The Chicago 10

I heard an intriguing interview with Brett Morgen, the director of the new documentary, Chicago 10.

It is a documentary about the protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and the ensuing trial of the "Chicago 10" who were charged with, among other things, inciting riot. It is a different take on the documentary form. The trial portions are animated with voice actors reading from the trial's transcripts. It contains contemporary music and gives hardly any political context to the 1968 convention. The historian in me bristles at the notion that a documentary wouldn't put the appropriate historical context of its subject, but Morgen explains in the interview that he is seeking to make the documentary relevant to today versus a history lesson.

I haven't been able to see a movie in the theater since nearly a year, but I hope to catch this one.

Pete Seeger

This interesting documentary on Pete Seeger will air on PBS on February 27. Seeger is one of the giants of American folk music. He was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee, to whom he refused to answer questions. (He did offer to talk about the meaning of his songs about peace, freedom, and non-violence.)