The Camden 28

Just saw this the other evening at Cinema Village in New York and was floored.

I expected an informative and mildly boring doc about a forgotten chapter in the history of the American left. That's not what the film was at all. It was surprising and fascinating, and the entire theater was clearly riveted from start to finish; seeing it felt closer to the electricity of "Capturing the Friedmans" than the historical fare I expected ("The Weather Underground", for example, was interesting but not compelling in the way that "The Camden 28" is). At the end, the audience burst into applause, and I heard several couples chatter about how they must get their friends to see it.

Through the lens of a trial in New Jersey of mostly Catholic anti-war protesters, including several priests, the film connects gracefully and powerfully to broader questions of war, courage, honesty and loyalty. It does this all the more powerfully by giving different sides their say and resisting heavy-handedness.

Most remarkably, it does all this not through lecturing, but through remarkable first-person accounts and dramatic direction that makes the film gripping and irresistible. And there's even a twist that elicited gasps from the audience when I saw it.

I understand the film is airing on PBS on Sept. 11th, 2007. I strongly recommend that people go see it in New York if possible, and to watch it on PBS.

Coming from a conservative Christian background, I don't think I ever equated the idea of Catholics or Liberals with extremism.

The group at the heart of this film was just that: Liberal Catholic Extremists. Some saw them as heroes and maybe some still do. I disagree. In spite of that however, the real shocker of this film wasn't anything done by them. The incident which is central to this film was just one of many that took place around the country. But what happened in Camden was a turning point.

With all the questions swirling around the Bush administration (was there really plausible justification to go to war with Iraq?); we have to ask just how far are government officials willing to go to get what they want? This particular slice of history, The Camden 28 still resonates today.

This was an outstanding documentary that tells the story of a handful of Catholic priests and other anti-war protesters who broke into a draft board office in New Jersey to destroy files.

What I liked best about the film was how fair the documentary was to both sides of the story. This was not one of those films that tells you what to think on a subject, rather it lets you decide for yourself.

It was a subject that could have been dull in the wrong hands, but was engrossing throughout. Most interesting is the vast amount of vintage photos and audio shown on screen. The makers did a lot of research, and this shows.

There is also a great "twist" that shows up about halfway through the film. It really surprised me and the audience I saw it with.

If you get a chance to watch this, don't miss it!