PBS has put online — and it may only be up for a short while — their American Masters spotlight on Gore Vidal. I have somewhat mixed feelings about Mr. Vidal. I liked his essays and non-fiction writing once upon a time though I never warmed to his "historical novels." Those were the ones in which he felt free to fictionalize large chunks of America's past and to argue in non-specifics that he was getting closer to What Really Happened than any author who foolishly insisted on sticking to what was actually known. And maybe on some pages, Vidal managed that but I never knew which pages and I don't think he did, either.
I enjoyed his lectures and TV appearances for a while. He was witty, articulate and almost impossible for anyone to argue with even when he was dead wrong. It seemed to me that in his last decade or so on this planet, he was wrong an awful lot. I'm not sure if he knee-jerk believed the most outrageous view of something was always the one that was correct…or he just thought it was the one that brought him attention and fit his aging curmudgeon role. My suspicion is that he didn't know the difference…or care.
This documentary steered clear of some of the nuttier remarks against those he thought threatened his caste and heritage so it may not be an accurate portrait of Vidal to his dying day. But up to a point, it's quite good. If you want to watch, watch soon since like I said, it may not be online for long…
