Unfinished Symphony

[whometense]

I thought it might be worth breaking this out into its own thread, so people will see it and can take action.

http://www.hrw.org/iff/2001/ny/unfinished.html

UNFINISHED SYMPHONY is an emotional, poetic, and lyrical journey back in time to reflect on the highly contested Vietnam War. The film is divided into three sections, which mirror the movements of Henryk Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, to which the film is set. Taking place in Massachusetts over Memorial Day weekend in 1971, the film focuses on a three-day protest in the form of a march, staged by newly returned veterans. Traversing the same path as Paul Revere's famous ride of 1775, the mounted protest sought to bring renewed awareness to a long-fought, losing battle. Stunning black-and-white filmed footage from the original march is interspersed with shots of the war and recent conversations with political historian Howard Zinn. At the protest, veterans voice their feelings about the horrors they witnessed overseas just months before. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam?" asks a young, distraught veteran, John Kerry (now a United States senator), speaking at a hearing to stop the war. Because the film uses actual archival footage, rather than simply describing the march 30 years later, the emotions are intense and raw and bubble to the surface. But because time has passed, the material is put into a meaningful historical context.

The movie was shown a few times over the summer on the Sundance Channel.

If enough people contact them they might show it again, and they might even put it out on DVD:

Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Mail: Sundance Channel Customer Service
1633 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

I saw it, and it's a beautiful film. And Kerry shows up a few times, with some truly catnip moments.

FYI, the filmmakers will send a copy of the film if you're willing to pay $45. (ouch) Here's their contact info:

Thanks for your inquiry into our movie, Unfinished Symphony . To purchase a VHS or DVD copy, please send a check for $45 made out to Northern Light Productions to the address below. Once we receive it, we will send you a copy.

With the check, please be sure to include the address to which to send the movie and specify the format.

Thank you again for your interest in our movie.

Sincerely,

Clay Salit
Northern Light Productions
300 Western Avenue
Boston, MA 02134
ph: 617-789-4344
fax: [phone]
[e-mail]
www.nlprod.com