Reviews of two related films: FLIGHT and Bill W

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FLIGHT--BILL W—rigorous honesty. Two films side by side

FLIGHT starring Denzell Washington is the 2012 cinematic story of a contemporary alcoholic-addict whose line of work as an airline pilot had him spending lots of nights in hotels and motels.

BILL W starring at times Bill Wilson himself, at other times little known Blake Evans as Bill Wilson as a young man, is the 2012 cinematic story of a 1930s alcoholic-addict whose line of work, researching investment possibilities around the country, also had him spending lots of nights in hotels.  Commercial flying and motels weren’t common yet.

In my opinion, FLIGHT gives us the story of airline Captain “Whip” Whitaker with rigorous honesty.  By contrast, BILL W tells the story of the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous with far less than rigorous honesty.

The term rigorous honesty comes straight from AA literature and makes a great tool for reviewing these two films about alcohol and drug addiction.  Rigorous honesty is perhaps best defined as “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” 

Let’s take a look at how honestly these recent films deal with six important parts of life:  alcohol, drugs, sex, gender, religion and race.

Alcohol and drugs.  Regarding alcohol and drugs or intoxicants in general, historical investigations have shown us for several decades now, that both Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith did lots of barbiturates along with their drinking.  Bill W even carried “goof balls” around with him while sobering up Dr. Bob.  Way back in the 1930s Dr. Bob was honest enough to tell us he was obsessed with two fears: one, that he would run out of booze; and two, that he would never fall asleep.  BILL W mentions barbiturates and LSD briefly, but in so doing, suggest they are not essentially related to alcoholism.  FLIGHT by contrast, shows us so much about alcohol and drugs, many younger people new to recovery have difficulty watching the film without being triggered.  Said differently, FLIGHT tells more of the truth than BILL W.

Regarding sex, BILL W never even hints that Bill Wilson was having lots of sex in those hotel rooms he inhabited while he was researching for Wall Street investors.  Even worse, BILL W leads us to believe he did all his drinking exclusively in the company of men.  BILL W even “recreates” one of Wilson’s last benders, a three day one in a cheap Manhattan hotel room, as though there was nothing in that room but Bill and booze.  Now why would a New York married man, chronically broke and famous for womanizing even in sobriety, be renting a cheap hotel room in downtown Manhattan?  Probably not to be a hermit! The film BILL W airbrushes the sex out of Bill Wilson’s story as did Bill Wilson himself.  Not surprising.  Times were different and Lois Wilson was often in the audience.  Nonetheless, BILL W suffers by telling us less than the whole truth.  Some guess those omissions led to long bouts of depression for Wilson.  FLIGHT by contrast, shows us how a traveling lifestyle leads to alcohol, drugs and lots of sex.  FLIGHT tells the whole truth.  Like most people, I like hot sex in my movies.

Regarding women, there are no women alcoholics in BILL W.  The wives of alcoholic men do appear, mostly to wring their hands.  BILL W is a documentary about married white middle-class men.  By contrast, FLIGHT fleshes out the stories of both a male and a female alcoholic-addict.  It gives us a little insight into the addiction of one of Captain Cocaine’s female trysts.  The women in FLIGHT are real, important.  They too are protagonists.  In this, FLIGHT is truer to life today.  Bill W is of another age, pre-suffrage.

Regarding religion, BILL W, filmed for 2012 audiences, assumes those audiences will buy a 1930s religious sensitivity without gagging.  For example, BILL W, an historical documentary, recreates Bill Wilson’s “white light” spiritual experience by treating us thru camera trickery to  bright light, clouds, and blowing wind literally filling Bill’s hospital room.  This skeptic guesses all that stuff happened only inside Bill’s drugged up head. Hospitalization back then was about medical detoxification.  Lots of drugs were used: Belladonna, paraldehyde syrup, various goof balls.  Camera trickery of this sort is not honesty.  It’s a bit more than the real truth. 

By contrast, FLIGHT handles the issue of belief systems and recovery with honest skepticism.  My favorite scene in FLIGHT is where Captain Whitaker meets with his co-pilot and with his co-pilots wife in the hospital room.  The co-pilot is laid up in splints and traction devices.  Medical dripbags hang from stands in the background.  Both the co-pilot and his wife are ardent Born Again Christians.  Mr. and Mrs. Co-Pilot and Captain Cocaine kneel in prayer right there in the hospital room. Denzell Washington’s face mutates subtly but he does not quite roll his eyes.  Oscar winning, magical realism here!  This scene merits viewing more than once.  FLIGHT invites the audience to like the young couple while our jaws drop at their religious innocence

Regarding race, FLIGHT handles race issues with sheer genius. This is of course  a Denzell Washington trademark.  The protagonist is a black male.  His sexual liaisons are tri-racial.  His lawyer is black, and very competent.  This lawyer is even slightly familiar with the cocaine scene.  Captain Cocaine’s union representative is a drug clueless middle-aged, married white male and clueless about drugs.  (FLIGHT does not make being clueless about drugs look like a virtue.  How true!)  On racial issues, FLIGHT soars.  The truths here will perhaps make this movie a classic.  BILL W by contrast, is a film almost exclusively about married white males.  Not surprising considering AA’s early history.

So what’s the point?

So what morals do these two films propagandize?  FLIGHT says clearly to the alcoholic addict: The truth will set you free. BILL W says confusedly: Self-knowledge (truth?) will avail you nothing against addiction.  You need God’s help.

The good thing about FLIGHT’s  theory is that it works whether God exists or not.  The problem with BILL W’s theory is that if God does not exist, all is lost.

If today, I had to offer a newcomer to sobriety a copy of FLIGHT or a copy of BILL W, I think I’d give FLIGHT.  BILL W is a 1930s censored look at men and alcoholism.  FLIGHT is a more honest look at life, people and addiction in 2012.  Bottom line, FLIGHT is a must see film anyone in recovery today.  Do not miss Captain Cocaine praying with the Born Agains.  Praise Jesus!

****Five Stars.  No reservations.

Tim C.

November 24, 2012

Houston TX

 Sober date: August 25, 1973

FLIGHT and BILL W: Two films side by side with rigorous honesty.

FLIGHT starring Denzell Washington is the 2012 cinematic story of a contemporary alcoholic-addict whose line of work as an airline pilot had him spending lots of nights in hotels and motels.

BILL W starring at times Bill Wilson himself, at other times little known Blake Evans as Bill Wilson as a young man,  is the 2012 cinematic story of a 1930s alcoholic-addict whose line of work, researching investment possibilities around the country, also had him spending lots of nights in hotels.  Commercial flying and motels weren’t common yet.

In my opinion, FLIGHT gives us the story of airline Captain “Whip” Whitaker with rigorous honesty.  By contrast, BILL W tells the story of the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous with far less than rigorous honesty.

The term rigorous honesty comes straight from AA literature and makes a great tool for reviewing these two films about alcohol and drug addiction.  Rigorous honesty is perhaps best defined as “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” 

Let’s take a look at how honestly these recent films deal with six important parts of life:  alcohol, drugs, sex, gender, religion and race.

Alcohol and drugs.  Regarding alcohol and drugs or intoxicants in general, historical investigations have shown us for several decades now, that both Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith did lots of barbiturates along with their drinking.  Bill W even carried “goof balls” around with him while sobering up Dr. Bob.  Way back in the 1930s Dr. Bob was honest enough to tell us he was obsessed with two fears: one, that he would run out of booze; and two, that he would never fall asleep.  BILL W mentions barbiturates and LSD briefly, but in so doing, suggest they are not essentially related to alcoholism.  FLIGHT by contrast, shows us so much about alcohol and drugs, many younger people new to recovery have difficulty watching the film without being triggered.  Said differently, FLIGHT tells more of the truth than BILL W.

Regarding sex, BILL W never even hints that Bill Wilson was having lots of sex in those hotel rooms he inhabited while he was researching for Wall Street investors.  Even worse, BILL W leads us to believe he did all his drinking exclusively in the company of men.  BILL W even “recreates” one of Wilson’s last benders, a three day one in a cheap Manhattan hotel room, as though there was nothing in that room but Bill and booze.  Now why would a New York married man, chronically broke and famous for womanizing even in sobriety, be renting a cheap hotel room in downtown Manhattan?  Probably not to be a hermit! The film BILL W airbrushes the sex out of Bill Wilson’s story as did Bill Wilson himself.  Not surprising.  Times were different and Lois Wilson was often in the audience.  Nonetheless, BILL W suffers by telling us less than the whole truth.  Some guess those omissions led to long bouts of depression for Wilson.  FLIGHT by contrast, shows us how a traveling lifestyle leads to alcohol, drugs and lots of hot sex.  FLIGHT tells the whole truth.  Like most people, I like hot sex in my movies.

Regarding women, there are no women alcoholics in BILL W.  The wives of alcoholic men do appear, mostly to wring their hands.  BILL W is a documentary about married white middle-class men.  By contrast, FLIGHT fleshes out the stories of both a male and a female alcoholic-addict.  It gives us a little insight into the addiction of one of Captain Cocaine’s female trysts.  The women in FLIGHT are real, important.  They too are protagonists.  In this, FLIGHT is truer to life today.  Bill W is of another age, pre-suffrage.

Regarding religion, BILL W, filmed for 2012 audiences, assumes those audiences will buy a 1930s religious sensitivity without gagging.  For example, BILL W, an historical documentary, recreates Bill Wilson’s “white light” spiritual experience by treating us thru camera trickery,  to  bright light, clouds, and blowing wind literally filling Bill’s hospital room.  This skeptic guesses all that stuff happened only inside Bill’s drugged up head.  Camera trickery of this sort is not rigorous honesty. It's a little more than the truth.  By contrast, FLIGHT handles the issue of belief systems and recovery with honest skepticism.  My favorite scene in FLIGHT is where Captain Whitaker meets with his co-pilot and with his co-pilots wife in the hospital room.  The co-pilot is laid up in splints and traction devices.  Medical dripbags hang from stands in the background.  Both the co-pilot and his wife are ardent Born Again Christians.  Mr. and Mrs. Co-Pilot and Captain Cocaine kneel in prayer right there in the hospital room. Denzell Washington’s face mutates subtly but he does not quite roll his eyes.  Oscar winning, magical realism here!  This scene merits viewing more than once.  FLIGHT invites the audience to like the young couple while our jaws drop at their religious innocence

Regarding race, FLIGHT handles race issues with sheer genius. This is of course  a Denzell Washington trademark.  The protagonist is a black male.  His sexual liaisons are tri-racial.  His lawyer is black, and very competent.  This lawyer is even slightly familiar with the cocaine scene.  Captain Cocaine’s union representative is a drug clueless middle-aged, married white male and clueless about drugs.  (FLIGHT does not make being clueless about drugs look like a virtue.  How true!)  On racial issues, FLIGHT soars.  The truths here will perhaps make this movie a classic.  BILL W by contrast, is a film almost exclusively about married white males.  Not surprising considering AA’s early history.

So what’s the point?

So what morals do these two films propagandize?  FLIGHT says clearly to the alcoholic addict: The truth will set you free. 

BILL W says confusedly: Self-knowledge (truth?) will avail you nothing against addiction.  You need God’s help.

If today, I had to offer a newcomer to sobriety a copy of FLIGHT or a copy of BILL W, I think I’d give FLIGHT.  BILL W is a 1930s censored look at men and alcoholism.  FLIGHT is a more honest look at life, people and addiction in 2012.  Bottom line, FLIGHT is a must see film for live wires in recovery.  Do not miss Captain Cocaine praying with the Born Agains.  Praise Jesus!

****Five Stars.  No reservations.

Tim C.

November 24, 2012

Houston TX

Sober date: August 25, 1973

Review of Bill W documentary 2012

Bill W. film “documents” a modern day miracle

By Tim Campbell ©

September 14, 2012

Bill W., the documentary now showing in cinemas throughout the country, is a delightfully presented look at the story of William G. Wilson, the original public face of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

The documentary takes live recordings of the voice of Bill Wilson himself speaking and then synchronizes that tape with video of actors in period attire impersonating Wilson saying what’s actually heard on the tapes. No particular effort seems to have been made to lip-synch the passages and that is probably good.  The audience gets the impression it is seeing Wilson on film.  This makes for super easy viewing and listening, even for people with just a grade school education.  Hats off to directors Kevin Hanlon and Dan Carracino!

This is, however, a film that presents itself as an historical documentary.  Respected historian Ernest Kurtz comments on much of the story line in person on screen.  Kurtz is the author of Not God—A History of Alcoholics Anonymous. This work began as research for Kurtz’ doctoral dissertation.  It was published by Hazelden in 1979.

New York Post reviewer Ernest Hardy opines in a May 20, 2012 column “...the film is a bit disjointed.  Its elements never quite gel.  They do, however, serve up an engrossing portrait of a remarkable man who remained humble even as he became something of a revolutionary.”  I agree with Hardy on that and find in his words a springboard for my own assessment.

A documentary in which the drama never gels

I believe this documentary never gels like a finished drama because its directors chose not to tell the dark story behind Bill W.’s resignation as the public face of A.A.  In doing that, Hanlon and Carracino created a documentary which will be popular with the A.A. crowd, but which leaves a lot to be desired as unbiased history.

Behind Bill W.’s resignation as the number one guy in A.A. was a separate drama involving prudish members of A.A. who were scandalized by Bill W.'’ sex life, among other things.  Had the documentary told that part of the story, the drama would have gelled into the tragedy it really was.  However, it would have been more difficult to call Wilson “a remarkable man” had the documentary gone into that part of the story.  For my part, I think Bill W was a remarkable man in spite of the fact that the more prudish in A.A. pushed him out.

Wilson gave Dr. Bob a goof ball the day A.A. calls its birthday and requested liquor for pain relief on his deathbed

On the positive side, Hanlon and Carracino’s documentary taught me two things I did not yet know.  First, that Bill W. gave Dr. Bob both a bottle of beer and a “goof-ball” on June 10, 1935.  That’s the day A.A. calls its birthday.  The bottle of beer is old news...recorded in Dr. Bob’s story in the Big Book. 

The “goof ball” was news to me.  My Merriam Webster defines a “goof ball” as slang for a barbiturate pill that entered our language ca. 1950.  Without being able to date the recording heard on screen, I assume Bill W. offered this piquant detail in comments shortly after Dr. Bob’s death in 1950.

Second, the documentary tells us that Bill W. asked for liquor to ease his pain as he lay dying (1971) from emphysema, an enormously painful death. Lois Wilson recorded that in her diaries.  She refused.  Bill retorted perhaps cruelly that her refusal proved the imperfect nature of their love or union of spirit.  For me, that’s where this tragedy hits operatic bottom.

To help the reader understand Lois’ refusal to give Bill W. the liquor, note that in the 1970s many recovery professionals claimed doctors were over-prescribing painkillers for alcoholics.  Consequently, some doctors reacted by being stingy with them. The documentary does not note whether Wilson’s doctors were giving him other painkillers at the time.  I left the Sundance Theater in Houston thinking, “I probably would have given Bill that liquor.”

Bill W’s “white light” experience

Perhaps the least rigorously historical scene in the documentary is the presentation of the night when Bill W. had his “white light” awakening.  The documentary presents him on a bed in Towns Hospital looking fully alert.  There is no mention of him being knocked out, on goof balls, Belladonna or paraldehyde hypnotic syrup.  These meds were used generously at Towns and elsewhere back then.  Nonetheless, for viewers who enjoy seeing miracles, the sequence works...without being Cecil B. DeMille stuff.

Bottom line?

Don’t miss this documentary if you have any interest in the history of alcoholism and addiction.  And don’t be surprised if soon we have another “documentary” telling the whole story, including how and why Wilson was ousted as the public face of A.A.  A tragic opera lurks just off stage in the story of Bill and Lois Wilson. I don’t think this drama will gel completely until that entire sad story is told.

For more details on that story, see Lois Wilson’s diaries and Francis Hartigan’s authoritative work Bill W.: A biography of the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Hartigan was Lois Wilson’s editorial consultant during her final years.  His work was published in the year 2000.