Cheap Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry (DVD) (George Butler (II)) Price

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Customer Reviews of Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry

John Kerry's Tour of Duty
This documentary is dedicated to the Vietnam War era and the role U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate John Kerry played during his time in battle and his time as a peace activist. Kerry's early life at Yale, his time spent manning swift boats in Vietnam, and his post- war stint as an anti- war activist are covered in this film. The viewer is taken to the rivers of Vietnam and back to the USA to witness war protests from the 1970's as Kerry takes the lead in speaking out against what he feels is an unethical war. <
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>Many childhood friends, war time acquaintances, and well- known politicians make appearances in this film to talk to the viewer about John Kerry. They are all biased in favor of Kerry, with not one of them making any negative statements toward the Massachusetts Senator. They talk about Kerry's greatness in battle, as a leader, and as a politician. There is nothing negative said about Kerry, and this fact could turn off some viewers who prefer a more balanced viewpoint. This documentary was released about five weeks before the 2004 election, and it was obviously timed this way to help Kerry at the polls. <
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>Probably the most interesting parts of this documentary are those found near the end when Kerry has returned from Vietnam a disillusioned man, ready to let the people know how wrong it is for the United States to be involved in this war. There is one scene, for example, showing Kerry on the Dick Caveat show with Nixon's communication director. In this and other scenes, Kerry shows his knack for communication and articulation. He states his points very well, and his opponents are often left looking stupid, with no idea how to rebut his claims. <
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>Director George Butler did a good job in the production of this documentary. The film flows nicely from scene to scene and many different people are permitted some time in front of the camera. Kerry and others speak (like Nixon, LBJ, and others), but only via archive footage. There are also some graphic scenes of violence taken from Vietnam, and this is the main reason for the film's PG-13 rating. <
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>This documentary moves a little slowly in some places, but there is a good soundtrack of 1960's tunes from artists like John Lennon, Bob Dylan, David Crosby, and others that helps to keep the entertainment level in the moderate range. It would probably have been a better documentary if it was better balanced and/or if it included biographical information from Kerry's later days as a politician. But taken as it is, this is still a documentary worth watching. It shows how one man can speak his mind and make a difference in the politics of his country. <
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A Look At The Real John Kerry
Some may feel I've waited a little too long to see this documentary. That it loses some of its purpose after the fact. In case you haven't heard John Kerry lost the election. But despite this I was eager to watch this. I think the subject is a fascinating one and can be enjoyed at any time. Plus, don't forget it's the 30th anniversary to the end of the Vietnam War. But that had nothing to do with why I wanted to see this in the first place. <
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> Last year there was a parade of political documentaries making their way to theatres. There was of course "Fahrenheit 9\11", the best of them all. "Uncovered:The Truth About the Iraq War", "The Hunting of the President" (this was about Bill Clinton) and "Bush's Brain" (about Karl Rove) to me the least effective of these documentaries. But with all these documentaries I learned something. They provide some information I hadn't know. One of the main reasons I wasn't overwhelmed with "Going Upriver" was due to the fact it didn't say anything I didn't already know. Because the 2004 Presidential election was so heated I think those of us who considered ourselves informed voters knew all the stories going around about each candidate. This documentary was released at about the time th "Swiftboat Vets For Truth" were making their claims, all of which have been refuted. <
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> As I watched this documentary I was struck by what I saw. I thought what a shame it was that the John Kerry of today could not match the Kerry of yesterday. What a great speaker he was at one point. He had such an eloquent way with words. You could tell he was standing up for something he believed in. It was personal. <
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> The John Kerry we saw during the election just seemed to lack the ability to stand up and fight. How the Republicans were able to paint a war hero as a coward is beyond me. To hear people like vice-president Dick Cheney question Kerry's wounds and his medals is quite frankly disgusting. But why wouldn't Kerry defend himself? I doubt it would have made a difference in the election results but at least Kerry would have had the satisfaction of knowing he stood up for himself. <
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> But this documentary doesn't cover any of this material. Kerry is not interviewed. He is only shown on-screen when old footage is shown. The documentary only follows the story about his activites when returning home from Vietnam. No mention is even made that he is running for president. I mention this because it's important that people do not think this was an endorsment of Kerry's nomination. Perhaps the filmaker wanted him to win but no bias is presented. It is a straight foward look at what John Kerry did and his intentions. It was an attempt to set the record straight. Because of this maybe, just maybe some Kerry bashers would be able to watch this documentary and not hate him. I'm not saying it will change anyone's mind, but at the very least it may help you understand him more. Maybe. <
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> The John Kerry presented in this film was a man who did in fact have the mental capability to lead this country. He expresses himself in a clear thoughful and articulate manner and despite what you may have heard from Republicans showed the abilty to make wise decisions. And I think Kerry showed these qualities during the election. <
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> I recommend people see this documentary despite perhaps already knowing the information provided here. It is well-made and informative. <
>*** 1\2 out of ***** <
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> Bottom-line: If you kept up with the election nothing here will surprise you but it will serve as a constant reminder of the man John Kerry is. And for that you should see it.

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Powerful, Emotional, Uplifting
I was not alive during the Vietnam war but I wanted to watch a documentary which showed the reality of the struggles our troops faced in Vietnam and when they arrived back in America. I didn't want to see a boring documentary or a movie which tries to "glamorize" the Vietnam war. <
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>Fortunately this movie was full of the emotional struggles the troops faced. This documentary starts off with a brief intro into Kerry's childhood. Then it goes into Vietnam and then into the anti-war movement. It is amazing how many parallels the Vietnam war has to the current war in Iraq, here are some lines from the movie: <
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>- We must liberate the people <
>- We must win the hearts and minds of the people <
>- We don't do body counts <
>- We must spread freedom <
>- I don't understand why we are there (some troops say this) <
>- The reasons for the war keeps changing <
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>Isn't it just like Iraq? You would think people would learn from a war which happened less than 40 years ago! <
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>Anyway, most of America wanted our troops pulled out of Vietnam but the Nixon Administration did not want to be "the first administration to lose a war". So I guess it was better to let people die than to admit you are wrong. (over 58,000 American soldiers died and 300,000 soldiers were injured!!, 3,000,0000 Vietnamese killed and over half were civilians) <
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>When Kerry comes back from Vietnam, him and thousands of other Vietnam Vets formed a peace group and joined the anti-war movement. The anti-war movement was strong during the late 60s because of the draft. Right now with our Iraq war, there is not a draft so millions of high school/college and University students are oblivious to the war in Iraq. <
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>Sadly, troops are turned away when they protest at the Capitol. A mother is turned away from seeing her son's grave in the Arlington cemetery. (just like now, 40 families of people who died in the Iraq war were turned away from Bush's State of the Union/ but supporters of the war got great seats and some PR moments). <
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>The Nixon Administration does not like the veterans against the war so he takes John O'Neill and some other Vietnam war vets who are pro-war and forms a "counter group". This group is called "Vietnam Vets for a Just Peace" - today this group is Swift Boat Vets. Swift Boat Vets were funded heavily from the Texas GOP during the 2004 election but for some reason this didn't cause outrage. Do you see a pattern?? <
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>This movie is very emotional and I cried a few times. The parallels to our current war in Iraq were amazing. Please get involved in the anti-war movement, each of us can make a difference. <
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>Find a peace group in your area: www.unitedforpeace.org <
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>Or if you or somebody you know is in Iraq, go to www.mfso.org or www.gsfp.org.