Left of the Dial opens with a dense collage of conservative talk radio chatter: a carpet of seeming intolerance, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Not long after this, the film finds Air America Radio's Mark Walsh claiming that his network will beat back "the satanic forces of night" that comprise right-wing talk radio. Clearly, this is territory where neither side is either fair or balanced - although the colorful, passionate individuals who staff Air America Radio would probably argue that they do represent the less strident end of the spectrum.

Beginning in March 2004, filmmakers Patrick Farrelly and Kate O'Callaghan chart the frantic beginning and major early stumbles of Air America Radio, created from scratch by a group of investors who want some balance, however slight, in the national talk radio landscape. A bevy of outspoken stars line up – Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, Chuck D, Katherine Lanpher, Rachel Maddow and Randi Rhodes, among others – and despite a pervasive lack of radio experience (only Rhodes, Lanpher and Maddow seem to have more than a few months' time logged behind the mic), Air America lurches forward, determined to scrub clean the airwaves of Republican bile.

The warts-and-all documentary effectively chronicles the jitters felt by everyone in the ramp up to launch; Left of the Dial also does a great job of documenting the less happy times, such as when chairman Evan Cohen, one of the project's most vocal supporters, abruptly withdraws and goes AWOL - there are moments of genuine tension in Farrelly and O'Callaghan's documentary, particularly involving the complex financial wrangling and legal maneuvering to keep Air America aloft. The filmmakers seem to strive for objectivity, but whether they actually achieve it is debatable - the network isn't placed in much context beyond brief soundbites or snatches of newspaper articles, which makes it hard to truly understand what or why Air America is trying to achieve.

Well paced and clocking in at 90 minutes, the text screens that provide closure to this portion of the Air America story only fuel the desire to see a sequel, a continuation of this fascinating and engrossing endeavor. Building a nationwide radio network from quite literally nothing, with talent who have minimal or no experience hosting a multi-hour talk show, would prove daunting to anyone - the simple fact that Air America is still on the air across the country is proof that it can be, obstacles or no. That, to me, is far more inspiring than any aspirations of silencing Rush Limbaugh.

The Video:

Presented on DVD with a serviceable 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer, Left of the Dial was largely shot on the fly, as evidenced by the handheld cinematography and occasionally sub-par image. Despite its few visual flaws (which are more due to the source material than the transfer), this is an overall very smooth image, with a couple instances of blow-out and softness.

A straightforward, no frills English Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack is offered here; there's not much of a score to intrude upon the copious amounts of dialogue, and while it's all heard clearly and free of distortion, one wishes that English subtitles were included for the few scenes where voices pile on top of one another. Spanish Dolby 2.0 stereo is also included.

Two supplements are worth the price of admission alone: a scathing, hilarious and freewheeling commentary track with Rhodes and "Morning Sedition" co-host Marc Maron is like watching the film with these two in the room, while the frank and unflinching track from Farrelly and O'Callaghan details the struggles and obstacles faced during filming. Nine deleted scenes and a 21 minute Q&A session with the crew rounds out the package.

Left of the Dial is a fascinating, absorbing look at the creation and early weeks of Air America Radio, a liberal groundswell of voices against the considerable right-wing talk radio hosts. The DVD is worth viewing not only for the film, but also the stellar pair of commentaries; both tracks add greater depth to a very compelling film. Highly recommended.