
Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry
2004

2021
TV-14Director
Chris Stearns
Runtime
125 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetSynopsis
Benedict Arnold is not the villain of American history most people were taught to believe. New facts and never before presented material illuminate his heroic contributions to the American Revolution and explains his later change of allegiance.
Overall Score
Fair
Category Breakdown
LGBTQ+ Representation
The film focuses strictly on the biographical and military history of the American Revolution. There is no evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or narratives exploring non-heteronormative identities.
Gender Representation
The narrative reflects 18th-century gender hierarchies centered on a male military figure. It lacks specific details regarding female contributors or the subversion of patriarchal structures.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
The documentary emphasizes Arnold's personal arc rather than a broad spectrum of actors. However, its use of new facts may offer a more nuanced view of diverse participants than standard textbooks.
Religious & Cultural Diversity
The film challenges established Western historical narratives by deconstructing the singular 'villain' archetype. This approach engages in historical relativism to disrupt traditional, moralistic national myths.
Disability Representation
There is no mention of historical figures or characters portrayed through the lens of physical or neurodivergent disability.
Strengths
Areas for Improvement
AI Analysis
Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed functions as a work of historical revisionism rather than a study in intersectional identity. Its primary value lies in disrupting monolithic, institutional storytelling by questioning the 'official' history of the American Revolution. The film opts for a complex, situational understanding of character and allegiance. While it does not prioritize demographic representation, it succeeds in deconstructing conventional historical hierarchies and moral absolutes. Ultimately, the documentary's strength is its intellectual challenge to established national myths rather than its inclusion of diverse social identities.

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