Customer Reviews

Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater

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This is a surprising film. I did not know much about Barry Goldwater, I am ashamed to say, beyond his reputation as an ultra-conservative. He was, but in the sense of a true conservative.

Goldwater was for strong national defense and was an ardent anti-Communist. He was also Pro-Choice and definitley not a friend of the Religious Right. Goldwater's main political guiding logic was that government should not meddle in people's lives any more than is necessary.

Barry was against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He thought it amounted to too much government intrusion. He criticised the Religious Right on numerous occassions and said religion had not place in politics, and that crossing that line resulted, again, in too much government intrusion.

Goldwater also was close friends with JFK. They were often opponents, on opposite sides of political issues. But they still admired each other greatly and socialized often.

Seeing this film left me with a great admiration for Barry Goldwater. In these days of polarized partisan politics and wedge issues, I wish we had someone in DC with Barry Goldwater's strength of character to focus on the real issues and the courage to reach across the aisle for true and meaningful dialogue.

I have been a fan of Barry's ever since I rang doorbells for him in the California primary -- and even for me this film is full of surprises. I did not previously know about many things that are revealed here. Overall, the film is a moving elegy to the conservatism that might have been. A hawk on foreign policy, Goldwater was really a libertarian on domestic issues (hence the ignorant myth that he "became a liberal" at the end). He had no use for the "social values" conservatism that emerged in the seventies and triumphed in 1980.

I recently became a conservative myself about a year ago after someone showed me Ron Paul and his views. A lot of people threw Goldwater's name around him so I thought that this dvd would be worth it and it was. The film delves a little more into Goldwater's relationship with his family but does a good job at presenting his views for the most part.

(Potential Spoiler) I think it fails to accurately depict his views on Vietnam like the press did though. It only showed him saying that he would be for using low-yield nuclear weapons in Vietnam but didn't actually show what his position was on the war itself. He believed that if we weren't willing to support our troops in any way possible then we should withdraw. And he wasn't for dropping nukes on Hanoi itself but on infiltration routes used by the Vietnamese.
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(Spoiler Alert Over)I was dismissive of this film at first because I saw John McCain and Hillary Clinton's name on the back cover. Even thought they give their "opinions" on the Goldwater movement (not that either of them are even CLOSE to being true conservatives) their appearances don't hinder the documentary at all; mostly due to the fact that they're not in it that much. I think it was just the documentary's way of trying to appeal to the Liberal and Neo-Cons enough to get them to watch which is good if you ask me.

I think that if you are interested in true conservatism you should try this documentary. It will give you a good perspective on how Ron Paul's conservatism and the Libertarian movement came to be.

Interesting, informative doc on big granddaddy of the modern "conservative movement" and forerunner of the Reagan revolution, or devolution, Arizona Republican Senator Barry Goldwater. Profiles Goldwater's career in the senate and his historic 1964 presidential run and subsequent landslide defeat at the hands of LBJ and a still stunned nation not yet over the assassination of Kennedy. Of course the American people weren't too interested in the ideas of Mr. Conservative and that so-called movement in the first place. At the time liberalism had a place in politics and government not since equaled. It isn't clear how much the majority of self-described conservatives themselves were ever really interested in Mr. Conservative's ideas since what becomes clear in the history of Goldwater's career (and that of the Republican Party) is that conservatism erected for itself a very large a tent which included people at direct odds with Goldwater's principled defense of individual liberty. As for that stance against "big government", well, that's always been an odd one with the conservatives since government grows much bigger than ever with wars and staggeringly huge military spending. In any case, this documentary is recommended to those with an interest in US electorial politics and history. Includes many interviews with important political figures, commentators, and friends and family members of Goldwater. One figure is John McCain who Goldwater is known to have called a "carpet bagger". McCain came to be known as a "maverick" and "straight talker". Barry Goldwater was a real maverick and straight talker.

The most informative documentary I have scene on Barry Goldwater. I do believe it was done by his granddaughter

Great documentary!
You'll love this movie if you are into Barry Goldwater, if not I'd learn a bit more about him first. Gives great insight to the man behind the politics.

I was able to watch this "documentary" about Barry Goldwater A Conservative turned liberal later on in his life(Personal reasons his family members,Gay Nephew,etc and I am Not a Evangelist or so-called Born Again Christian but A Real Original Christian,Right Wing Catholic and Part of the Religious Right/TheoConservatism thank you) I like the Old Anti-Communist,Conservative Goldwater when Liberals hated him, I don't like the fact that Liberals that appear on here such as James Ugly Baldhead Carville and Hillary Muffdiver and liar Clinton appear on here,Goldwater's ties to Planned Parenthood and the Abortion Lobby(His 1st wife).To me Goldwater later on in his life wasn't Senator Goldwater but sold his soul to the Liberal establishment being influenced by personal instead of rational feelings.You Have Julian Bond(Communist and Founder of NAACP an organization that does more harm to it's people than does good),Walter Cronkite and Norman Lear,If there is good about this it is early footage/Goldwater and homemade movies the bad? Edward I drove into The Lake and didn't call for help Kennedy,The So-called beef with the Religious Right theme throughout,Al Franken, most of this wouldn't make any normal person(read not liberal) cringe nay Conservative Cringe. When you have Liberals Looking back on your life and praising you then you know You your no longer a Conservative.(That includes Libertarians).