THE MAN NOBODY KNEW – SLIFF Review

Upon the death of a parent a son or daughter will often spend hours and hours sifting through the deceased’s artifacts. Such is the case with Carl Colby, but with a couple of notable exceptions. His father William Colby was for many years the director of the CIA. And Carl has put together a documentary about him called THE MAN NOBODY KNEW : IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER, CIA SPYMASTER WILLIAM COLBY. The film serves as a look at a post WWII family and an overview of American foreign relations. As the film opens the camera pans over the contents of senior Colby’s top dresser drawer as the soundtrack plays various news reports about his mysterious disappearance while in a canoe. We’re then taken back to his entry into WWII as a paratrooper prior to volunteering for the OSS. This is illustrated with newsreel footage and personal family photos. With his slight build and spectacles, Colby seems to be an unlikely secret agent ( he’s looks like a cross between Wally Cox and Harold Lloyd ). At wars’ end he marries, starts a family, and begins his work overseas, first in Italy to prevent the country from going Communist. The photos and footage are quite startling pared up with comments from friends and historians. From there it was off to a very long stint in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, at the request of President Kennedy. After the US withdrawal we get to see and hear Colby as he testified about the agency’s activities before a Senate committee. He remains calm and cool as he’s relentlessly grilled by many different members of Congress. Colby’s refusal to stonewall them soon lead to his removal by President Ford, who replaced him with George H.W. Bush. Carl Colby includes many interviews with newsmakers from the time periods from newsman Daniel Shorr to Donald Rumsfeld. The viewer gets the impression that the film lead to a better understanding of his father for the film maker, but in many aspects William Colby remains an enigma. This documentary offers a unique perspective on our government’s hand in other countries politics while also telling the story of a man coming to terms with his family’s past.

Showtimes
Saturday, November 19th at 3:00pm – Webster University/Moore Auditorium