Tuesday, April 10, 2007

One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern

I ordered this title as soon as I noticed it in the Blockbuster catalogue, and popped it in the machine as soon as it arrived. I wasn't disappointed. Although centered around the 1972 campaign, it is also a riveting (if strongly partisan) profile of Sen. McGovern and a political life that peaked with one very wild and crazy convention -- where a non-Establishment candidate won an against-all-odds nomination, and everything that could go wrong did. I think the subtitle is a bit off; certainly, it's not a summer I've ever forgotten, and I was only 13. This documentary reminds me why it was so special: lots of great commentary from those who were there, either behind the scenes or out in front. Also, if nothing else, you finally learn just what Mayor Daley yelled at Sen. Ribicoff at the '68 convention. (It wasn't pretty -- but then, neither was he.)

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