The Latest
jun242013
It has been just over a month since The Ghost Army premiered on PBS, the culmination of years of effort by so many people. The dust is finally starting to settle, here's the latest:
Response
The critical response to the documentary was amazing. The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, TV Guide, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Boston Globe were among the outlets that published enthusiastic reviews. The film did very well in the ratings, and viewer response was overwhelming. Here is a small sample:
All of which should make everyone of you who supported or worked on the film very, very proud.
Home Video
The film is now on home video, and there are lots of ways to buy /rent it/download it. Here are just a few:
Amazon
Amazon Instant Video
iTunes
Netflix
Shoppbs.org
Pushing the Donate Button
Since the film is complete, you might wonder why we sill have a big red donate button on ghostarmy.org.
The answer is that there remains a lot to do to fully tell this story, and we can definitely still use your support. Ongoing efforts include:
• Doing additional research into unexplored aspects of the story
• Creating a more robust website with richer content
• Adding new materials to the Ghost Army archives from families that have reached out to us since the broadcast
• Producing a short film (to go with the museum exhibit) about how/where dummy tanks were manufactured,
• Adding to the museum exhibit, and finding more venues to book it
• Set up screenings in the US and abroad
Contributions are tax deductible, and greatly appreciated.
Tour
We are considering conducting a Ghost Army tour in the fall of 2014, and are now trying to gauge how many people might be interested in going. It would probably be a two week trip in all, visiting England (Walton Hall, where the Ghost Army bivouacked, is now a hotel), Normandy, Paris, Luxembourg (and nearby Bettembourg,) Bastogne, Trier and possibly a few other locations.) We would visit sites involved in The Ghost Army story, as well as other WWII museums and sites. If you have any interest in going, please send an email to event@ghotarmy.org.
Exhibits
The Ghost Army art exhibit in Nyack is now finished after two months. But our traveling museum exhibit is currently on display at The Highground Veterans Park in Neillsville WI, where it will be through the end of July and into August. In November it will be going up at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, RI. Woonsocket has a great connection to the story because some of the dummies were manufactured there.
We are also in discussions about bringing the film and some version of the exhibit to Europe in the fall, more about that as it develops.
Many people have been asking what Rick Beyer's next project is. His response: "I am still immersed in The Ghost Army, but I am taking some time this summer to think about what comes next. I’m not ready leap into another big project right away, but when I am, you can be sure you will be the first to know about it!"
Response
The critical response to the documentary was amazing. The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, TV Guide, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Boston Globe were among the outlets that published enthusiastic reviews. The film did very well in the ratings, and viewer response was overwhelming. Here is a small sample:
“The juxtaposition of actual places with the drawings done by the soldiers was heart stopping.”
“It was a spell-binding piece of work.”
“ That was the best thing we've seen in a long time.”
“Thank you again for putting it on the air and I gather that it is going to be on the air again tomorrow which will give me time to try and notify as many people as I can to watch it.”
“One of the best and most informative shows I have ever watched.”
“We were completely bowled over!”
All of which should make everyone of you who supported or worked on the film very, very proud.
Home Video
The film is now on home video, and there are lots of ways to buy /rent it/download it. Here are just a few:
Amazon
Amazon Instant Video
iTunes
Netflix
Shoppbs.org
Pushing the Donate Button
Since the film is complete, you might wonder why we sill have a big red donate button on ghostarmy.org.
The answer is that there remains a lot to do to fully tell this story, and we can definitely still use your support. Ongoing efforts include:
• Doing additional research into unexplored aspects of the story
• Creating a more robust website with richer content
• Adding new materials to the Ghost Army archives from families that have reached out to us since the broadcast
• Producing a short film (to go with the museum exhibit) about how/where dummy tanks were manufactured,
• Adding to the museum exhibit, and finding more venues to book it
• Set up screenings in the US and abroad
Contributions are tax deductible, and greatly appreciated.
Tour
We are considering conducting a Ghost Army tour in the fall of 2014, and are now trying to gauge how many people might be interested in going. It would probably be a two week trip in all, visiting England (Walton Hall, where the Ghost Army bivouacked, is now a hotel), Normandy, Paris, Luxembourg (and nearby Bettembourg,) Bastogne, Trier and possibly a few other locations.) We would visit sites involved in The Ghost Army story, as well as other WWII museums and sites. If you have any interest in going, please send an email to event@ghotarmy.org.
Exhibits
The Ghost Army art exhibit in Nyack is now finished after two months. But our traveling museum exhibit is currently on display at The Highground Veterans Park in Neillsville WI, where it will be through the end of July and into August. In November it will be going up at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, RI. Woonsocket has a great connection to the story because some of the dummies were manufactured there.
We are also in discussions about bringing the film and some version of the exhibit to Europe in the fall, more about that as it develops.
Many people have been asking what Rick Beyer's next project is. His response: "I am still immersed in The Ghost Army, but I am taking some time this summer to think about what comes next. I’m not ready leap into another big project right away, but when I am, you can be sure you will be the first to know about it!"
