Chicago 10
(2007/Paramount DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: C+
The story
of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the crazy protests in Chicago
that took place (helping Nixon win the White House perhaps) can never be told
enough. It is a tale of suppression by
violence, breaking the law and civil disobedience that (along with Kent State)
remind us of how bad things once were in the U.S. that smart people had to take
drastic actions to make a point, even when they went overboard. You cannot tell the tale enough and with
enough detail, which is what Brett Morgan’s pastiche project Chicago 10 (2007) wants to convey.
The
feature-length exercise mixes archival footage, film, analog video, audio and
the rotoscoping that tells the tale, offers the new voices of Hank Azaria,
Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Wright and the
late, great Roy Scheider to retell the tale of the conflict and how not only
were all the laws of the land thrown our the door in police state style, but how
the title men were explicitly targeted by the U.S. government as much for what
they said (which was not always confrontational by any means) because (at best)
their progressive views and humorous attitude were a threat to an imagined
conformity that was crumbling as Vietnam and worse raged. It would only get worse with Nixon.
Though
ambitious, using a new style and new technology (digital rotoscoping) seems to
run counter with the times the events took place in and the experience of what
that time was, but some are bound to find the approach workable and the fact
have not been mutilated, so the result is above average and worth a look. If you know the history, you might find some
of this trying, though.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image’s mix of archival footage, film, analog
video, likely some HD and the rotoscoping that is uneven in ways that are
edited to both advantage and disadvantage.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is flat and uneven, mixing the new voiceovers
with vintage audio and editing that can be awkward. Extras include previews and a Remix Video
from a contest that never adds up.
- Nicholas Sheffo
