In this allegedly very important election year, there's a lot of so-called entertainment being released with underlying meanings. Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" led the pack of anti-Bush films that includes "Outfoxed" and "Silver City," as well as a number of lesser known quasi-documentaries shown in indie theaters and released on DVD for sale on the Internet.
However, the issue with these so-called "quasimentaries" and what came to light after the release of "Fahrenheit 9/11" is that viewers often take the presentation as fact, while it may contain incorrect insinuations throughout. So one could only expect that a movie showcased as a documentary, released so close to Election Day that has John Kerry's name in the title must be more propaganda from the liberal side.
Amazingly, "Going Upriver" is more of a legitimate documentary than a publicity move from the Democratic Party.
The movie - which, in actuality, can be labeled as a documentary - follows the events and actions of the Vietnam War and its veterans. The basics about the war are covered and a few of the men who served alongside Kerry speak about the war, their involvement, and memories of particular incidents (some involving Kerry, some not). The true focus of the documentary then steps into the spotlight: The Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
The protest group, of which John Kerry happened to have been the leader, is shown in a more-than-favorable light, a point that has been debated as being propagandist. However, the portrayal of the group, its actions and the events surrounding the time in history are all shown in a seemingly fair and sensible way, much like a History Channel documentary would be.
What can be construed as favorable toward Kerry is the way the infamous scene of veterans throwing away their medals is depicted. The film spends minutes of time detailing the day that thousands of soldiers discarded their medals and other honors from the government for their efforts in the war. Lastly, when Kerry steps up to the plate, the footage of him is not shown and his speech is not heard. Instead, we get a vague reconstruction of his words from another veteran that was present at the protest. It's pretty shady, but if Kerry throwing away his medals wasn't currently such a hot topic, any average viewer would just overlook the scene.
At first glance, "Going Upriver" appears to be a one-sided look at how wonderful John Kerry is and how he should be the next president. In all honesty, the film seems as if it was just a documentary about the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and, in realizing that John Kerry is such a celebrity and was a major player in the organization, the filmmakers decided to insert a bunch of long clips of him giving speeches and put his name in the title with hopes that it would get a wider release and make more money.
The filmmakers did make a fine documentary. However, as a topical movie that will no doubt garner controversy in the context of the election, it doesn't really deserve the publicity.
