AllMovie

In this documentary, avant-garde filmmaker Emile DeAntonio (1920-1989) discusses filmmaking with his friend, musician John Cage, but chiefly explores the myth and reality of the former Director of the F.B.I., J. Edgar Hoover. During his lifetime, Hoover was idolized as a paragon of decency and someone who unfailingly upheld quintessential American values. After his death, the story that was revealed was considerably darker and more complex. DeAntonio has a lot of harsh things to say about the man and the federal agency he led, and uses as examples his huge (and often silly) F.B.I. files, released under the Freedom Of Information Act. This was DeAntonio's last film.