New Trump/golf documentary begins wide release
You know Donald Trump. You've already got an opinion on Donald Trump. And Donald Trump loves that you have that opinion, no matter what it might be.
Trump, as you probably know, is developing an enormous golf resort in Scotland, one which hasn't gone over well with a portion of the local populace. A new documentary, "You've Been Trumped," opening this weekend in Manhattan, focuses on Trump's development saga. And surely, it's an evenhanded, fair-minded look at the tycoon's development challenge, right? Take it away, New York Times:
"In this unabashedly hostile portrait of a billionaire developer in action as he embarks on a grandiose new project in Scotland, Mr. Trump comes across as an insensitive, lying bully who will do whatever it takes to realize his dream of creating what he promises will be the world's greatest golf resort."
Oh. Well, then. Anyway, this is the product of documentarian Anthony Baxter, who, as the Times review notes, is in the vein of Michael Moore and others who put a lens up to power ... and, often, get smacked down for it.
At issue is the $1.5 billion Scottish resort Trump is building in Aberdeen, a resort that will include a projected two golf courses, luxury hotel and surrounding villas. The documentary lays out the ugly development process involved, including threats of property seizure and ongoing boundary disputes.
"After the heavy machinery arrives and begins leveling the ground, the police and security guards block Mr. Baxter as he attempts to enter the area. He gives cameras to two of the villagers to film the day-by-day destruction of the dunes and the surrounding grassland," the Times review notes. "What they record is the transformation of part of an area that one environmentalist describes as a fragile and irreplaceable "mosaic of habitats" into a muddy building site. Mr. Trump publicly insists that he has the approval of most environmental groups. There are moments when the film's concern for the environment tilts toward sentimentality and even hysteria."
There are, of course, at least two sides to every story, and the Trump project does have the backing of many in Scotland. At present, a key element — the construction of wind farms in the ocean, which Trump says would disrupt the hotel's view — remains undecided. But the first course is open for business.
Here, via Shackelford, is the most recent trailer for the movie:
