| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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Interesting take on a documentary film
by J (movies profile)
Mar 20, 2008
This is a documentary...and a historical recreation...and it's core story line is animated. I have to give it to the filmmaker for being able to organize the story around a rotoscoped recreation of the trial for the Chicago 8 (or 7 was it?). As a late 30's guy I never heard much about what the '68 Democratic convention in Chicago was about so this documentary was very informative. The editing between stock footage and the recreated trial case was well done jumping back and forth between timelines of the events and the way the trial was carried out. Also very well done was using modern music to score the film. Surprisingly enough the newer music worked to get you hooked into the story. I would have expected CS&N, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, the Doors, etc. as the soundtrack and that would have put me in a certain frame of mind...mainly a frame of mind that says this is ancient history (not to belittle that music...it's fantastic rock). The contemporary score adds vitality to the film and makes me consider what happened then differently. I couldn't believe the injustice and unfair treatment the defendents received at that trial. The sense of a corrupt power structure at work then translated well to feelings I have about what's happening today in this country. But what stood out the most for me was the vibrancy, humor and playfullness of the protesters and defendents in the face of this power structure. We don't have real protesting today and we don't have passionate people who believe in causes of good. Watching Abbie Hoffman laugh and play with the judge in the trial, with an old woman in the streets of Chicago and do it with a spirit of joy and the confidence that what he's doing is right...it made me sad. Where is that spirit today? The corruption is worse than in the 60's (or at least it's more obvious). No one takes the necessary steps or has the humor to take on the establishment. |
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