As a child in San Francisco, The Weather Underground was a name in the news that would pop up along with The Black Panthers, SLA & Yippies. Unlike other political rockstars, The Weathermen were enigmatic and now I know why: No one knew who they were or their motivations. Merely a series of scattered bombs and proclamations of political protest. It was the early 70's with war, Nixon, drugs and revolution in the songs and the headlines. I was a young boy attempting to make sense of this crazy era.
The core of the film is getting to know the central agitators, what it meant to 'go underground' and most importantly, how the intellect of each member developed, justified purpose and later reconciled the acts committed. <Is it possible to spoil a doc? If so don't read the next sentences> All but one have realized the folly of their method. Curiously that one man is currently serving a 75 year prison term for an armored car robbery that left two dead. The others now pursue honorable lives of teaching and advocacy. And one owns a bar in NY.
I left feeling melancholy. The illegal FBI surveillance, government led assassinations, the heisted CoIntelPro files and the useless pursuit of bombings. Without family, reward or recognition, when the Viet Nam War ended so did any purpose. All for naught. The Revolution was over along with any viable political career track. The Weathermen lost and the message seems to be they never had much prospect of traction. A misguided venture that left them empty.
One of them says the American people are taught that violence is the product of a criminal or sick mind. The Weather Underground were deemed as both. Surprisingly no one outside the group was ever killed. With Reagan came time to turn themselves in and go legit.
I saw this in the same week as "Fog of War" the Robert McNamara monologue. If you can handle two deeply political docs back to back, makes for a superb examination of War and the mentalities that drive and oppose. Two sides of the same coin and just about as close.
The core of the film is getting to know the central agitators, what it meant to 'go underground' and most importantly, how the intellect of each member developed, justified purpose and later reconciled the acts committed. <Is it possible to spoil a doc? If so don't read the next sentences> All but one have realized the folly of their method. Curiously that one man is currently serving a 75 year prison term for an armored car robbery that left two dead. The others now pursue honorable lives of teaching and advocacy. And one owns a bar in NY.
I left feeling melancholy. The illegal FBI surveillance, government led assassinations, the heisted CoIntelPro files and the useless pursuit of bombings. Without family, reward or recognition, when the Viet Nam War ended so did any purpose. All for naught. The Revolution was over along with any viable political career track. The Weathermen lost and the message seems to be they never had much prospect of traction. A misguided venture that left them empty.
One of them says the American people are taught that violence is the product of a criminal or sick mind. The Weather Underground were deemed as both. Surprisingly no one outside the group was ever killed. With Reagan came time to turn themselves in and go legit.
I saw this in the same week as "Fog of War" the Robert McNamara monologue. If you can handle two deeply political docs back to back, makes for a superb examination of War and the mentalities that drive and oppose. Two sides of the same coin and just about as close.