Academy award-nominated documentary director Deborah Dickson presents the PBS American Masters production The Education of Gore Vidal, a profile of the life and work of the satirical novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into wealth and raised to be a politician, Vidal has preferred to criticize American culture and politics from his seaside home in Ravello, Italy, where he has lived for 30 years. He returns to the States for a Broadway revival production of his play The Best Man, as well as a book tour for the final entry in his American Chronicle series, The Golden Age. Passages from his novels are read by actors Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins, with Vidal himself offering commentary as well. Interviews, movie clips, and archive footage shed some light on his work. The Education of Gore Vidal was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the documentary competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
by Andrea LeVasseur
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