Kent State (TV 1981)

Based on the true story of the student protests at Kent State University in Ohio. This film focuses on the four students who were killed when the National Guard attempted to quell the riots... See full summary »

Director:

James Goldstone

Writers:

Gerald Green (teleplay), Joseph Kelner (book),

Stars:

Jane Fleiss, Charley Lang, Talia Balsam

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fleiss	...	Allison Krause
Charley Lang	...	Barry Levine
Talia Balsam	...	Sandy Scheuer
Keith Gordon	...	Jeff Miller
Jeff McCracken	...	Bill Schroeder
Peter Miner	...	Robbie
Michael Higgins	...	Professor Glenn Frank
John Getz	...	Professor Ted Arnold
Michael Horton	...	Cody
Ann Gillespie	...	Sharon
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Professor Warren
Roxanne Hart	...	Jean Arnold
Steve Beauchamp	...	Scooter
David VandeBrake	...	Chip
David Marshall Grant	...	Tom

Storyline

Based on the true story of the student protests at Kent State University in Ohio. This film focuses on the four students who were killed when the National Guard attempted to quell the riots that began on May 4, 1970, after President Nixon announced that American troops would begin bombing the heretofore neutral country of Cambodia.

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Plot Keywords:

riot | nixon | 1970s | national guard | university | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tod auf dem Campus

Filming Locations:

Gadsden State College, Gadsden, Alabama, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Inter Planetary, Keller Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene in which the ROTC building was burned had to be reshot, because the original fire got out of control. That meant the ROTC facade had to be rebuilt in two days.

User Reviews

Required Viewing

Wow.

I remember this movie; another comment on the IMDb pointed out how this should be required viewing for students, and I actually DID see this film in high school, several years ago. It stuck with me, though for some reason it never occurred to me to look it up on the IMDb-- I found it quite by accident.

The movie did a great job of establishing the characters and the time, though kind of tipped its hand as to the fates of these main characters. One scene sticks out in my memory as a professor gives a short speech about Gus Flaubert, to an empty classroom-- I mean, it's not supposed to be empty, the students are supposed to be implied, but it's a TV movie so I guess they couldn't afford extras that day.

Anyway. Things can get pretty crazy in a heated political climate; with all the hate and anger being spewed by Fox News commentators toward Liberal America, this film is still a sobering reminder of the mistrust certain cultures in America have for others, and when that's met with violence, there are terrible consequences. This film isn't the most technically well-made (it was a TV-movie after all), but is still required viewing until someone has the vision, and the courage, to make the film we so desperately need.