really Butler's fault if it didn't go through the roof?

F 9/11 it ain't. Since when do documentaries go like gangbusters if you're not Michael Moore?

How did it end up doing? How many cities did it end up playing at.

When Butler released it on the web, I thought it was mainly for the benefit of those who didn't have it playing around them.

I know the local Vets for Kerry did their best. They paid for a free showing down at our "art" theater.

I hope he can beat the rap. More than one reviewer said that the film transcended the campaign and Kerry, and was a touching film about a time , a place and a movement.

[ginnyinWI]

5. it's a wonderful film, even if it wasn't about JK

Butler is a great filmmaker. That opening scene (showing Vietnam) with the accompanying soundtrack is so beautiful and compelling. The tone of the whole film is perfect--it's reflective, sad, inspiring, nostalgic. He's a real talent, regardless of whether he's JK's friend.

[karynnj]

6. Made me remember the 60s more clearly

I hope this film finds its way into some of the high school classes dealing with the VietNam war. I know many of the schools here have a history elective dealing with this time period. Although, Kerry was extrodinary, his story works to explain a lot of that time period.

[ginnyinWI]

7. yep

It helped me get more perspective on the 60s, too. I was 19 in 1971. How about you? :)

edit: seems like the 60s lasted until the early 70s, just like the 50s lasted until Kennedy was shot, 1963.

[karynnj]

8. I was 21 in May,1971

I agree that defining a perod of history by decade is simplistic.

I had tried a few years ago to describe the 60s to my oldest two daughters (we were coming back to NJ on a bus that we took to go to the DC anti-war rally in Jan or Feb, 2003) and found it was almost too complicated to explain. It was hard to explain to them my innocence and total faith in the America's goodness, which was shaken by all the teach-ins at college. The well known insanity of the time was balanced with discussions going late into the night on the morality of the war . This was the 68/69 school year, so there still was a draft.

Three of the strongest memories related to the war I have from college were - sitting on the floor in our lounge with others watching Nixon describe why we were invading Cambodia, a University sponsored candle light march after Kent State (it was organized partly because there were so many kids who were afraid to leave the dorm.), and hearing the except of Kerry's speech. A large group of us watched the news together each night. He seemed way older (and smarter) than us.

The claim that his testimony caused people to turn on the vets was not only untrue, but probably the opposite. Presumably, the people "against" the vets would be us anti-war kids although at least at IU most of us knew neighbors or former classmates who went to Vietnam. The image of soldiers had been damaged by Lt Calley and things like carpet bombing. I know that at least among the people I was with, Kerry changed (in a positive way) the image of the people fighting.