With the start of the Democratic National Convention today, it seems a great time revisit a story NPR did back in February about Brett Morgan’s Chicago 10 - a film that uses a archival footage, animation and music to tell the story of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the protesters who were arrested and tried during it.

Up on NPR is an interview where, “Morgen plays court audio recordings from the 1968 trial, rarely heard since the trial. And he explains his film’s title, which echoes an observation from lawyer Jerry Rubin, who recalls that attorneys William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass received contempt sentences in connection with the case.”

Also up is a piece from Fresh Air where they recollect the 1968 convention and play some old awesome audio from the time. Listening to the beginning of the piece, it’s hard to imagine something like this being able to happen today - even with the similarities between the times.

Read the rest of this entry »

by Bryan Stamp

Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?

Sometimes our political candidates act like actors and celebrities, and sometimes they actually are. But often we are only left with our imagination to explore the landscape of a country led by politicians as portrayed in the movies and TV.  During this time of national politicking,  I am inspired to write a little something about of my favorite “election films” for two reasons: The first is by the films SWING VOTE and the upcoming DVD release of Participant Media’s own documentary CHICAGO 10, and the second is by an All Thing’s Considered segment called, In Election Movies, Playing By A Rule of Three.

Bob Mondello keenly observes this genre of films as a sub-genre of “political films” with it’s own sub-set of three types of electoral manipulation:

… movies with a generically political bent come in all shapes and styles, election movies are almost always about process — specifically, about efforts to manipulate either (a) the media, and thereby the public, (b) the candidate or (c) the process itself.

The most famous examples are THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, BOB ROBERTS, PRIMARY COLORS, THE BEST MAN and THE CANDIDATE. Bob Mondello and Michelle Norris discuss these and others, including the lesser known Capra/Tracy/Hepburn film STATE OF THE UNION. And WAG THE DOG, which doesn’t really follow and election or candidacy, but it’s a damn fine movie (smartly adapted by David Mamet from a more ambitious book). Nothing about THE CONTENDER though, which isn’t a perfect film and not exactly about an election/campaign, but certainly worth a mention (especially in this post-Hillary era). All of these films intersect with real life (by imitating it or influencing it) either at the time of their making or later.

Read the rest of this entry »

A complex portrait of the people and organizations that all converged in Seattle in 1999, Stuart Townsend’s Battle in Seattle has all the ingredients of a necessary film that could inspire social action. From what I can tell in the trailer, it appears as thought the activists are painted in a positive light and the tiny clip of the cops in Chicago 1968 that appears at the beginning gives me hope that the film will also explore the cops actions in an honest way.

Read the rest of this entry »

The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

TakePart Gang:

Arrested in Development by Wendy Cohen

Is Google Making Us Dumber? by Blair Golson

* * *

Nicole Hughes:

Top 5 Ways to Green Your July 4th

Greenopia: Eco-Guides For Your City

* * *

Andy Kondrat:

Hypermiling Contest Winner Gets 124 Miles to the Gallon

Rise in Fuel Prices May Lead to Dirtier Energy Sources

* * *

Jon Popham:

Red Tide in Yellow Sea Threatens Olympics

Mercedes-Benz Ditching Gasoline Cars by 2015

* * *

Giulia Rozzi:

46664 Concert: Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela

Denise Richards Likes to Share

* * *

Gina Telaroli:

Top 10 Movies for the 4th of July: For Patriots and Cynics!

The Radical and Beautiful Journey of Wall-E

When you aren’t busy grilling or watching fireworks you should definitely check out one of our Top 10 Movies for the 4th of July. Our list is perfect for both patriots and cynics as it showcases films that both celebrate the history of our country, sometimes question it and also highlight a need for change. Let us know if we missed your favorite and enjoy! Also be sure to check out our 4th of July TakePart links below:

takepart to support the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wars this Independence Day.

takepart to learn how you can Take Action to encourage others to vote and speak their peace.

takepart to help keep the internet independent this Independence Day - Save the Internet!

______

10. Election Day : A verite look at election day 2004 and how we vote in this country. With the upcoming election this film brings to light much that we should be discussing about what it means to be American. Also it premieres on PBS tonight : http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/electionday/

Read the rest of this entry »

A meditation on youth, counter-culture and the system, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point (1969) is something to be seen. I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen last night - which is the only way to really experience the film (I think). That being said, the trailer is pretty awesome, even YouTube sized:

It has an ending that may not sit well with some, and a scene of mad desert love making that might be off putting as well, but with the times of today mirroring the times of the film, it couldn’t be more relevant.

Read the rest of this entry »

In England, a man recently got hassled about having a “camera license” when he tried to take photos of a woman turning on her Christmas lights:

After explaining he[Phil Smith] didn’t need one, he was taken down a side-street for a formal “stop and search”, then asked to delete the photos and ordered not take any more. So he slunk home with his camera.

“People were still taking photos with mobile phones and pocket cameras, so maybe it was because mine looked like a professional camera with a flash on top,” he says.

Read the rest of this entry »

Check out People.com for actress Natalie Portman’s 30-second public-service announcement encouraging people to get out and vote. In the video Portman says “voting is our most powerful weapon.”

Right on Natalie!

Portman’s non-partisan PSA focuses on the importance of participating in the democratic process. In conjunction with the new documentary Chicago 10, about protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the PSA directs viewers to our site, Takepart.com. So and join Takepart’s network and voice your political views and concerns on the forum.

Inspired by TakePart’s PSAs on voting the issues? Have you already made your Chicago 10 clip, but still have more to say to America about how you would vote, and why? Link TV’s Dear American Voter Project allows you to speak out and be heard regarding your thoughts on the coming presidential election in the form of a short video letter. Not an American citizen? Not a problem. Link TV encourages international submissions as well so that folks abroad can let Americans to know how US foreign policy affects their daily lives.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nicole did a great blog post about Takepart’s “I am Voting For..” campaign that got me a little curious about some of the other videos folks have made about the issues that are important to them. They’re all great, but I was really struck by Bradley Whitford’s video:

I think what stood out for me was when he said “Really, I’m voting for hearts and minds, think about it.”

Beyond being really great, that quote got me to thinking about a film actually called Hearts and Minds:

Read the rest of this entry »