Your thoughts on documentary “As Goes Janesville”
Have you seen the new documentary, “As Goes Janesville”? Blackhawk Technical College staffers and a select group of invited guests saw the 85-minute film Thursday morning at the college. If you saw it, do you think it treats our community fairly? What do you think about the politics that infiltrate the film?
Brad Lichtenstein spent several years filming workers and their families and local leaders since General Motors left Janesville and other companies closed, as well. The state's political divide over collective bargaining for public employees became a focal point in the documentary.
Because of its politics, not everyone was thrilled that Blackhawk Tech was showing the film. It seems to make sense, however, in that BTC is an educational institution and one of the three displaced workers the film chronicles attended the college for retraining as a medical laboratory technician and later found a job at Beloit Memorial Hospital.
A local showing for the general public is tentatively planned for Oct. 21 at Parker High School. A 53-minute version of the film will air on national public television Nov. 5, the day before the election.
We’ll share our perspectives on the film in our editorial Friday. News staffers also are preparing extensive coverage of this film for Friday's Gazette.
Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook
Aug 17, 2012 at 2:23 p.m.
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How could you ignore the politics?
Aug 17, 2012 at 10:52 a.m.
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He only kept. Interviews that only suited his propose, and only women. From what I have read I think he is a phony.
Aug 16, 2012 at 6:07 p.m.
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I saw it.
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I thought that while obviously biased, the movie provided good clean insight into both parties involved in the politics of the last 7 years.
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I am as conservative as they come and would still recommend this doccumentary to somebody who was unfamilliar with Janesville.
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The film really does not reveal anything that could be considered "new" to people that are local and in touch whith what is going on...
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The people profiled were tremendous and their stories compelling.... With two exceptions that were notable for being unrealistic in they were overdone (Walker evil... Cullin heroic)....But still I can live with it.
Aug 16, 2012 at 5:22 p.m.
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Now that Lichtenstein has been outed for his political bias, it colors the entire documentary, and can no longer be seen as objective.
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