This riveting documentary vividly chronicles the antiwar protest movement of the 1960s and '70s, which grew into a genuine people's revolt as the Vietnam War escalated. The film features stirring songs by artists such as Dylan and Jefferson Airplane.
Full Synopsis: Centered around the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the film incorporates a mixture of news and television reports--including advertisements and political announcements--harrowing footage of riots at the university, and interviews with activists, campus leaders, and local police. The film starts with a '63 newsreel that portrays Madison as the "number one spot to live," and gradually shows how the students' anger and outrage heats up. Their peaceful protests are ineffectual, and result in police brutality and riots. A prime example of this is the unprecedented violence at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in '68. Ultimately, fringe student activism grew into a community, state, and nationwide outcry that was nonetheless unheard by a government who opted to "suppress the violence" of its citizens with tear gas and clubs rather than concede to their demands. This documentary from directors Glenn Silber and Barry Alexander Brown offers a galvanizing portrait of a time of true democratic crisis, when elected politicians and their citizens defied each other and chaos ensued.
