‘Suburban Fury’ Review: Sara Jane Moore, Who Tried to Assassinate President Ford, Gets Her Own Self-Centered, Radical-Chic Documentary

As a seasoned cinephile with a penchant for historical documentaries and a soft spot for complex characters, I must say that “Suburban Fury” has left quite an impression on me. The film masterfully delves into the enigmatic life of Sara Jane Moore, a woman who attempted to assassinate President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. What sets this documentary apart is its singular focus on Moore herself, and her unapologetic narrative weaves a captivating tale that’s as intricate as it is unsettling.

I entered “Suburban Fury,” a documentary centered on Sara Jane Moore, who attempted to assassinate President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. At the time, I didn’t know much about her or give much thought to that specific act of violence from the ’70s, which was quite prevalent, such as the Patty Hearst kidnapping, incidentally linked to Moore’s story. Moore, who appeared as an unlikely assassin, was a 45-year-old single mother, reminiscent of Maureen Stapleton. The documentary leaves us pondering the question: “Why did she do it?” (Excluding the possibility that mental illness might have played a significant role in her actions.) This question was particularly intriguing in Moore’s case. Remarkably, “Suburban Fury” provides a detailed answer to the motivation behind Moore’s notorious crime.

Throughout the entire movie, only Sara Jane Moore is interviewed, as per an agreement she made with filmmaker Robinson Devor – he promised not to include any other individuals on screen. At nearly 90 years old, Sara Jane Moore remains an engaging storyteller, radiating a warm and self-assured demeanor that belies her status as a calm narcissist. She spins tales of her life in such a way that they seem fresh and spontaneous, despite being told countless times before. Her memory can be erratic and inconsistent at times, yet when she unequivocally declares that she was never insane, she does so with such aristocratic indifference that it momentarily leaves one questioning the truth of her claim.

What made Moore attempt to assassinate President Ford on September 22, 1975, outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco? To grasp this act fully, you ought to be aware of her extraordinary past, a tale that unfolds in the film, presented in a non-linear manner as if it were a mysterious, intricate puzzle from an espionage thriller.

In this account, we delve into the life of Gloria Moore, born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1930, who often claimed, inaccurately, to be a Southern aristocrat. She was married and divorced five times, twice to the same man, and had four children, most of whom she left behind. Her life took a turn when she moved to Danville, California, just 40 minutes from San Francisco, where she became deeply involved in the Patty Hearst kidnapping case.

Moore’s desire to assassinate Ford emerged during the disillusioned and volatile 1970s, a period following Watergate, Vietnam, and the counterculture movement. The atmosphere was filled with despair, anger, and cynicism, much like a gloomy fog settling over everything. Here’s her rationale: When Ford took office after Nixon’s resignation, he chose New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller as his vice-president. This marked the first time we had an unelected president and vice-president in U.S. history. Rockefeller symbolized the wealthy WASP establishment, and his handling of the Attica prison uprising in 1971 was disastrous.

Throughout its journey, the documentary reveals the complex web of conflicts that surrounded Sara Jane Moore. At 19, in 1950, she experienced a sudden memory loss episode outside the White House, which is intriguing because it seems more indicative of her ability to fabricate identities rather than suffering from genuine memory problems, as she seemed to shed personalities like a snake sheds its skin. In her twenties, she studied acting under Lee Strasberg, and there are images of her in elegant attire, suggesting the elegance and potential for success that one might expect in Hollywood. Surprisingly, despite her ideological radicalization, she remained equally dedicated to her FBI work, writing detailed reports daily, much like a character torn between two diametrically opposed ideologies, reminiscent of Lee Harvey Oswald’s psychotic split personality, although this parallel is not explicitly drawn in the film.

After adding a few unexpected disasters to the story, two significant events occurred close in time to Moore’s attempted assassination of President Ford. Patty Hearst, who played a crucial role in Moore’s transformation, was arrested on September 14, 1975, only four days before Moore’s act. Similarly, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a former follower of Charles Manson who also attempted to assassinate President Ford, carried out her crime just 17 days prior to Moore’s attempt. It’s not explicitly suggested in the film, but it’s tempting to speculate that Moore may have been influenced by these events, potentially making his action a copycat crime.

In the vintage footage and interviews from the period surrounding the assassination attempt, I’ve noticed that Sara Jane Moore maintains an aristocratic and unrepentant demeanor. The unique setting of “Suburban Fury,” where she is interviewed in ironic period settings like a ’70s station wagon, gives her an air of a timeless, performative personality—someone who sought the limelight even amidst the shadows. However, what intrigued me about “Suburban Fury” was its narrow perspective focusing on Moore’s justification for her actions, which, at times, seemed to border on sympathizing with her defense of attempting to kill the president as a catalyst for social justice. Yet, one might argue that this sympathy could simply be a glimpse into madness from within.

2024-10-15 05:46

‘Suburban Fury’ Review: Sara Jane Moore, Who Tried to Assassinate President Ford, Gets Her Own Self-Centered, Radical-Chic Documentary

Read More

Minority Mindset