Remembering H. Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral

Remembering H. Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train

Howard Zinn, to use a cliché, walks the walk when it comes to social action -- and this is his story.

In this engrossing documentary, narrated by none other than Matt Damon, we get to track the making of a celebrated American committed to social justice. Zinn's record as an activist for peace, the poor, workers and the disenfranchised spans several decades. A professor of history after serving as a bombardier in World War II, he was a leader of the academic movement that tore down the walls of the ivory tower. History wasn't something to just be studied; it was something to be made.

Zinn is, in many ways, the anti-Bush. He is a man committed to those less fortunate and to peace because that is how he defines justice and community. Bush, on the other hand, is committed to helping the wealthier become wealthier, the poor become poorer, and to a world at war. Bush was born to a wealthy family of Episcopalian financiers and politicians and was only saved from obscurity by the luck of the privileged; Zinn pulled himself up by his bootstraps as the offspring of poor Jewish immigrants.

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Other Reviews

"It's an excellent introduction to a man whose thoughts on war, peace and dissent have become increasingly influential in ever more confusing times."

-- TV Guide's Movie Guide

"Mr. Zinn delivers a challenge when he says, 'To be neutral and to be passive is to collaborate with whatever is going on.' Democracy he defines as 'not just a counting-up of votes' but a 'counting-up of actions.'"
-- New York Times

"A solid introduction to Zinn's life and work, even if the result doesn't dig too deeply or present any real opposing viewpoints."
-- Oregonian

"'Compassion' is a word the man himself uses a lot, and it's what makes the film so invigorating. Ending the movie with eloquent words about how to live a hopeful life, he is 82 and he continues to fight for what he believes in."
-- St. Paul Pioneer Press

"An example of film editing at its finest: Ellis and Mueller combine archival footage, contemporary interviews, voice-over narration (by Matt Damon) based on Zinn's writing, and music with a skill that can only be borne of thoughtful contemplation."
-- Film Journal International

"The sparkle of Zinn, who as a liberal toiling for decades for the common man yet seeing so many of them continue to vote instead for the side that wishes them such ill might be expected to have become embittered, remains as bright and infectious as ever."
-- BoxOffice Magazine

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