Burt Petrone was born in New York State in the year 1921. He was born with developmental disabilities.

In the year 2001, at the age of 79, Burt agreed to sit in front of a camera with his wife Barbara and talk about his life. He gives a chronological history of his life and times beginning in 1936 when he was 15 years old. He has an incredible memory for dates and gives many specific dates as he tells his story. In the telling of his life story, Burt combines historical events such as the first man on the moon and the John F. Kennedy assassination with personal events like getting punched in the eye and a visit by his sister.

Burt’s monologue also gives insights into how people with mental retardation were treated in the United States from the 1930’s through to the present time. He survived living in large institutions, from the 30’s through the 60’s, where he was treated terribly. Now in the present he is going on vacations with his wife every year and living in their own supervised apartment.

The video is also a love story of how Burt and Barbara met, courted and married and lived together for over 15 years. He is also a talented, self-taught musician and plays a few songs during the video, some of which he composed himself.

Burt is a video that portrays a man who survived decades of inhuman treatment to become a person who enjoys life to the fullest.

Burt II: In 2005 we returned to Burt and Barbara’s home for an update for the years 2001 – 2005. Burt shares his thoughts on 9/11, the Iraq War, and President Bush while also playing a new composition he wrote dedicated to the World Trade  Center attack.

Credits:
directed / edited: Anthony Di Salvo

$3.00	$9.00	$30.00 donation
7 Day Stream	QuickTime Download	DVD pacakged in eco-wallet. DVD also includes Sheri and Paul, and other bonus materials Free Shipping (US and Canada)

 Remember, your purchases go directly to support the filmmakers of the films you view, as well as to support sproutflix and its mission.

Streaming purchases - Watch your purchases using this site's built-in viewer, with the option of full-screen viewing, for 7 days from the date of purchase. Log in to sproutflix after purchase to see your available streams.

Download purchases  - Once downloaded, this media file is yours to keep. You will have to download the media file from the instructions given after purchase. Downloaded movies are in QuickTime format and require Apple's free QuickTime viewer for Mac or Windows available here.