I went to see this film with no idea of what to expect, and it was only a coincidence that I went the day after Betty Krawczyk, a 78-year-old opponent of the Eagleridge Bluffs highway project, was sentenced to ten months in jail.

Krawczyk gets a lot of coverage in this film, as does Harriet Nahanee, a 71-year-old who died of pneumonia a month after serving a 14 day sentence for the same protest activity.

It would be a mistake to think that this film is about septuagenarians who stand in front of bulldozers, however. Burnaby Mayor (and former Chair of B.C. Transit) Derek Corrigan gets a lot of time in front of the camera, and my opinion of him has gone up as a result of seeing this film. There are also interviews with several other Vancouver-area mayors, including Pamela Goldsmith-Jones of West Vancouver, one of the most affluent municipalities in North America. Another person with a lot to say in this film is Sara MacIntyre of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an organization that normally takes the “what's good for business is good for business” attitude. Other interviewees include Chris Shaw, a fairly level-headed and long-term opponent of the 2010 Games, and lawyer David Eby of the Pivot Legal Society, who I interviewed for a recent article on this site, Another promise broken.

Conrad Schmidt, who directed, produced, and aimed one of the cameras in this film, obviously presents only one side of the controversies the film addresses, but he was also careful not to criticize competitive sport as a tool for increasing international friendship and understanding. Instead, he takes the entirely reasonable point of view that the Olympic Games has become too corporate, and the City of Vancouver, the B.C. government, and B.C. business interests are along for the ride. We can only hope that by drawing more attention to this, we might see a change in direction in future Olympic Games.

This film reminded me a bit of Michael Moore's first film, “Roger and Me”, and coming from me, that's high praise. One important difference, however, is that I have never been to Flint, Michigan; this film is about where I live. “Five Ring Circus” is an excellent example of what alternative media is capable of; focusing attention to subject matter that the media conglomerates would rather not talk about.

Now, to address an obvious question: if you're interesting in seeing this film, how can you go about doing it? Schmidt hasn't come up with enough money to press DVD's, but he's working on it; keep checking www.thefiveringcircus.com/ or here for availability. Schmidt is also eager to arrange screenings, so send an email to him at conrad AT ragtagproductions.com if you're interested in setting one up.

Also on this site: Eagleridge Bluffs update