Event

Chicago 10

Guest Speaker: Marty Haas, Professor and Chair of the History Department, Adelphi University

Many consider the Chicago 8 trial of Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Bobby Seale and Lee Weiner on charges of conspiracy with the intent to riot at the 1968 Democratic Convention the trial of the century. No Hollywood producer could have cast the roles better. Deftly integrating animation with footage of the demonstrations and police riots, filmmaker Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture) captures the spirit of the 60s. The event is framed in the tumultuous year when thousands were killed in Vietnam, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, and the anti-war movement exploded. Cameras were not allowed into the courtroom and Morgan recreates the trial via animation. Famous incidents are reenacted: Black Panther leader Bobby Seale bound and gagged, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin entering in Judicial Robes, and Allen Ginsberg chanting om to sooth the temper of the Judge. (Morgan decided to title the film Chicago 10 because, in addition to the Chicago 8, defense attorneys William Kunsler and Leonard Weinglass were cited for contempt of court). A dynamic score, featuring contemporary groups Rage Against the Machine and Black Sabbath, add excitement and remind that the struggle against government-sanctioned violence continues into the present.

USA, 2007, 106 min., color