Movie Info:
Writer: Brett Morgen
Director: Brett Morgen
Cast: Nick Nolte, Hank Azaria, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Dylan Baker, Jeffrey Wright
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 18, 2007
DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $20.99

It can only be described as perfect timing that Chicago 10 would come out around the time of the Democratic National Convention. The parallels that exist between the two conventions, the one in present time and the former in 1968, are definitely worth comparing. The film, Chicago 10 has made its rounds on the film festival circuit and later would hit limited theaters. Now, it finally comes to DVD.

Being that I was not around in the 60s, remembering the convention was not something I had the option of doing. From what I understand though, not too many people remember the convention. It is the events that are detailed in this film that people remember. There were eight people put on trial for disturbing the peace and inciting a riot during the convention. If you’re wondering how they got the name Chicago 10 for this film, it is because the groups two attorneys were added to the number count.

Unwanted wars have a way of putting people into a frenzy. It’s no surprise, as Vietnam was one of the most unwanted wars in history that protesters looked to the political conventions as a way to show their distaste for both government and politics, as a whole. If their goal was to distract people from the convention the protesters certainly did a good job. The media circus is one not soon forgotten even though no one remembers much about that Chicago convention otherwise.

Brett Morgen wrote and directed this trip-filled ride through the events that happen. To make things a little more interesting animation and a kick ass voice cast is added into the mix. The cast is stellar including Amy Ryan, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Nick Nolte, and Hank Azaria. As you can imagine the animated cast lends to the animation in the film. Things work out well though this is going to be something that only appeals to a limited group of individuals.

Interest is not going to be a problem once someone starts watching Chicago 10. I think the truly hard part will be getting them to watch it in the first place. The film had a limited film run that showed little interest, though it has the option of becoming one of many films with bad theatrical runs and a cult film following. The artsy flip flop between newsreels and animation will appeal to a large number of people that could have avoided this film, thinking it was another documentary based political film. What they would not know is that it is so much more than that. It suits both the anti-political and the political, but best of all, exactly 40 years later the message still holds up.

The Chicago 10 Plot
During the 1968 Democratic Convention, eight individuals, out of a group of many protesters, were arrested for rioting and disturbing the peace. These protesters, Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, John Froines, Bobby Seale, Lee Weiner, and Rennie Davis were known as the Chicago 8, and later the Chicago 10 once their lawyers were added. The government took these eight people to trial and invoked a media event that was far larger than the political debates looming, as a new president would soon be chosen.

While this is technically a documentary, the use of the newsreels combined with a wacky form of animation that is meant to mimic the entertaining nature of the trial, really makes things feel less documentary-like. The trial was comical despite the serious and important nature that it would hold in things like the free speech movement. Some might feel these realizations are trivialized by the comic nature of the defendants’ antics. However, they were funny and deserve to be shown in a documentary.

I couldn’t help but laugh when the defendan’s (well, some of them) arrived in judge’s garb. When told to disrobe, they obliged only to reveal policemen uniforms underneath. This was one of many things done to mock the government. Granted, some of the things done were funnier than others, but the best part comes in knowing that someone actually did any of these things at all.

In the end, if you are familiar with the events of the trial, this will probably just be a new and inventive way for the story to be retold to you. However, if you’re new to the story this should be quite a ride and it’s surely one you don’t want to miss.

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Audio/Visual:
It can be hard to judge the video for Chicago 10 at times because of the varying quality of some of the actual, older footage. In the areas where the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen is in the driver’s seat, things are looking good. In these instances, the amount of compression errors are low and things are relatively crisp and clear. In other moments some older scenes set the scene and as you would expect these moments are littered with faded images, dirt, and grain.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sounds good for the most part. Again, there are some older scenes that just are not benefited from the older settings, but for the most part things sound good with the audio being used to the full extent when possible. Although this is a dialogue driven documentary, so you cannot expect too much in terms of audio. It’s average and for this, it works out fine. Subtitles are provided in English for those that might be hearing impaired.

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Bonus Features:
Chicago 10 does not offer too many bonus features. There are a few here, but even the few that are here are not anything overly special. You receive the obligatory previews/trailers in the beginning of the film and a short 90 second spot with the winner of the Chicago 10 remix video contest, Gina Tararoli. Other than that, there are no features to be found.

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Bottom Line:
Chicago 10 is an entertaining, purposeful documentary that received a rather unfortunate, substandard release. If you are not familiar with the events presented in this documentary you may find this to be more interesting than those who know all about this case. People that were around may look at this as a tripped out, retro retelling but nothing more. Either way, I recommend renting it if nothing else.
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