Honest Work: An Interview With Independent Filmmaker and Buffalo Native James Dirschberger

Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer, is an independently produced documentary six years in the making, which will be premiering in Buffalo this Friday, January 7th.  The film tells the story of R. Budd Dwyer, the storied Pennsylvania politician who shot and killed himself at a live press conference in 1987 after being convicted of bribery.  The now-infamous footage of Dwyer's suicide can be found with a simple internet search, and his controversial last choice has sparked an ethical avalanche regarding the media's responsibility to broadcast disturbing imagery.  We recently met with director James Dirschberger, a native to the Buffalo area,  to find out what drew him to Budd's story, and what challenges he faced in creating his first independent documentary...

Interview conducted by: Sarah Ruth Offhaus

Image courtesy of:  dwyermovie.com

How did you find out about Budd Dwyer's story?

I found out about Budd like a lot of people find out about him...I saw the video of his suicide.  Because, unfortunately, that was the only source of information available.  It's gotten a bit better, but at the time I saw it back in 2002, before Wikipedia, there was only the video.  It's violent, it's eerie, graphic...but beyond that, it just left me with so many questions, and that's what really shook me up and started me on the path of doing research, and ultimately making the film.

You worked with two authors, Lorraine Yuhasz and William Keisling.  Aside from the books they had written, was there any other available literature on Dwyer?

No, and one of the books was actually out of print at the time.  Lorraine wrote a book called The Dwyer Case, and that's the first one I read.  She was kind of a gatekeeper to the Dwyer family as well...I thought it was a good place to start.  I read her book, and another by Will Keisling called Sins of Our Fathers...both are fantastic books.  I didn't know where to start with a story like this, so the books were a great foundation to start on.

You began working on this documentary several years ago, and you've funded it independently.  What were some of the biggest challenges in doing this yourself?

Well, money is really the oil that drives the machine in terms of the film business.  I made this film on layaway, which is primarily why it took so long to get through it...I spent about ten to fifteen thousand on the film, over the course of five or six years.  If I'd had all that up front, it probably would've taken two years.  Collectively, I spent two years, but because I was doing it in such small increments, it took six years.  One of the biggest challenges was getting enough money to get to the next checkpoint, through the next couple of interviews, or buying a plane ticket to go one place, and then to fly back and shoot another interview...

Another challenge, surprisingly, was getting people to talk.  There was the mix of people that came forward and wanted to talk, and those that didn't want to speak.  It was really shocking, because the family had actually recommended people to me,  they'd say "This guy was a pallbearer, he'll totally want to talk.   He was a great friend, call him!"   And I'd call and they wouldn't return my calls or letters, or emails, or anything.  And then you have people like William Smith who testified against Budd Dwyer, who was the easiest interview to get!  I called him up, and he was like "Sure, come on down, let's do it!" and he really wanted to talk!  But I slowly realized that a lot of people that were close had moved on...after 23, 24 years, they're not exactly anxious or excited to sit down in front of cameras and relive the worst chapter of their life.  After I realized that, it became easier.  Getting people to talk, especially about something so sensitive after so much time has passed, that was really difficult.

You made the film at a serendipitous time, where many key players in Budd's story were willing and able to meet with you.  Budd's wife, Joanne, as well as others involved, have since passed away...

Yeah, I think it worked out really well, because a lot of these people, like Lorraine (Yuhasz), she's in her 90's, and is now mostly bound to her home...Vince (Yakowicz, head legal advisor for the Treasury Dept. during Budd's career) is gone, Joanne is gone, Smith is back in jail.  Sometimes I wish I were a little older.  People like Bill Keisling, he wrote his book right after it happened, around 1989.  He got access to all of these other people, people when it was still fresh in their minds.  Waiting twenty-something years has definitely had its advantages, but I still feel there's a lot more to be said.

The film ties in a lot of different messages...issues of ethics in politics, campaign funding, community issues and a community's reaction to Budd's suicide, as well as general media reaction.  What do you hope is the biggest message that someone is left with after watching this?

Hopefully, the takeaway is that they understand a little about Budd.  First and foremost, if you had to look at this film in only one light, maybe it would be strictly biography.  Here's a man who is very misunderstood, and the information about his life is lacking.  There's just not enough of it out there.  Going back to that experience I had when I first saw the video, it's like, if there's someone like me who happens to sit down and see it, they're just like "Oh my God, who is this guy?  What happened to him! I want to know!"  Now there's my movie.  There's a new source of information.  You can hear it from the people that lived it, that worked with him, that loved him, that hated him in some cases.  Hopefully that will answer the majority of people's questions, or give his final act a little more context.

Proceeds from this Buffalo screening will be donated to the R. Budd Dwyer Scholarship.  Tell me more about this.

A friend of the Dwyer family set up a scholarship in Budd's name.  It's for anyone...students, adults, whoever, from Budd's home region of the Blooming Valley area in Pennsylvania.  It allows them to go back to school and have the same life-changing experiences that Budd had as a student and younger man.  He visited Poland, and it kind of defined his world view.  Communism, the bread lines, food shortages...people don't always have it as good as we do, and we need to preserve this and try to spread joy.  It's a great scholarship, and it gives people the same opportunity to go out and see the world, and better themselves through higher education.  They've sent adults through vocational training and certifications...if we can sell this showing out, we can hopefully give them a sizable donation, which is my goal.

Your film presents Budd Dwyer as a bit of an everyman, unpretentious and able to relate to all classes.  Do you think your upbringing in the Buffalo area (a place that, for me, is similarly down-to-earth), could have influenced you to feel a little more connected to Dwyer as a person?

Totally, it's like he had the very classic "rags to riches" American dream kind of story.  He wasn't wealthy and rich and famous, or anything like that.  But he came from a farm town.  He grew up on a farm, he worked hard, put himself through school and devoted time to his family and going to church, and to his country.  He made something of himself.  And he did a great job, and he did great things for the State of Pennsylvania and those who worked around him.  No matter who you are, there's something that's inspiring about that.  And certainly, being from Buffalo, I think there's a lot of that here too, maybe more than we give credit for.  People who get up every day and do their best, no matter what that is.  Maybe this story resonated a bit more than if I were from New York City or San Francisco...

There will be a one-time screening of Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer on Friday, January 7th, at 7:00pm, at The Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, 639 Main St. in Buffalo.  Tickets will be on sale at the door for a suggested donation of $8, all proceeds will go toward the R. Budd Dwyer Scholarship.

For more information and to view the trailer, visit dwyermovie.com.