Chicago 10

Rating R Formats DVD Genre documentary Starring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Wright Directed by Brett Morgen Publisher Paramount

Brett Morgen’s documentary, Chicago 10, uses archival footage, old television footage, and animation to bring the story of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the subsequent trial of seven anti-establishment protesters.

The film juxtaposes two stories; the first is the protests, marches, and police brutality on the streets of Chicago while the elites of the Democratic Party chose Hubert Humphrey as the nominee at the Chicago Amphitheater.

The second is of the trial of Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Black Panther founder, Bobby Seals.

The only record of the trial was the court stenographer and some poorly recorded audiotape of arguments, so the filmmakers faced a challenge realizing this portion of the story.

The filmmakers addressed this problem by taking the records, rewriting them, and then casting actors to voice the cartoon they animated of the trial. The choice to script, cast, and animate portions of the film is a bold one, but unfortunately undermines the true drama of the trial.

By scripting this much of the film, it changes it from being a documentary to a historical fiction. It seems like the idea was to retell a well-known story with a new twist on it and to appeal to a new, younger crowd. The electric guitar infused soundtrack and frenetic camera work are evidence of that.

This film is paradoxical; it’s a really fascinating story about a turbulent time in our country’s history, yet at the same time it’s not a very compelling movie.

The portrayals of the Chicago 7, especially Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seals paint them in the light of martyrs and anti-establishment super heroes standing up to Daley and his men. It’s one dimensional and uninteresting.

The film plays like a commercial for these guys and their movement, spending no time exploring the intricacies or the nature of the discussion, which is really disappointing.

For those who know the story, the film is a complete waste of time. For those who aren’t familiar with either event, it would be worth renting to get a primer course. Unfortunately, the film tries to cover so much ground that you don’t really get any knowledge of either event.

There have been many (and soon to be one more produced by Spielberg) dramatic retellings of the Chicago Conspiracy trial, and if you’re looking learn more about this event, it would be better to go with another.