Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election: Difference between revisions
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'''''Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election''''' is a 2002 47-minute documentary directed and co-written by [[Richard Ray Pérez]] and Joan Sekler,<ref name=variety>{{cite web | last= Klein| first= Andy| title=Review:’Unprecedented the 2000 Presidential Election’ | publisher= Unprecedented | date= November 24, 2002 | url= |
'''''Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election''''' is a 2002 47-minute documentary directed and co-written by [[Richard Ray Pérez]] and Joan Sekler,<ref name=variety>{{cite web | last= Klein| first= Andy| title=Review:’Unprecedented the 2000 Presidential Election’ | publisher= Unprecedented | date= November 24, 2002 | url= https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/unprecedented-the-2000-presidential-election-1200544683/ | accessdate= }}</ref> and narrated by [[Peter Coyote]],<ref name=chicago>{{cite web | last= Rosenbaum | first= Jonothan | title=Unpredented: The 2000 Presidential Election | publisher= The Chicago Reader | date= | url= http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/unprecedented-the-2000-presidential-election/Film?oid=1062179| accessdate= }}</ref> about the contested [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 presidential election]] in Florida.<ref name=laramie>{{cite web | last= Roten | first= Robert | title= Laramie Movie Review: Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election | publisher= Laramie Movie Review | date= October 27, 2004 | url=http://www.lariat.org/atthemovies/new/flavote.html | accessdate= }}</ref> |
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It was re-released in an extended 56-minute<ref name=billsmedia>{{cite web | last= | first= | title= Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election: Another Civics Lesson from Greenwald; Did the US Experience a Coup? | publisher= Bills Media Reviews | date= February 11, 2014| url= http://billsmediareviews.com/?p=134| accessdate= }}</ref> ''2004 Campaign Edition'' presented by [[Danny Glover]] to tie in with the [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004 US presidential election]].<ref name=rhetoric>{{cite book | last1 = Benson | first1= Thomas | last2= Snee | first2= Brian | title= The Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary | publisher= Southern Illinois University | date= 2008 | url= | accessdate= }}</ref> |
It was re-released in an extended 56-minute<ref name=billsmedia>{{cite web | last= | first= | title= Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election: Another Civics Lesson from Greenwald; Did the US Experience a Coup? | publisher= Bills Media Reviews | date= February 11, 2014| url= http://billsmediareviews.com/?p=134| accessdate= }}</ref> ''2004 Campaign Edition'' presented by [[Danny Glover]] to tie in with the [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004 US presidential election]].<ref name=rhetoric>{{cite book | last1 = Benson | first1= Thomas | last2= Snee | first2= Brian | title= The Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary | publisher= Southern Illinois University | date= 2008 | url= | accessdate= }}</ref> |
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Revision as of 03:24, 9 December 2017
| Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Richard Ray Pérez Joan Sekler |
| Written by | William Haugse Richard Ray Pérez Joan Sekler |
| Produced by | Richard Ray Pérez Joan Sekler |
| Starring | Danny Glover (2004) |
| Narrated by | Peter Coyote |
| Cinematography | Richard Ray Pérez |
| Edited by | William Haugse Matthew Martin |
| Music by | Bobby Johnston |
| Distributed by | Shout! Factory |
Release date | September 17, 2002 (U.S. premiere) |
Running time | 47 min. (2002) 57 min. (2004) |
| Language | English |
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election is a 2002 47-minute documentary directed and co-written by Richard Ray Pérez and Joan Sekler,[1] and narrated by Peter Coyote,[2] about the contested 2000 presidential election in Florida.[3]
It was re-released in an extended 56-minute[4] 2004 Campaign Edition presented by Danny Glover to tie in with the 2004 US presidential election.[5]
A Public Interest Pictures Film, it was co-executive produced by Robert Greenwald and Earl Katz..[1] Greenwald later made this the first of his "Un-Trilogy", which also includes Uncovered: The War on Iraq and Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties.[6]
Synopsis
Unprecedented chronicles irregularities in the 2000 US presidential election in the swing state of Florida.[3]
The film begins with claims that African Americans and other likely Democratic voters were disenfranchised by a resurrected 1868 law that prevented felons from voting. [7] This law was originally intended to keep blacks from the polls, in the wake of the Civil War.[8] In 2000, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris used the original law to create a computerized list of supposed ex-cons. The list had the vaguest parameters, and included as many as 57,000 to 91,000 non-felons, who were overwhelmingly people of color.[5] On election day, these people were turned away at the polls.[4] Since 90% of African Americans vote Democratic, this effectively reduced the number of votes for Democratic candidate Al Gore.[5]
Unprecedented also examines the Florida recount and the hanging chad controversy.[4] It faults Gore for demanding a recount of only certain counties, instead of the whole state;[2] and also presents evidence that the Republican Party paid staffers to create a disturbance and end the recount prematurely.[7]
The film then takes aim at the December 2000 Supreme Court decision that gave George W. Bush the presidency.[4] The film documents conflicts of interest that should have resulted in the recusal of two of the SCOTUS justices.[7]
Finally, it explores the problems with electronic voting machines.[5] It argues that the companies that make these machines do not allow audits of the machines (allegedly because of copyright and trademark issues), which leaves them wide open for fraud.[4] The machines also do not give paper receipts, so there is no physical evidence in case of the need for a recount.[7]
Distribution
In the festival circuit, the film won eleven awards, including the Grand Festival award at the Berkley Film and Video Festival; the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, and the Director's Award at the New York International Film Festival.[5] It enjoyed a limited theatrical release[8] and was broadcast internationally on cable.[9] The DVD sold extremely well on Amazon.com, coming in at 68 on their 2004 sales rank.[8] Liberal advocacy group MoveOn sold 25,000 copies in three days.[10] Unprecedented was also viewed at screenings in homes and communities across the country, and was available streaming on the Internet.[10]
This multi-tiered distribution model was revolutionary at the time. Executive Producer Robert Greenwald called it a "breakthrough", and has honed it in his subsequent films.[10]
Unprecedented is said to have "jumpstarted" Greenwald's documentary filmmaking career.[8]
After this film, Sekler went on to produce Unconvention: A Mix-Tape from St. Paul, RNC '08, a documentary about the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
See also
- Bush Family Fortunes (2004)
- Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
References
- ^ a b Klein, Andy (November 24, 2002). "Review:'Unprecedented the 2000 Presidential Election'". Unprecedented.
- ^ a b Rosenbaum, Jonothan. "Unpredented: The 2000 Presidential Election". The Chicago Reader.
- ^ a b Roten, Robert (October 27, 2004). "Laramie Movie Review: Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election". Laramie Movie Review.
- ^ a b c d e "Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election: Another Civics Lesson from Greenwald; Did the US Experience a Coup?". Bills Media Reviews. February 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Benson, Thomas; Snee, Brian (2008). The Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary. Southern Illinois University.
- ^ Nichols, John (September 16, 2004). "Filmmaker Takes Fox News to Task". Capital Times.
- ^ a b c d Burr, Ty (October 31, 2003). "Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election". Boston Globe.
- ^ a b c d Rampell, Ed (2005). Progressive Hollywood. The Disinformation Company Ltd.
- ^ . Unprecedented.org http://www.unprecedented.org/UnprecedentedBroadcast.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b c Thompson, Rustin (September 23, 2004). "Robert Greenwald". MovieMaker.