Product Details

• Actors: John Kerry
• Directors: George Butler
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Non Fiction Films
• DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000646MMA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,885 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About More Than Kerry, October 10, 2004

By 

Focaccina (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry (DVD)

I have not seen the DVD but caught this film in a theatre in my city. I was much more impressed with it than I expected to be. I had thought it would be little more than a testimonial to Kerry, and, while there is certainly that element in it, the film's focus actually goes well beyond that. It presents a compelling portrait of the veterans who returned home from the Vietnam War in the early 1970's, particularly those who felt they had to speak out against it. This is the first documentary treatment I've seen of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War movement, and it's a poignant reminder of the complexity of the issues and emotions that were current at the time. We have tended to forget and oversimplify what these men went through, both during their tours of duty in the war and upon their return to the States. Whatever your feelings about the issues, this film is a serious effort to present those issues in their historical context. Also, from a purely technical standpoint, it is a well-made film.

85 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Going Upriver, was entertaining, surprising, well directed,, October 4, 2004

By 

Adrienne B. Kandel (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry (DVD)

Last Friday I saw "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry." I saw footage of things in Vietnam, including swiftboat battle footage, that I would have never understood. Same about the Vietnam vets first in the war and then against. I saw politicians delivering messages that have remained with us, and Nixon's "plumbers" watching the big Vietnam Vets Against the War demo from atop the White House. I heard entertaining excerpt's from Nixon's Watergate tapes, including the one where they retain Swift Boat Veterans for Lies leader John O'Neill to discredit Kerry. I heard Vietnam Vets describe how they lived the war, and heard Kerry wonder out loud in a letter about a Vietnamese fighter he had just shot. I saw Vets vote on whether to break the law by sleeping, and I heard them tell some of their stories. I saw some stunning photography in Vietnam, and some short, fuzzy, home movie clippings.

This is not an advertising film; it's a documentary - a personality study - by the man who wrote "Pumping Iron" about Arnold Schwarzeneggar. At the same time, it dispenses with the Swift Boat Veterans for Falsehood lies simply by talking to the folks who were in the boat with Kerry, whom he protected with personally painful and dangerous actions that really did earn him his medal. The mortality rate in those swift boats was 75% and up, but Kerry's crew members say his quick reactions kept them alive. You can't picture Kerry waiting dumbly 7 to 17 minutes while the Twin Towers are burning.

After going home, Young Kerry showed leadership and maturity as he organized Vietnam Vets Against the War, and helped fellow Vets overcome their trauma and anger to create a peaceful, articulate movement that helped bring the Vietnam War to an end.

I have never considered leadership qualities in choosing a candidate. That just changed.

77 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must see for this year's election, October 9, 2004

By 

James L. Frank, Jr. (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry (DVD)

I am a swing voter and I anticipated that this movie would help me better understand John Kerry as a person and as a leader. It did both and much much more. Clearly, he is a brave and heroic man for having volunteered to serve his country during war and then to oppose it after returning home and listening to many other vets, that something was dramatically wrong with the U.S.'s position. With our 20/20 hindsight, we now know many things were wrong with the US's involvement in Vietnam but he had the courage and insight to see it then!!! as a 27 year old!!! He knew standing against the war would be a potential problem with his political aspirations and he did it anyway because he felt it was the right thing to do. If this doesn't stand in stark contrast to the draft dodging of the so-called leaders in the White House now, you obviously are someone who cannot face the facts.

Although born to a certain level of status, he served with men from all backgrounds and won their respect. He has certainly won my respect and my vote and I highly encourage people to see this movie to learn the context of Kerry's background and to watch an excellent documentary of a very difficult time in American History.