Cinema Society

BEDFORD: THE TOWN THEY LEFT BEHIND

Average
Rating

4

Monday, October 05, 2009, AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres, 5PM OR 7:30PM You Choose!

Invited Guest: Joe Fab, Director

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

5:00PM or 7:30pm (You Choose!)

BEFDORD: THE TOWN THEY LEFT BEHIND

Auditorium 4 Only!

Discussion will follow screenings

AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

From The creators of PAPER CLIPS

BEDFORD: THE TOWN THEY LEFT BEHIND

Like the young men in many small American towns during and after the Great Depression, the boys of Bedford, Virginia joined their local National Guard unit. They were paid one dollar for every weekend training session--a lot of money in 1941.

What they couldn’t have foreseen was that Japan would attack Pearl harbor and draw the United States--and their little Guard unit--into the war. Eventually, this guard unit would become the first to hit the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. An ocean away, their families gathered around radios listening for news. Soon a wave of telegrams arrived informing Bedford how great a sacrifice it had made: On June 6, 1944, that small community lost more men per capita than any other in America.

But Bedford’s service to the national continues. In 2004, for the first time since World War II, that same National Guard unit was called up again, this time to serve in Afghanistan. Soon after, it went to Iraq.

This powerful documentary is a moving cross-generational story of innocence and bravery, of love and loss, of duty, honor and the costs of war.

Produced and Directed by JOE AFB and Elliot Berlin, BEDFORD: THE TOWN THEY LEFT BEHIND is a production of The Johnson Group.

Running Time: 75 Minutes Not Rated

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE ON A MONDAY!

Send a Comment

8-Oct-09: M.Roe - Rating: 4

I really appreciate seeing films on this subject and the many various ways and perspectives that previous filmmakers have brought to us. I am a firm believer that film is an important medium to keep these types of stories/history alive and safe and never far from our memories. Though I am not a history buff and would not be the right person to judge the inaccuracies of this film, I do recall that the Director said that though he was aware of details he left out in this film he was focused on depicting the perspective of the men from Bedford therefore since they were so naive and often kept in the dark they wouldn't have known the goings on all around them and unlike today, as a current member of the military said in the film, they now know and their families knows about things much faster due to the internet and news. I would like to support the English Vicker that "how we live our lives now will determine whether the soldiers died in vain".

6-Oct-09: Georgi Bohrod Gordon - Rating: 3

The most poignant part of the film was final scene with the plane taking off to who knows where and to what end...therein lies the pain. In the not knowing. Joe Fab was a wonderfully engaging soul and I certainly appreciate his commitment to stories that are born in his neck of the woods.

6-Oct-09: jh - Rating: 3

I liked how Joe Fab used the "cardboard cutout" technique in setting up scenes with pictures of the townspeople. Overall, BEDFORD didn't deliver the emotional impact I expected.

6-Oct-09: Martha Protzman - Rating: 5

I thought it beautifully portrayed the many different feelings of war, love and the warmth of the small town of Bedford. It reminded some of us not born at that time the value of the $1 in that era of time. Loved hearing his comments at the end of the movie. It was interesting that in this type of movie they learn as they make the movie. Great personality! Look forward to return sequel of Paper Clips and Grundy!

6-Oct-09: pb - Rating: 5

Incredible film. It perfectly conveyed the myriad of feelings about war. Early on when I realized the women speaking had lost loved ones whom they had only known for a short time, I could feel their pain each time they spoke. How can it be happening again? Did they die in vain? We are left with so many questions. I don't think anyone left the theater during the credits. A sensitive, beautiful, disturbing film.