Unfinished Symphony
Encyclopedia
Unfinished Symphony is a 59-minute documentary film about a protest against the Vietnam War
divided into three sections, mirroring the movements of Henryk Górecki
's Symphony No. 3, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, to which the film is set. Set primarily in Lexington
, Massachusetts
over Memorial Day
weekend in 1971, the film focuses on the three-day protest in the form of a march, staged by newly returned war veterans.
The film premiered in the Documentary Competition at the 2001 Sundance Festival and has screened extensively throughout the United States and in Europe.
The documentary examines a local conflict that reverberated nationally. Following the reverse path of Paul Revere
's famous ride of 1775, the protest mounted by war veterans focused on the deeply unpopular war. Nearly 400 veterans, some in wheelchairs, others leaning on crutches, arrived to take part in what they called Operation POW. Over the course of Memorial Day weekend, they marched, sang, distributed flyers, and participated in "guerilla theater," the dramatic reenactment of tactics used against the Vietnamese. All activities were peaceful. The group requested permits from each town along the route.
"Black-and-white filmed footage from the original march is interspersed with shots of the war and recent conversations with historian Howard Zinn
. At the protest, veterans voiced their feelings about the horrors they witnessed overseas just months before. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam?" asks a young, distraught veteran, John Kerry
(now a United States senator), at a congressional hearing to stop the war."
"In 1971, over 450 anti-war protesters occupied the historic Lexington Green and refused to leave. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War
had organized a three-day march from Concord
to Boston
— Paul Revere's route in reverse. According to Lexington's by-laws, no one was allowed on the Green after 10 pm, so the selectmen denied the protesters permission to camp there. With many townspeople supporting the veterans, an emergency town meeting was held. When no agreement was reached, the veterans and their Lexington supporters decided to remain on the Green. At 3 am on Sunday morning, they were all arrested - the largest mass arrest
in Massachusetts history. After being tried, convicted, and fined $5.00 each, they continued their march to Boston."http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=159
What happened on Battle Green prompted an intense debate about civic priorities and the rule of law. All of the selectmen who denied the veterans the permit were turned out of office at the next election.
In the early 1990s, a group of Lexington residents decided to collect oral histories from these events. The resulting interviews became the basis for Unfinished Symphony.
Bestor Cram has over twenty years of experience as a director, producer and cinematographer. He founded Northern Light Productions
in 1982, and has built it into a documentary production company producing works ranging from broadcast documentaries to historical, dramatic and educational media to Fortune 500
image pieces. As a cinematographer, Bestor has filmed and videotaped for all the major networks. The company has won awards for its work, and Bestor has won grants and prizes for his independent work. His independent film, Unfinished Symphony, premiered at Sundance in the Documentary Competition in 2001 and has won top honors at film festivals around the world. Bestor holds a BA in economics from Denison University, pursued graduate studies at the West Surrey College of Art and Design in Guildford, England, and has taught film at MIT, and the Maine Film & Television Workshops. He is a Vietnam Veteran.
This film (above) has no connection whatever with the film discussed on this page, Northern Light Productions' "Unfinished Symphony," a documentary, with which it apparently shares only a name.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
divided into three sections, mirroring the movements of Henryk Górecki
Henryk Górecki
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was a composer of contemporary classical music. He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice between 1955 and 1960. In 1968, he joined the faculty and rose to provost before resigning in 1979. Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during...
's Symphony No. 3, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, to which the film is set. Set primarily in Lexington
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
over Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend in 1971, the film focuses on the three-day protest in the form of a march, staged by newly returned war veterans.
The film premiered in the Documentary Competition at the 2001 Sundance Festival and has screened extensively throughout the United States and in Europe.
The documentary examines a local conflict that reverberated nationally. Following the reverse path of Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
's famous ride of 1775, the protest mounted by war veterans focused on the deeply unpopular war. Nearly 400 veterans, some in wheelchairs, others leaning on crutches, arrived to take part in what they called Operation POW. Over the course of Memorial Day weekend, they marched, sang, distributed flyers, and participated in "guerilla theater," the dramatic reenactment of tactics used against the Vietnamese. All activities were peaceful. The group requested permits from each town along the route.
"Black-and-white filmed footage from the original march is interspersed with shots of the war and recent conversations with historian Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
. At the protest, veterans voiced their feelings about the horrors they witnessed overseas just months before. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam?" asks a young, distraught veteran, John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
(now a United States senator), at a congressional hearing to stop the war."
"In 1971, over 450 anti-war protesters occupied the historic Lexington Green and refused to leave. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
had organized a three-day march from Concord
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
— Paul Revere's route in reverse. According to Lexington's by-laws, no one was allowed on the Green after 10 pm, so the selectmen denied the protesters permission to camp there. With many townspeople supporting the veterans, an emergency town meeting was held. When no agreement was reached, the veterans and their Lexington supporters decided to remain on the Green. At 3 am on Sunday morning, they were all arrested - the largest mass arrest
Mass arrest
A mass arrest occurs when the police apprehend large numbers of suspects at once. This sometimes occurs at illegal protests. Some mass arrests are also used in an effort combat gang activity. This is sometimes controversial, and lawsuits sometimes result...
in Massachusetts history. After being tried, convicted, and fined $5.00 each, they continued their march to Boston."http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=159
What happened on Battle Green prompted an intense debate about civic priorities and the rule of law. All of the selectmen who denied the veterans the permit were turned out of office at the next election.
In the early 1990s, a group of Lexington residents decided to collect oral histories from these events. The resulting interviews became the basis for Unfinished Symphony.
Bestor Cram has over twenty years of experience as a director, producer and cinematographer. He founded Northern Light Productions
Northern Light Productions
Northern Light Productions is a documentary film production company based in Boston, MA. Founded in 1982 by independent filmmaker Bestor Cram, the company is one of New England's premiere production organizations, creating a variety of work for museums, visitor centers, educational institutions,...
in 1982, and has built it into a documentary production company producing works ranging from broadcast documentaries to historical, dramatic and educational media to Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
image pieces. As a cinematographer, Bestor has filmed and videotaped for all the major networks. The company has won awards for its work, and Bestor has won grants and prizes for his independent work. His independent film, Unfinished Symphony, premiered at Sundance in the Documentary Competition in 2001 and has won top honors at film festivals around the world. Bestor holds a BA in economics from Denison University, pursued graduate studies at the West Surrey College of Art and Design in Guildford, England, and has taught film at MIT, and the Maine Film & Television Workshops. He is a Vietnam Veteran.
Films
- 1934: Unfinished Symphony (film)Unfinished Symphony (film)Unfinished Symphony is a 1934 British-Austrian musical drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Mártha Eggerth, Helen Chandler, Hans Jaray and Ronald Squire. The film is based on the story of Franz Schubert who, in the 1820s left his symphony unfinished after losing the love of his life....
by Willi ForstWilli ForstWilli Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer...
. Because of the great success of the German version of this topic, named Leise flehen meine Lieder (1933), this English version was made with nearly the same actors and staff, but in London studios.
This film (above) has no connection whatever with the film discussed on this page, Northern Light Productions' "Unfinished Symphony," a documentary, with which it apparently shares only a name.
Sources
- "Town Marks Anniversary of Mass Arrests," by Alice Hinkle, Lexington Minute-Man, May 23, 1991.
- Unfinished Symphony: Democracy and Dissent, a film by Northern Light Productions and the Lexington Oral History Project (2001).
- Unfinished Symphony by Jesse Ruskin in Mass Humanitites, Spring, 2001.
- "Vietnam Comes to Lexington: Memorial Day 1971" by Eugenia Kaledin in Against the Vietnam War: Writings by Activists, ed. by Mary Susannah Robbins, Syracuse University Press, 1999.