Chicago 10

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Starring: Jeffrey Wright
Rated: R (Restricted)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Brett Morgen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 2008-08-26
Running Time: 110 minutes
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/26/2008 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: R

The future world will watch
"Chicago 10" is the best documentary I have ever seen of the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention protest. That I'm aware, it's also only the second movie of the Chicago 7+1 trial, which grew out of the U.S. government's attempt to justify the use of excessive force against convention protesters. Counterproductively for the government, the trial immortalized the eight defendants and their two lawyers for which this movie is named.

I've never seen most of this filmed protest footage. At last, there is enough original 1968 material organized in one movie, to visualize the Chicago physical situation experienced by perhaps 40,000 people on all sides. The documentary is presented by sequential intercutting of trial transcript and recreation video animations, with 1968 actuality films, TV, radio, and audio recordings. Historians can now see what was happening almost sequentially in several large outdoor venues.

The 1970 Chicago Seven trial transcript helps organize the original 1968 protest footage. The shockingly bloody park and street confrontation scenes keep the trial's political philosophy arguments relevant and interesting.

A mixed classical and rock movie score is alien in a documentary, and some of the classical pieces are strikingly inappropriate. I recall much of the music as excessively loud. But enough of everything else worked that a defense of this overwhelming music as avant-garde art is acceptable to me.

The "Chicago 10" production device of realistic human animation solves the problem of adding visual interest to audio-only original recordings, and blends well with full voice-over animation of the trial's transcript-only original record. 1968 was an era on the cusp of transition from black-and-white to color film. The jarring alternations between the two technologies are motivated by the unfolding street action, and are a possibly unique feature of this production - mimicked even by its own animations.

I recommend this Brett Morgen documentary for its innovatively blended presentation of two difficult-to-understand perspectives of the same politically earthshaking event. I'll ask my library to purchase a copy of the DVD, but unfortunately it will not include the short piece which PBS's Independent Lens used to fill out the last 20 minutes of its time slot for "Chicago 10" on 2008-10-22.

The short piece was a 1970 British "World in Action / The Big news" report on the Chicago Seven trial. It proved to be critical to me for an explanation by Chicago Seven lawyer Leonard Weinglass of the devious 1968 Anti-Riot law under which the defendants were convicted and sentenced for a thought crime. It criminalized the crossing of state lines with the intent to threaten property or people, even if the threat was not carried out.

Though not seen in "Chicago 10", professional media has made the 1968 protesters famous for mass chanting, "The whole world is watching". Now the future world can almost eyewitness these events, brilliantly expanded beyond merely professional moving images.

The Hazy Crazy Days of the Summer of '68
"Chicago 10" uses a curious mix of animation and actual footage to tell the story of the demonstrations at the site of the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention and of the conspiracy trial that followed. The story interweaves the conspiracy trial of Yippie leaders Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin (and others) with material about the demonstrations that landed them in hot water.

As a person who grew up in the 1960s with the same inchoate rage expressed by many of the demonstrators, I came to the film with sympathy for their goal of opposing America's attempts to extend its power overseas by demanding an end to an unpopular and unjust war. But in spite of their intentions, the filmmakers crafted a document with a very different conclusion.

There's something touching and maddening about the defendants. Except for Bobby Seale - the only one who seems to appreciate larger issues and forces at play -- the defendants alternate between amusement over the court's antique decorum and procedures, and horror that this same silly court might actually deprive them of their very real liberty. The filmmakers do a fairly good job of depicting the comedy that was going on in court. Government prosecutor Tom Foran seemed to overreach in his assessment that the wild-haired, foul-mouthed clowns at the defendant's table were dangerous to the American way of life. Judge Julius Hoffman was played as a doddering fool, incredulous that the decorum of his court was being disrupted. The defendants come across as naively disbelieving the characterizations of their behavior. This required a certain amount of license on the part of the animators, since the trial transcripts would not have recorded the facial expressions made by the defendants when confronted by evidence from government witnesses. The obvious intent of the filmmakers was to tame the reputations of the radicals on trial. But, sympathetic as I was to their cause, or perhaps because I am a little more mature than I was 40 years ago, I found Hoffman and Ruben's lack of discipline and seriousness off-putting and counterproductive.

Speaking of counter-productive, the film unintentionally (I think) helped made the case for the conservative view that Hoffman, et al were dangerous, prone to violence, and in need of controlling. Archival materials shows the Yippie's activities as swinging between brilliant, anarchic street theater (whose supposed purpose was to end the violence in Vietnam) and a rageful, profane, adolescent intention to reach the convention headquarters "by any means necessary." The Yippies, unwilling or afraid to take themselves seriously, failed to establish clear goals and lines of authority. The result was a series of running battles with the police with no clear objectives other than to oppose the demands of those in authority. There's a reason that much of this material has not seen the light of day in four decades -- it undermines the case that the demonstrators were innocent victims of police and National Guard aggression.

Yet, governmental aggression there was. Police--black and white but seemingly middle-aged and middle class - were more than a little willing to stand their ground against the disorganized mobs in the streets. There was little of negotiation or discussion, and no alternative but violent confrontation. The National Guard seemed especially prone to threats, pointing their guns and bayonets menacingly -- at one point pushing them inside a car driven by a middle aged woman.

The film fails seriously by ignoring the effects of the demonstrations on the Democratic Convention and on American policy. For all their passion and panache, the demonstrators managed to guarantee the defeat of the Democrat's candidate, Hubert Humphrey, electing Richard Nixon, who escalated the war into Laos and Cambodia before negotiating a withdraw in 1974. More problematically, they turned much of the electorate - Nixon's aggrieved "Silent Majority" -- against them. The filmmakers, by refusing to provide an evolved view of the 1968 Chicago riots, fail in the same way that the demonstrations did, neglecting to suggest a higher goal than immediate satisfaction and easy analysis. It's perhaps not surprising that we see so few shots of the convention that was derailed by the antics outside the Hilton.

Though "Chicago 10" fails miserably to make its case on behalf of the defendants, it does add to the cause of history - if only to provide a showcase for rarely seen film of the events of the period. It is fun to see the goofy/sincere dress and mannerisms of the 1960s in their varied and infinite glory. If it instructive, the film teaches the importance of discipline, training, seriousness and effective leadership, especially in the cause of overturning popular governmental policy.

Great Docu-Drama About the 1*9*6*8 DNC March.
The CHICAGO 10 DVD is a gripping movie about the 1968 trial of the "Chicago 8" (later the Chicago 7 when Bobby Seale was separated from the others) who were charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot, among other charges, for the massive demonstrations that took place during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. People, especially young people, from all over the USA convened to protest the Vietnam War when the massive march went awry and cops began attacking the marchers.

Anyway, the movie combines animation and archival footage of the events that took place during that August 1968. The animation is mainly in the courtroom, which is based on the court transcripts. Everything else is shown through footage either from news feeds or amateur video.

I found the movie gripping as the action switches back and forth from the court house trial to the actions happening during the marches etc., culminating in the mess that was captured by news cameras covering the convention of police unloading on helpless people.

Unfortunately there aren't any extras other than a remixed trailer for the movie. I would have liked to see some more footage of the night in question, but I guess what's in the film is enough.

Recommended for anyone who likes the 60s, history, or counter culture.

Allow me to demonstrate
In September of 1969, Abbie Hoffman and fellow radical activists Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner were hauled into court along with Black Panther Bobby Seale on a grand jury indictment for allegedly conspiring to incite the massive anti-Vietnam war protests and resulting violent mayhem that transpired in the Chicago environs during the 1968 Democratic Convention. What resulted is arguably the most overtly political "show trial" in American history.

Using a mélange of animation, archival footage and voiceover re-creation by well-known actors, Brett Morgen expands even further on the eye-catching multimedia technique that he and co-director Nanette Burstein used in their 2002 doc The Kid Stays in the Picture.

The bulk of the animated sequences are re-enactments from the trial itself, with dialog lifted directly from courtroom transcripts (and trust me, no rewrites were required because you couldn't make this stuff up). This visual technique perfectly encapsulates the overall circus atmosphere of the trial, which was largely fueled by Hoffman and Rubin's amusing yet effective use of "guerilla theatre" to disrupt the proceedings and accentuate what they felt to be the inherent absurdity of the charges. The courtroom players are voiced by the likes of Nick Nolte (as prosecutor Thomas Foran), Jeffrey Wright (as Bobby Seale) and the late Roy Scheider (in full "fuddy-duddy" mode as Judge Hoffman).

Do not, however, mistake this film as a gimmicky and superficial "cartoon" that only focuses on the hijinx. There is plenty of evidence on hand, in the form of archival footage (fluidly incorporated by editor Stuart Levy) to remind us that these were very serious times. The footage of the Chicago police wildly bludgeoning any and all who crossed their path (demonstrator and innocent bystander alike) still has the power to shock and physically sicken the viewer. There is a protracted montage of this violence that seems to run on for at least 10 minutes; sensitive viewers may find this sequence upsetting.

I have to give kudos for the excellent soundtrack; or rather, for what songs are not on the soundtrack. For once, a film about the "turbulent 60s" does not feature "Fortunate Son" by CCR, "Get Together" by the Youngbloods or (most notably) "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield (you can always re-watch Forrest Gump if you wish to wallow in trite 60s clichés). Appropriately incendiary music by Rage Against the Machine, The Beastie Boys and Eminem balances well with less-plundered period songs from Black Sabbath ("War Pigs"), Steppenwolf ("Monster") and the MC5 ("Kick Out the Jams").

If I have any quibble with Chicago 10, it is a minor one. Although some of us are old enough (ahem) to remember the high-profile media coverage of the trial and grok the circumstances surrounding it, perhaps a little hindsight analysis or discussion of historical context would have been helpful for younger viewers. Perhaps Morgen wanted to steer clear of the usual clichés, like parading a series of talking heads with gray ponytails, sentimentalizing and waxing poetically about the halcyon days of yore. Besides, if you "remember" the 60s, you probably weren't there anyway, right?

Excellent Film- great voice overs, and amazing stylized story-telling
This was a fantastic film. The information itself was very interesting, but the filmmakers put a spin on it, and in a completely unbiased way, the explain what happened at the convention and the trial using state-of-the-art animation techniques, moving pictures, archival footage, and great music. A must see for any baby-boomer, people interested in politics, and modern hippies.