Last night this bitch and Brother Rob Thurman took in a bit of film.
Specifically, we took advantage of the Community Cinema series at the Missouri History Museum. They have partnered with KETC/Channel 9 to provide advance screenings of ITVS (Independent Television Service) documentaries followed by a panel discussion of each film by local authorities on the subject.
Fantabulous!
We saw CHICAGO 10 by Brett Morgan, which follows the conspiracy trial that followed the violence of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Some the clips were completely new to me…and a bitch has seen many a documentary about that event. And the use of animation was interesting and creative.
But the real hook of any film that tackles the 1968 DNC and the violence surrounding it is the human drama and bone jarring assault on our basic freedoms. With CHICAGO 10 I found myself becoming very emotional as I watched unarmed people being beaten and gassed in the streets of Chicago. The sounds and the visual chaos were almost overwhelming, but are too important a reminder of what can happen to be ignored.
CHICAGO 10 by Brett Morgan will air nationally on the PBS series Independent Lens Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 9pm.
Check it out…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The Gumdrop Stage of Grief ...
So many of you have shared condolences and support after the death of my beloved brother Bill from COVID-19. I wish I could thank you indiv...
-
I was slightly illish this weekend and took to my bed Saturday, but I did rally for Brother Rob Thurman’s fantabulous cookie decorating part...
-
So many of you have shared condolences and support after the death of my beloved brother Bill from COVID-19. I wish I could thank you indiv... -
Okay, so most of you know that this bitch has some evil assed fibroids . Most of them were successfully murdered with full premeditation se...
9 comments:
http://shesontherag.blogspot.com
I saw it there as well. I was moved by the violence, but also appreciated the commentary of the panel (a mix of history profs and community organizers) afterward.
They all noted the need for the film to provide more context, and KETC version is supposed to be longer than what we saw. Hopefully it will provide more background (such as the relationship of the Blank Panthers to the Yippies and MOBE -- I found the courtroom scenes of Bobby Seale very jarring, compounded by my confusion about why he was there at all and his role in organizing along with the others -- perhaps that was the point?)
Available on DVD as well.
The film did an excellent job capturing the precariousness of the era: how it went from an absurdist carnival to a war zone in moments, both inside and outside the courtroom. That sense of unpredictable danger directed at unarmed protest is often lost when one reads about the events in the books.
And of course today, dissent is so diluted that it is rare we hear about the protests, let alone the violence which protesters are subject to.
-Aunti Disestablishmentarian
"Big wheel spin and spin, little wheel turn around!"
Buffy Sainte Marie
I thought about Chicago 10 a lot during the RNC this year...activists preemptively detained, peaceful protesters shot, bruised, battered by police-occuring with the same violence that rattled the 2003 FTAA protests in Miami...
The 2008 RNC convention's excessive violence has been condemned by Amnesty Intl as a human rights violation...
little wheel spin 'round 'round!
Thanks for posting this info - I wasn't aware of this movie. I came across a Bobby Seale CD last week and ordered it - it was a tribute to the writer William Burroughs who covered the events of the Convention with a tape recorder and buddies Jean Genet and Allen Ginsberg. The only thing I remember from Burroughs' writing of his experience was cops clubbing kids: "we are as real, real, real, as this nightstick".
Thank you Shark Fu for posting on this..I can not wait to see it as I lived during that era.
The cops didn't just beat the Chi-town folks with their batons..it was a way of life for all law enforcement towards all anti-war protesters.,.and sista...I got the three blown discs to prove it!
I'm glad you mentioned this, Shark-Fu. I live in Los Angeles, and they're holding a free showing of the Chicago 10 down at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Sept. 30th.
I was already interested in seeing the docu, but now I love the fact that I can go see it on the big screen for free. My broke behind needs all the free I can get. :-)
Your entry reminds me to spread the word.
Hey guys!
i just started blogging not that long ago and running across this blog it seemed a bit too interesting to only read the first paragraph. I kinda got confused in the middle of it but the end just made it all go together like a puzzle. Please, who ever wrote this, keep me updated!
Post a Comment