Jon Peters Reviews: “Chicago 10″

In recent years it has become almost un-American to speak in opposition of anything our leaders do. Talking and conversing in rational terms about the whats and whys that our leaders, who we vote in, do and say is the very foundation of how well democracy works. If that right is taking away, the very notion of the first amendment is nullified. By having the freedom of free speech is what America is all about. If it’s gone, then America would have turned into a totalitarian society with dictators. But America isn’t that and to the people in recent years, who have damned other Americans for expressing questions towards the Bush Administration, I say go live in 1968 and see how well you like those times.

Brett Morgan has created a visually interesting and alarming film about how free speech went under attack needlessly and how a trial become a one-sided attack on that freedom. Finding rare audio tapes from the crazy, hilarious, and often media event the trail was Morgan uses those snippets to recreate a fist pumping call to action. Using animation to fill in the blanks then cutting right to even more rare news footage of police beating protestors, thousands marching in the streets, fires, riots, old women being arrested, all remixed with modern protest music, like Rage Against the Machine and Eminem, the ‘Chicago 10′ is a must watch.

The film never feels like a tedious history lesson, instead it stirs you up, much like a concert does when you’re smack dab in the middle of a mosh pit. He gives you all of the nuggets of information you’ll need to establish the scenario. It was 1968, we were in the midst of Vietnam, the draft was in effect and LBJ was calling for more to be drafted weekly. A group of idealists known as the Yippies decided it was time to have the leaders and future leaders of America known about their displeased attitude towards all of the conflict, to say it mildly. They formed outside, in Chicago, where the Democratic National Convention was to be held. As soon as they started forming there, more and more people joined suit, all in opposition of the war and draft. Soon police were circling the streets, not allowing them to march or gather. Then it was decided to put Chicago under martial law, all in defense of peaceful protestors.

Through stunning real life footage we witness how the police instigated violence and when push came to shove, the founders of the Yippies were put to trial. Ideals and suggestions lead to a crazy time and Morgan, like I said earlier, perfectly captures that time and what the whole fuss was about for the younger viewers of today. I was 12 years away from being born and by acknowledging his audience might not know anything about this, he controversially uses songs such as ‘Kicking Out the Jams’ by Rage Against the Machine and ‘Sabotage’ by the Beastie Boys to help underline what he wanted to have us understand. You can look at the film as an allegory to what’s happening now and it’s apparent in a line of lyric from the Eminem song used, referencing Bush.

The film is never dull. Something always captures our attention and it’s clear a modern anti-authority star is born as we see Abbie Hoffman living it up during interviews and the trial. It was all comedy that trial, putting an option that our Founding Fathers wanted us to have, in need of a defense. If we do not question or even care what is going on, then our politicians will not know what we as the people want or need. While it looks a lot like another Vietnam War, this current war on terror, Morgan at least wanted to present an option for us to show that we can question and comment on, that it is not anti-American for us to do so. It wasn’t in 1968 and it is not in 2008. The craziest thing about it all was it wasn’t meant for violence, they were just scared of what thousands of protestors would do-like demand a change.