Chicago 10: Review By Brokaw

1968 was a pivotal year in the world, and especially the United States. In January the Vietcong launched the Tet Offensive, in March the My Lai massacre occurred, In April Martin Luther King was killed, in June Robert Kennedy was assassinated, and in August the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was riddled with violence. This is the story of the time and the men who organized the gathering in Chicago with the intent of protesting the Vietnam War and sending a message to those in charge that a big portion of the country wanted to end the war.

Originally eight men were arrested for their part in the riots that shook the country in Chicago. Because their two attorneys were also charged with contempt and played a large part in this film, the filmmaker decided to call the film Chicago 10, incorporating all the men who were at the center of the trial. Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, Tom Hayden, Bobby Seale, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass (their attorneys) all confronted Judge Julius Hoffman in the courtroom a year following the turbulent days and nights of the convention.

This film is part actual footage and part animated sequences which fill in the trial scenes and some of the background of those at the heart of the trial. The filmmakers scoured the globe for archival footage to intersperse with the animated sequences. There are plenty of both types of scenes, and this semi-doc*mentary jumps back and forth between footage and animation. It sounds a little strange, but in actually, after a few minutes it all blends in and audiences will not be too aware of the changes.

Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Nick Nolte, Jeffrey Wright and Roy Scheider lend their voices to the animated characters and do so with the same inflections as those they portray.

2008 is the 40th anniversary of the Chicago riots and this semi-doc*mentary brings to the attention of the audience the heart of what happened at that time. It shows the men for whom they were, and audiences will most likely not be sympathetic to them once they see this film. However it is a good piece of the puzzle for people not living at that time. It shows the history of the conflict in Chicago and the outcome for these men. It is interesting and a unique piece of filmmaking. Although unconventional (no pun intended), it is engrossing and worth watching. I was a little uneasy as I left the theater because my feelings about these men were drastically changed. Yes, they had their reasons for doing what they did, however the way they represented themselves during and after the incident was contemptible (pun intended).

Filmmaker Brett Morgen, who wrote and directed Chicago 10 says, "I didn't want to make a film about a bunch of people talking about how great they were back then. So I said, 'Let's do this film in a way that resonates with kids today. Let's do it in a language they understand, and let's do (it) without talking heads and a narrator and all those trappings.'"

Morgen claims, "This movie is not intended to be a historical doc*ment of 1968. ... My biggest fear was overwhelming young audiences with a bunch of names and faces they had never heart of. I wanted to make it work whether it was happening in 1968, 2006 or 2036." Morgen hoped to make a film that inspired the youth of today in a way they were inspired in 1968. However the way they are portrayed in this film is perhaps not the best way to do it. Yes, they were gutsy and passionate about their beliefs, but they were also disrespectful, which comes through in spades in this film.

"180 hours of footage were shot during the convention on 16mm (film). There were 14, 000 photos shot by the Walker Report. There is a huge amount of archival material. ... This is probably the only event on U. S. soil for which there was enough material shot in the course of one week that you can actually make a film without interviews and without a narrator," claims Morgen.

"It's a movie about eight guys in their early 20's and 30's who decided to take a stand and were willing to get clubbed on the head or go to jail for 10 years to change the direction of this country." Morgen also says, "This story has been told countless times in history books, doc*mentaries, re-enactments, theatrical productions, etc. I felt that my job was to do something uniquely cinematic, to allow the audience to experience the events rather than hear them described."

Morgen decided to get the best actors he could to do the voiceovers. "We were challenged because we had no money," he says, but managed to find some incredible actors to join the production.

Chicago 10 is an interesting look at the men and the times. It is a unique film, blending archival footage with animation. It is not a historical doc*mentary, but it is a small window into the past. It will definitely stir emotions on both sides of the conflict.