The Trial of Chicago-7 #EP1
Manage episode 313356981 series 3267810
The year 1968 is often seen as the most turbulent year in 20th century American history. The Vietnam war had started out, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated resulting in violent riots, and the presidential election turned out to be a referendum on the war set against the background of protests and clashes between the public and state authorities. Filmmaker Aaron Sorkin, in his recent historical drama, took an important leaf out of this dramatic year.
‘The trial of Chicago 7’ that was released on Netflix earlier this month is the story of the seven (initially eight) anti-Vietnam war protesters who were charged with conspiracy and inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The film follows the drama that unfolded during the trial of the Chicago 7, on many occasions pulling out dialogues straight from the courtroom as they had been uttered. By the end of the trial, five out of the seven defendants were convicted for inciting riots and all of them were given lengthy sentences for contempt of court. However, in 1972, the convictions were overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the seventh circuit on the ground that the judge was racially and culturally biased in his verdict.
2 episodes