| Photos (see all 9 | slideshow) | Videos |
| Billy Ayers | ... | Himself (also archive footage) (as Bill Ayers) | |
| Kathleen Cleaver | ... | Herself (also archive footage) | |
| Bernadine Dohrn | ... | Herself (also archive footage) (as Bernardine Dohrn) | |
| Brian Flanagan | ... | Himself (also archive footage) | |
| David Gilbert | ... | Himself (also archive footage) | |
| Todd Gitlin | ... | Himself | |
| Fred Hampton | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Abbie Hoffman | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Naomi Jaffe | ... | Herself (also archive footage) | |
| Martin Luther King | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Jim Lange | ... | Additional voice-over (voice) | |
| Timothy Leary | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Charles Manson | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Walter Mondale | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| James Robison | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Mark Rudd | ... | Himself (also archive footage) | |
| Don Strickland | ... | Himself | |
| Lili Taylor | ... | Narrator (voice) | |
| Evan White | ... | Additional voice-over (voice) | |
| Laura Whitehorn | ... | Herself (also archive footage) | |
| Pamela Z | ... | Narrator (voice) | |
| Fidel Castro | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Jane Fonda | ... | Herself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Gerald Ford | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Billy Graham | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Dustin Hoffman | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Richard Nixon | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Ronald Reagan | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Evelle Younger | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Mao Zedong | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Sam Green | |||
| Bill Siegel | |||
Produced by | |||
| Christian Ettinger | .... | executive producer | |
| Sam Green | .... | producer | |
| Mary Harron | .... | executive producer | |
| Carrie Lozano | .... | producer | |
| Sue Ellen McCann | .... | executive producer | |
| Bill Siegel | .... | producer | |
| Marc Smolowitz | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| David Cerf | (as Dave Cerf) | ||
| Amy Domingues | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Andrew Black | |||
| Andy Black | |||
| Federico Salsano | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Sam Green | |||
| Dawn Logsdon | |||
Sound Department | |||
| Steve La Fayette | .... | sound mixer: Chicago | |
| Andre Philippenko | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| David Westby | .... | sound mixer | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Herbert H. Bennett | .... | colorist | |
| Angela Reginato | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| David Cerf | .... | music editor (as Dave Cerf) | |
| Amy Domingues | .... | music editor | |
| Brooke Wentz | .... | music supervisor | |
| Bob Massey | .... | composer: original music (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Lindsay Anderson | .... | production assistant | |
| Jason Cohn | .... | production assistant | |
| Lindsay Dellas | .... | production assistant | |
| Charlotte Gutierrez | .... | production assistant | |
| Sarah Harbin | .... | production assistant | |
| Sarah Harbin | .... | researcher | |
| David Harris | .... | production assistant | |
| Terry L. James | .... | digital film transfer | |
| John Lithgow | .... | production assistant | |
| Sarah Marx | .... | production assistant | |
| Guy Morrison | .... | archival footage assistance | |
| Kenn Rabin | .... | archival footage assistance | |
| Sara Sculley | .... | production assistant | |
Thanks | |||
| Guy Morrison | .... | acknowledgment: archival footage provided by | |
| Kenn Rabin | .... | acknowledgment: archival footage provided by | |
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| Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army | Underground | The War at Home | Berkeley in the Sixties | Winter Soldier |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Documentary section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
A friend of mine wrote:
"I have a very sparse knowledge of (The Weather Underground's) particular historical context. My interest here is more in terms of how the film was put together, what the archival footage and interviews with former Weathermen members NOW reveals to us about their sentiments, their motivations, their actions."
My sentiments exactly. Like the above well put thought piece, I foresee others more eloquent than myself will lavish raves (or rants) on The Weather Underground. Love it or hate it, you decide. That said, I shall post here, my expanded take.
There is an incredibly balanced portrayal of these people in The Weather Underground. Though objectivity is arguably frown upon in documentaries, this film worked for me. For it allowed me to understand the information presented (Yes, I am just as ignorant about 60s/70s American history) and it helped me in making my own conclusion.
This documentary shed interesting light on its subjects. The Weathermen failed in their radical movement. However turbulent that time and place might have been, the corresponding violence initiated by this splinter group did not contribute as much to the winding down of the Vietnam War, as did the natural progression of other events. Ironically, the continual pacifistic action from "the rest" arguably effected more of a shift in that period's socio politics (albeit gradually) than these radicals could ever accomplish.
One telling line from Mark Rudd, one of the movement's members said:
"I cherished my hate as a badge of moral superiority"
Therein lies the danger.
When smart, idealistic (more often than not, good intentioned as well) individuals share this belief that they stand on a higher moral ground, that they have a greater, grander purpose in their "calling", they'd willingly go to any lengths in pursuit of their causes. As a result, as one other interviewee put it, extreme violent actions would be considered. Ordinary human lives would ultimately become dispensable. Ergo, the seeds for terrorism has been planted. Mass Murderers are borne out of this ideological conceit.
This cinematic thesis also suggested the generalised "hippie" movement of the 60's/ 70's slapped the faces of the Left real hard. It torn apart the fabric of the nation. Its unachieveable idealism when intermingled with the "violent" dynamics of that turbulent period (Vietnam, Drugs, Hedonism, Multiple Assassinations of Cult of Personalities, Watergate etc) brought about disenchantment and despair. As a result, the pendulum swung and many people ran towards the Right for comfort, denial, escapism and a combination of these mixed feelings.... It gave us Olivia Newton John, Rambo, Ronald Reagan and Jane Fonda - The 80's (yikes).
I am actually quite glad the film ended on an optimistic note. These arguably misguided Weathermen brought with them enormous personal baggages all these years. Yet throughout this film, they were candid about their ideology and reflective about their frailties. Contrary to our natural expectations, these "failures" did not become jaded human beings. They moved on from this checkered past. They continued living their lives. One of them even won Jeopardy (Don't ask).
All in, their humanity shone through.
The Weathermen fought Da Man, and lost. Their strategies might not have been better thought out. Their continuous radical activities might have played into the hands of sophisticated government spin doctors. They might have lost steam due to gradually realising their movement's futility. Yes, their follies were explored abundantly in this movie. But their thoughts and actions were guided by the confusion of those turbulent times (however ironic this last sentence might have sounded). All in, their hearts were in the right place.
On the other hand, if we look beyond the talking heads and read between the lines, we would realise that the questions raised in The Weather Underground are just as relevant today. About 50000 American Soldiers died in the Vietnam War, millions more Vietnamese perished. Who holds more destructive powers? The Weathermen or their "enemy"? Who then were the mass murderers? Look at Iraq today, Afghanistan the day before and Bosnia before that.
Who then are the mass murderers?
In closing, I guess all should know that History is written by the victors. This cinematic document about the "losers" is hence IMO, a most important piece of work. It demands a wider audience and need be accorded higher archival priority than something as insidiously engineered and time wasting as The Fog of War.
For we have much more to learn from this Oscar losing flick.