VIFF: Gore Vidal - The United States of Amnesia

I don't know much, if anything, about celebrated notorious figure Gore Vidal. I know he passed away recently and that he was a writer. Had I read his work or known anything about his life? No. So I was interested in seeing this documentary, The United States of Amnesia, hoping to learn more about this man.

The film did indeed feature a lot of footage and interviews with Mr Vidal. It talked about his life, his loves, his work, but mainly it focused upon his thoughts and views on America and its politics. I quickly learned that to learn about Gore Vidal is to learn about his views and ideas, because that is what ultimately made him. It's a fascinating film and I love his views and what he has to say. I especially enjoyed the snippets of stories he had of famous contemporaries like JFK, Truman Capote, and Paul Newman, who stuck up for Gore after being called a queer on live television by an adversary.

Fortunately, it has two more showings coming up if you want to catch it! Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia plays Oct 11 at 445pm at Pacific Cinematheque and on Oct 13 at 645pm at Vancity Theatre.