An Unreasonable Man
by Steve Skrovan, Henriette Mantel
List Price:
Our Price: $8.86
You Save: $18.11 (67%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.95 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andrew Egendorf, Howard Zinn, Pat Buchanan, Ralph Nader, Robert FellmethDirector: Henriette Mantel, Steve Skrovan
Brand: Genius
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-06-12
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 80169
Studio: Ifc
Product features:
- In 1966, General Motors, the most powerful corporation in the world, sent private investigators to dig up dirt on an obscure thirty-two year old public interest lawyer named Ralph Nader, who had written a book critical of one of their cars, the Corvair. The scandal that ensued after the smear campaign was revealed launched Ralph Nader into national prominence and established him as one of the most
Movie Reviews of An Unreasonable Man
Movie Review: America's Don Quixote
Summary: 5 Stars
OK I admit it, I voted for Nader in the 2000 election. I knew he had no chance of winning. But here he was, an actual presidential candidate, saying all the things I believed in. He wasn't just another phony politician. But a dedicated longtime advocate of economic and social justice. He was anti-war, for universal health care and even supported the legalization of certain drugs - something no Democrat would ever do.
Back then I was in my early 30's, old enough to have grown more than a bit cynical about politics. But somehow Nader did it, he bought back the idealistic aspirations of my activist youth. He was my guy and I also believed that Nader's getting more than 5% of the vote would help build the Green Party, the only political party that had ever supported the issues I most cared about. Certainly the last 8 years of Bill Clinton hadn't brought dramatic changes for the better in American life. So I took a leap of faith and I voted for him.
Then reality hit. Not only did he get less than 5% of the vote but Bush won (or rather stole) Florida by such a tiny margain that everyone blamed Nader for Bush's victory. Then, without him as their candidate, the Green Party faded into obscurity again. Bush started the disastrous war in Iraq and his countless other idiotic decisons that has led to perhaps the worst presidency in American history. Nader got the blame for all of this.
But this documentary doesn't set out to bash Nader or to glorify him. Instead it tells his life story, from his boyhood days in Connecticut to the present. The first half of the movie traces his rise from bright Harvard Law School graduate to leader of the consumer movement. It tells about his legendary and successful struggle to improve automobile safety and how from there he went to on play a significant role in important legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water acts. This part of the movie is a bit like Nader's early career, very detailed oriented and a bit mundane but still worth watching.
From an entertainment aspect, the film certainly picks up once Nader enters politics. The scenes from his campaign rallies, especially the big one in New York, helped remind me why I was so inspired by him to begin with. There is no question that both the Republicans and Democrats are so beholden to corporate interests that no meaningful social change is going to come from either of them. Whether it was the abolitionist movement, the women's movement or the civil rights movement, it has always been activists who have led the progressive movements in American society and politicians who have, often reluctantly, followed. In most other Western democracies they have parliamentary political systems where minority parties are at least given a voice. But in America's "winner take all" system it seems unlikely that the Greens, or any other third party, will ever break through to electoral viability. That's an unfortunate fact of American life.
So in 2008 I will likely vote for Hillary, Obama or whoever the Democrats nominate. Yes Nader was, and is, an "unreasonable man". His quixotic campaigns for the presidency may have, especially in 2000, led to horrendous results. But I like to take the long view and the truth remains that it takes these sort of sincere, dedicated "unreasonable" people to create a better future for all of us. Maybe the dirty, ruthless world of electoral politics is not the place for them. But I still respect and admire Nader. He will probably be remembered by history as one of the more important figures of late 20th century American society and this movie about his life is balanced and highly recommended.
Summary of An Unreasonable Man
Many things we take for granted like seat belts & product labeling are largely due to the efforts of ralph nadar. Yet when most people hear his name they think of the man who cost the democrats the 2000 election. This traces the life & career of one of the most controversial political figures of our time. Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 06/12/2007 Starring: Ralph Nadar Howard Zinn Run time: 122 minutes Rating: NrSimilar DVD Movies
Who Killed the Electric Car?SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2006-11-14; DVD
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops:
Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!by Ralph Nader
Seven Stories Press; Published: 2011-03-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Sicko (Special Edition)Genius; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $3.38
Price in other shops:
Ralph Nader: Up CloseRelease date: 2006-07-13; DVD
Best price: $24.95
The Ralph Nader Readerby Ralph Nader
Seven Stories Press; Published: 2000-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.35
Price in other shops:
Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the MediaZeitgeist Films; Release date: 2002-03-26; DVD
Best price: $14.39
Price in other shops:
Why We FightSony; Release date: 2006-06-27; DVD
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
The CorporationZeitgeist Films; Release date: 2005-04-05; DVD
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops:
GaslandNVG; Release date: 2010-12-14; DVD
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops:
Michael Moore - Capitalism: A Love StoryFox; Release date: 2010-03-09; DVD
Best price: $3.89
Price in other shops: