Friday,
April 06, 2007
"Sacco and Vanzetti": New
Documentary: Thought Provoking
The
ANNOTICO Report
The
film takes a favorable view of the men's roles as anarchists, casting them
as martyrs.
The
chorus of interviews almost unanimously echo the
sentiment that Sacco and Vanzetti not only failed to receive a fair trial but
also that there is ample evidence to cast reasonable doubt on their guilt.
The
relevant question, is not whether Sacco and Vanzetti
were guilty. The way the justice system in this country is structured, the
question becomes, were they treated as innocent until proven guilty, and
clearly, they were not.
The
film is most effective in drawing parallels to present-day attitudes.
Regardless of your opinion about Sacco and Vanzetti, the documentary will
be thoughtful and thought-provoking.
By
Kevin Crust
Times Staff Writer
April 6, 2007
One of the most controversial events in 20th century U.S. history, the Sacco
and Vanzetti case still rouses the ire of many people nearly 80 years later and
as Peter Miller's detailed new
documentary on the notorious duo demonstrates directly connects to ongoing issues
facing this country.
Simply titled "Sacco and Vanzetti," the 81-minute film contains a
surprising amount of information about the two Italian-born immigrants who were
tried, convicted and executed in
Through interviews with Howard Zinn, Studs Terkel, a host of historians and people with personal
connections to various participants, Miller constructs a fascinating story.
Focusing on Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti's
backgrounds, their flawed journey through the judicial system and the long
shadow the case has thrown, Miller creates a ta ught linear narrative.
The film takes a fairly romantic view of the men's roles as anarchists, casting
them as martyrs. The movie's chorus of interviews almost
unanimously echo the sentiment that Sacco and Vanzetti not only failed
to receive a fair trial but also that there is ample evidence to cast
reasonable doubt on their guilt.
In his documentary feature debut he'd previously earned his leftist bona
fides making a short on "The Internationale"
the director displays the benefit
of his experience working with Ken Burns on such PBS documentaries as
"Frank Lloyd Wright" and the "Jazz" miniseries. Miller uses
a similar approach in breaking up the film's talking heads with visual elements
drawn from newspapers and archival photos.
Miller also takes a page from that style in using Tony Shalhoub
and John Turturro in dramatic readings of letters
written by Sacco and Vanzetti, respectively, while in prison. The readings
humanize the men and lend the docume ntary emotional weight. The pairing, however, has the
unintended effect of suggesting a Coen brothers movie.
Film clips from a 1971 Italian
drama, "Sacco e Vanzetti," and the red-baiting 1942 Henry Fonda film,
"The Male Animal," in which he plays a college professor in jeopardy
for trying to read Sacco and Vanzetti's letters in class are also woven into the narrative. Miller
traces the long-standing attraction the case has had for artists and writers,
inspiring novels, poems, songs and paintings about their plight.
The film is most effective in drawing parallels to present-day attitudes toward
immigrants, the suspension of civil liberties and the death penalty. Regardless
of your opinion about Sacco and Vanzetti, the documentary should prove thoughtful
and thought-provoking.
The relevant question, as historian Mary Anne Trasciatti
points out, is not whether Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty. The way the justice
system in this country is structured, the question becomes, were they treated
as innocent until proven guilty, and clearly, they were not.
kevin.crust@latimes.com
"Sacco and Vanzetti." MPAA rating: Unrated. Running
time: 1 hour, 21 minutes.
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