The trial of the chicago 7 - looks like a good film.

axisus

Yeah, looks like a good film to me, it's conveniently coming out on Netflix so I shall be taking a look. 

My understanding is that it is basically historical, but with the usual 'dramatisation' added. You only see the briefest glimpse of Eddie Redmayne in the clip, but as usual he looks superb in the role. Sasha Baron Cohen is looking like a pretty good actor these days, reviewers seem to think he is very good in this.

Cranky

I'm hopeful to see some accurate portrayal of the Panthers and Bobby Seale.  You gotta love it when something as petty as "contempt of court" is used by people sworn to uphold the Constitution to deny constitutional rights to people who are demanding their constitutional rights.  Not to mention the symbolic gagging and chaining of a black man literally in the justice system.  Hmmmm . . . I guess what I'm also really hoping for is an accurate portrayal of cops and the justice system.

From wikipedia:

According to The Chicago Tribune, "[b]eginning as the Chicago Eight Trial, it quickly became the Chicago Seven when Seale, after loudly disrupting the trial when he could not have the lawyer of his choice, was at first bound and gagged in the courtroom and then severed from the case for a later trial, which never occurred."[9][10] Seale requested that the trial be postponed so that his attorney Charles Garry could represent him (as Garry was about to undergo gallbladder surgery). The Judge denied the postponement, and refused to allow Seale to represent himself. Seale vehemently protested the judge's illegal and unconstitutional actions, and arguing that they were not only illegal, but also racist. Seale told the courtroom: "This racist administration government with its Superman notions and comic book politics. We're hip to the fact that Superman saved no black people. You got that?...You have did everything you could with those jive lying witnesses up there presented by these pig agents of the government to lie and say and condone some rotten racists, fascist crap by racist cops and pigs that beat people's heads in-and I demand my constitutional rights!"[8] The judge in turn accused Seale of disrupting the court, and on October 29, Hoffman ordered Seale to be bound, gagged, and chained to a chair, citing a precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court case Illinois v. Allen.[10][11]

axisus

I forgot this 'died on it's arse' thread! It's certainly an interesting piece of American history that I'd not heard of before. It does sound like a shocking abuse of power and justice.

hollywoodrox

Is Peter Cetera in it 

Cranky

axisus said:

I forgot this 'died on it's arse' thread! It's certainly an interesting piece of American history that I'd not heard of before. It does sound like a shocking abuse of power and justice.

At least Seale lived to see a day in court.  Unlike Fred Hampton.

Cranky

So who's watched this now?

RaymondLin

I watched it when I came out. It’s okay but I was expecting more tbh knowing who wrote it.  

Lodious

I really liked it, 

Cranky

RaymondLin said:

I watched it when I came out. It’s okay but I was expecting more tbh knowing who wrote it.  

This I don't understand.  Beside Sorkin being a gratuitously "clever" (smug?) writer, not once did I think about who wrote the script in light of the actual abuse of police and judicial power being showcased. 

I never realized that Fred Hampton's execution took place during the trial.

RaymondLin

Cranky said:

RaymondLin said:

I watched it when I came out. It’s okay but I was expecting more tbh knowing who wrote it.  

This I don't understand.  Beside Sorkin being a gratuitously "clever" (smug?) writer, not once did I think about who wrote the script in light of the actual abuse of police and judicial power being showcased. 

I never realized that Fred Hampton's execution took place during the trial.

Because I don’t know what the story was about beforehand and only knew who wrote it.

Yes, I didn’t know the story until after, I know it’s base on true events but I purposely didn’t read into any of it.

Redlester

It’s good. Redmayne is pretty average IMO. Mark Rylance OTO is outstanding in this. 

ArchtopDave

Watched it several weeks ago. Enjoyable, but relatively light weight.

The 1960's were my teen/ early 20's years, so I lived through that era. I had a particularly sobering moment in 1966. I spent a year at a French University between school and Uni proper. There were a fair number of Americans on the Foreign Students' Course that I did. At the end of the academic year there were exams, which for me were optional but I did them, but for the American males it was an extremely serious matter because, if they didn't get good grades, then they would be drafted into the Armed Forces for service in Vietnam. Rather sobering sitting with people you'd got to know, and realising that they could die sometime in the very near future.

If you want to watch something more serious in relation to the Vietnam War years, then watch the Ken Burn's 10 part Documentary "The Vietnam War". Even knowing a bit from living through those years, I was appalled at how American Presidents and Politicians of the era could not face up to the unending series of mistakes they made, and how they would rather continue the war rather than admit they were wrong.

ArchtopDave

Duplicate of comment deleted.

axisus

I thought it was superb. Loved it. Not knowing anything about it I found the whole affair pretty shocking.

Great performances from the main cast.

fretmeister

Do I have to watch the first 6 films to understand it?