Berkeley in the Sixties

UPC: 720229910361

Studio: First Run Features

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:null

Summary: Berkeley in the Sixties takes a fond, if not always loving, look back at the epicenter of leftist political activism during the seventh decade of the 20th century. The free speech movement caught national attention in 1964 when the University of California tried to suppress activists distributing literature and making speeches in an outdoor plaza on campus. On December 3, Governor Edmund "Pat" Brown ordered the arrest of demonstrators who had occupied the University's Sproul Hall; over 1,500 protestors were taken into custody in what was then the largest mass arrest in U.S. history. The escalation of the Vietnam War kept the winds of dissent blowing in Berkeley, and TV coverage of the 1964 demonstrations and subsequent clashes with the police fueled similar protests on other campuses. Off-campus, Berkeley was also home to a strong chapter of the Black Panther Party, which offered a more violent alternative to the established civil rights organizations. Vintage clips of the demonstrations and official reactions to them from Brown and his successor, Ronald Reagan, are supplemented by contemporary interviews with activists and observers who offer both reminiscences of and perspectives on the period. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

Category: History [nf]

Awards: Best Documentary Feature – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Audience Award – Sundance Film Festival

Features: Archival gems
Deleted scenes
Archival photo gallery
Original theatrical trailer
Trailer gallery
Chapters
Newly remastered

Berkeley in the Sixties

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 12/10/2002

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Runtime: 117 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. An Opening: Huac Demonstrations, 1960 [5:02]
2. Origins of Movement [4:33]
3. Civil Rights [4:24]
4. The Free Speech Movement - 1964 [13:12]
5. Stopping the Machine [13:25]
6. "War, What War?" [9:55]
7. "The Mess at Berkeley" [1:56]
8. The Rise of a Counter-Culture [8:58]
9. From Protest to Resistance - 1967 [11:21]
10. The Black Panthers [9:38]
11. Revolution in the Air [9:51]
12. People's Park - 1969 [4:13]
13. "...As Far as We Could Go" [8:36]
14. Epilogue & Credits [3:26]

Tom Wiener

Taking a cue from Warren Beatty's Reds, director Mark Kitchell seasons clips of the 1960s protests at the University of California with current-day interviews with assorted activists, musicians (Country Joe and the Fish's Barry Melton, who went on to become a lawyer), and other observers -- in effect, his own equivalent of Beatty's collection of leftist "witnesses." Unfortunately, Mario Savio, the lightning rod for the first round of free speech demonstrations, does not take the stand for Kitchell's inquiry. This is history written mainly by the opposition; officials such as the University's Clark Kerr and the two governors involved, Edmund "Pat" Brown and Ronald Reagan, are seen only in the historical clips. Kitchell's sympathies are clear, but this is not a one-sided interpretation. Some of the witnesses are willing to admit to tactical errors and a full measure of youthful hubris, though they're in agreement on the subject of official overreaction to the protests, particularly from Reagan. His spirit hovers over this film, which was released in the warm afterglow of his popular presidency. Kitchell was certainly not riding a wave of nostalgia for the '60s, which during the Reagan and Bush presidencies became regarded as the era in which America lost its way. That makes the accomplishment of this clear-eyed historical document all the more impressive. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Mark Kitchell  Director 
Mark Kitchell  Producer 
Mark Kitchell  Screenwriter 
Mario Savio  Actor 
Clark Kerr  Actor 
Joan Baez  Actor 
Allen Ginsberg  Actor 
Bobby Seale  Actor 
Barry Melton  Actor 

Country: USA