Film Review: The Weather Underground (Dir. Sam Green, 2004)

This is a fascinating documentary about American revolutionaries who hoped to join a worldwide revolution but only ended up in total irrelevance once the war in Vietnam came to an end. The documentary shows footage of the principals--Bernedine Dohrn, Mark Rudd, and so on--both in the day and today, and includes lots of contemporary reflections by the principals on their actions--not a lot of regrets, though. It is interesting to think that U.S. college students could become violent revolutionaries. None of my students really seem to be likely candidates . . . .

But seriously, definitely worth a look if you're interested in the period in question. The few reflections of Todd Gitlin, SDS president for 1963-64, on how the Weathermen took over SDS and changed the organization, are probably worth the rental price.