RFK & Emilio
I''ve heard it before, of course, but I was moved again this morning after listening to this brief but very eloquent Robert F. Kennedy speech in which he announced the death of Martin Luther King, invoked the words of Aeschylus, and reminded his listeners how we all need to seek wisdom and restraint. Just as I was moved during the final minutes of Emilio Estevez's Bobby when Kennedy's speech about the lamentable violent traditions of this country is heard on the soundtrack.
I feel more or less the same things that Estevez has expressed in recent interviews about RFK, about what a terrible loss his death was and how it seemed to deflate the national spirit and send the country down the wrong path with the election of Nixon. But the RFK current isn't all that vivid in Bobby and vice versa. Not to me, it isn't....except during those final minutes. The film is a tribute to him, of course, and like I said in Toronto it's half tolerable, but....
Ethel Kennedy, the Senator's widow, issued a statement through the Weinstein Co., saying that "our family is grateful to Emilio Estevez and the extraordinary cast of Bobby for remembering Robert Kennedy's life and his commitment to social justice, peace and equality." Yeah, well...naturally.
The Aeschylus quote that Kennedy spoke that night, in the above-linked speech: "And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 7, 2006 at 8:58 AM
comment #1
Mr. Gittes
says ...
To do justice to Robert Kennedy. someone should do a biopic of him based on a Arthur Shlesinger book. I see Matt Damon as RFK.
Posted by Mr. Gittes
at October 7, 2006 11:56 AM
comment #2
Joshua Mooney
says ...
It always stuns me to hear that RFK speech-- not a formal speech at all, as it was extemporaneous. Kennedy heard that King had been shot as his campaign plane left Muncie, and learned that King had died when the plane touched down in Indianapolis, and from there he went directly to a previously arranged rally in front of a largely black audience on a cold, windy night, and he winged that five minutes of amazing oratory. No fucking notes, speechwriters, teleprompters. And sweet Jesus, that five minutes trumps the sum and total of any-and-everything that George W. Bush has ever said in his entire goddamn life. Gosh, that's not a "political opinion" is it? How can a fact be a "political opinion"?
Posted by Joshua Mooney
at October 7, 2006 10:32 PM
comment #3
LoKee
says ...
Yes. Wonderful speech honoring Dr. King. Except that Bobby Kennedy - as the US AG approved illegal wire taps on Dr. King. Basically, the same thing George Bush is doing. That was after helping his brother send the first troops into Vietnam. I wonder if any of that will be included in this Bobby movie.
Posted by LoKee
at October 9, 2006 9:03 PM