Anarchism In America (Documentary Double Feature)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Films: B-

 

 

AK Press is back with a double feature.  Anarchism In America features two documentaries from about 1980 by Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher.  The first is Anarchism In America, which traces the history of those who wanted the idea of a country without a government; an impossibility because all civilizations need some kind of organization.  Communism is roughly playing on that idea too, but forget it.

 

It is interesting to hear these ideas and think of how they can and ultimately cannot work, but part of the point is simply to dare to think of such possibilities that could lead to other actual improvements or solutions to the worlds woes.  It concludes with The Dead Kennedys and runs 75 minutes.  The Free Voice of Labor: The Jewish Anarchists marks the end of an 87-year-old newspaper that was by and about Jewish anarchists.  Between the rise of Fascism and constant anti-Semitism, you can imagine why this kind of position would come out of some part of this community as well as why Christian extremists tried to label Jews “communists”, though these anarchists did not like communists either.  It unravels a mindset also considered too subversive, backed by a religion that makes the movement more formidable, but could not ultimately make the case for country without government.  It runs 55 minutes.

 

The 1.33 x 1 image for both were shot on film, but these are dated and even muddy analog transfers.  Maybe part of the anarchy here is poor picture quality, but all it serves to do is make everything including the politics more distant.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also a few generations down and sometimes hard to hear.  There are no extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo