AMERICAN REVOLUTION 2 (DVD)

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Product Description

A heady time of change and chains, the 1960s was defined by a common effort to fight against injustice. And Chicago filmmaker Mike Gray was there, using his camera to document the politics of the streets. AMERICAN REVOLUTION 2 is a rare cinematic treasure that captures the social upheaval that followed the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. From the riots that followed, two disparate groups, the Black Panthers and the Young Patriots (a group of poor Southern whites living in Chicago), emerge to unite against prejudice and injustice in their city. Gray s gritty, no-frills style is spontaneous and purposeful suggesting a you-are-there quality that captures the excitement of the era. Shot verite style, with no script, hand-held camera, direct sound, and natural lighting, the look is rough, raw, and real much like the city it depicted.

• Actors: American Revolution 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language (Original Language): English
• Region Code: 1
• Release Date: 2007-05-22
• Running Time: 76 minutes
• Theatrical Release Date: 1969

Customer Reviews

Reviewed on 2008-03-12 Yes They Could! While doing some personal research on the American Civil Rights movement in the 1960's, I stumbled onto this amazing film. I agree with one of the reviewers that the film is unevenly made but I also agree with the other critic here who said it's great because it throws you into this amazing period point blank. The film opens with incredible and hair raising footage of the infamous Chicago Democratic Convention of 1968. This alone is enough for the 60's addict to get excited about. There are a few sequences following that seemed less centered but it doesn't take long for The Young Patriots to be introduced and from then on this film is electric. This movie is about the formation of the first Rainbow Coalition which would eventually unite blacks, poor whites and latinos against the 1960's police state that was Chicago. We see Black Panther members instructing the poor white Young Patriots in community organizing and we see the poor whites as they put what they've learned into action and demand better treatment from their local police. The real star of this film is Black Panther Bobby Lee- this amazingly talented man is a joy to watch. He makes community organizing into an art form. I loved when he forces the poor whites to focus and verbalize what they actually want. There is kindness, intelligence and love for the family of man in Lee's wise eyes. I couldn't help thinking of Barack Obama and his equally inspiring message of community unity to acheive our goals. It is amazing to see two groups- one militant black and the other poor Southern white- working together. Some of the Young Patriots wore berets with the Confederate Flag on them with Black Panthers sitting next to them and helping them! Can you imagine that happening today? I read an online interview with Lee after watching this film and the interviewer asked him about the Confederate flag business. Lee (as patient and kind as ever) calmly explained how many of the Young Patriots had Klansmen in their families and how far they'd come. He talked about how much he loved those people and how on one occassion the group of whites defended him from police brutality. Also great is the update on Lee. We see that this man is quietly and unselfishly continuing to help others everyday in his community. Hoover may have ended the Panthers but nothing could stop Bobby Lee.

Reviewed on 2007-10-19 Check this out. This Happened in America: This film just begins in the wake of violence and protest at the 1968 Democratic Convention, but it has a very different story to tell. It's set in Old Town, now a posh Chicago neighborhood, when the city is just beginning to set its sights on Old Town for a revitalization project. In 1968 a group of poor whites lived in Old Town who called themselves The Young Patriots. They had come from the Appalachian Mountains and are not shy about calling themselves "hillbillies." Like many poor white southerners they settled into flophouses and cheap apartments (they complain about rents of $140 per month) in Old Town and were often harrassed by the police. These poor whites are trying to connect with other radicalized groups to oppose the theft of their neighborhood by the rich. Some of the most amazing scenes are of meetings, the Young Patriots meeting with left-wing Christians at a Church of the Three Crosses, asking for their help to organize against the police and against capitalism. Recognizing their common plight, these middle-class white Christians and these hillbillies from Kentucky turn to who for wisdom? The Black Panthers. And the panthers, led by Robert E. Lee III, are these gorgeous, statuesque, perfectly disciplined and wonderfully articulate black men and women who are fonts of revolutionary wisdom, telling the whites that marches and demonstrations are a waste of time and that what they need to do is form strong communities that demand equality from the rich, at gunpoint if necessary. This happened in America, an America that America has forgotten, but it was not so long ago. So the Panthers are very impressive. But then there are scenes giving voice to other black men in a South Side pool hall. These black men are saying, essentially, "We've been getting our heads busted by the cops for years but a few white boys get their heads busted and suddenly you're all down here talking about a revolution." And, "What do you care if a cop busts someone's head? I remember you when you were a kid on our street and you were busting people's heads. What do you care if a cop does the same thing?" It's true the film lacks background information and identifications, as another reviewer complained, but that's part of its brilliance. It simply immerses you back in 1968. And then you realize how different this country was just 40 years ago. Radically different.

Reviewed on 2007-07-26 A Rip Off This film is a major disappointment. First, not all of the Special Features listed on the back of the jacket are available on the disk. On that basis alone it is not worth the money and I strongly object to the way it is being promoted. But this film is also seriously flawed. The filmakers just assume that you understand the context of the demonstrations in Chicago in the summer of 1968. There is NO historical background information at all in the film itself with regards to the politics of Vietnan, the COINTELPRO program, the Democratic Convention, etc. No references made to other major events that went down right before the convention that year, i.e, the Tet Offensive, the murders of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, Paris May/June '68, mass demonstrations going on all over the world...none of that is here. Neither is the aftermath: the Chicago 7 Trial is not mentioned at all; neither is the November elections, Nixon's deceptions about have a "secret plan" to end the war. What limited historical context that is provided is to be found in the little booklet that accompanies the film and even that is far from comprehensive. I object to productions where critical information is provided only in an accompanying booklet and then promoted as a Special Feature. That is lame. Special Features should augment a film, not take the place of it. What we end up with is a myopic view of what was going on at the street level and most of that is in the first part of the film where Dick Gregory's active role in the demonstration is the main thing worth watching. Do Not Be Deceived: this is not one long dramatic portrayal of one street demonstration after another. To the contrary, the rest of the film is nothing but meetings meetings meetings where we see the Young Patriots and Black Panthers trying to achieve a semblence of unity -- with limited success. Frankly, it reminds me of the worst of what happens at leftist meetings I used to attend: the pontificating, the strident remarks made, people shouting past each other, some of it barely audible because the sound quality of the recording is inadequate. Some of the louder activists are inaudible because their voices become distorted as they ventilate their spleen. That is why I am irritated when I see the description of this film as a "gritty" portrayal of what went on. Gritty is right. It is a barebones production with all the problems that kind of filmaking has to contend with and few of the positives. This is nothing but inside baseball for people who already have detailed knowledge of Chicago '68; just about worthless for anyone else who is trying to make sense of the '60's. Any redeaming value? The one special feature listed that was actually on the disc is a profile of the young Black Panther organizer Bobby Lee in a Where Are They Now type of featurette called "Organizer" which shows Lee and his brother El Franco Lee in their current political work in Houston, TX where they have been able to make an impact both in municipal government and out on the street. Mainly, this little feature provides some hope for radicals whose revolution died in the early 70's; evidence that some small victories can be achieved at the grassroots level despite the fact that the overall power equation was never altered one whit.

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