Berkeley in the Sixties

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C+     Film: B

 

 

The Civil Rights movements of the 1960s had been marginalized in disturbing ways since the 1980s, only to see an unprecedented resurgence recently with post-9/11 global politics. Neo-conservatives thought that by pretending something like the civil rights movement never occurred, the desire to protest would simply disappear.  As recent protests prove, no matter what their point or what they had to say, they were wrong!

 

Though the media keeps avoiding the issue of civil rights in place of a presenting the war as if it were just another shallow reality TV series, Berkeley in the Sixties reminds us vividly of the beginning of original Conservatism’s last stand.  It also inadvertently explains why Neo-Conservatism has become more and more extreme in retrospect, no matter how this work ages.  We see how a hardball approach backfired as Vietnam was setting in.  Also, we see how many brave people were putting their lives and future on the line to make changes that needed to happen.  This is one of the best political documentaries to date that will hopefully get more viewers thanks to the popularity of Bowling For Columbine (reviewed elsewhere on this site).

 

The documentary consists of new interviews and archival footage, though they could not fit all the material that could have or should have been edited in.  As a result, like all documentaries, the picture quality varies throughout.  The interviews were shot on analog PAL video, since is has practically the same frame rate as sound motion picture film.  The result is a strange mix of new video that looks fresher, but not as sharp or clear as the old film footage.  Of course, the old film is not always in pristine condition, but that is not a problem here since the subject is so interesting.  The program is presented full-screen.

 

The sound is Dolby Digital 2.0 that vies between older mono and newer simple stereo.  The quality varies, as one would also expect from any such documentary, but the newer interviews are recorded with a solid clarity.  There is intermittent sound trouble throughout on older clips, like hiss, humming, compression, a bit of warping in the sound, as well as a few audible drop-outs in the volume level.

 

There is a great set of extras clips here.  Seven deleted scenes (46:48 in all) features longer versions of what appears in the film and should have stayed.  Eleven archival clips of great interest (14:35) are added that would not quite fit into the body of the film.  The extended section gives more details about planning of the protests; specific strategies not reveled in the original release, more revealing interviews, and more unbelievable surprises about said events.  There are also a section of 28 stills, a trailer for the picture, and additional trailers for 42 Up, Fighter, and The Trials Of Henry Kissinger.

 

Interviewees include Joan Baez, Ronald Reagan, Jack Weinberg, Jentri Anders, John Gage, Frank Bardacke, Jackie Goldberg, Michael Rossman, John Searle, Suzy Nelson, Ruth Rosen, Bobby Seale, David Hilliard, Hardy Frye, Barry Melton, Mike Miller, Susan Griffin, Mario Savio, Clark Kerr, Allen Ginsberg, and Huey Newton.  The main program was Edited by Veronica Selver, Cinematography by Stephen Lighthill, A.S.C., Produced and Directed by Mark Kitchell.

 

The DVD offers extras that expand the documentaries’ points and values.  Had the longer version of the film been issued instead, it could have had a larger impact.  In total, a very good program could have been brilliant.  This is why the DVD is so great, since it offers an interactive opportunity to expand a painstakingly constructed work to begin with.

 

This makes Berkeley In The Sixties one of the best documentaries on DVD yet, taking advantage of the format to go beyond the original program.  The extras only expand its archival value and communicative reach.  Let’s hope more documentaries on DVD follow this example.  With civil liberties more in jeopardy than ever, this film is a must see for how incredibly effective it is in examining these matters.

 

 

- Nicholas Sheffo