Action: The October Crisis of 1970

The beginning is very confusing. The first, about, 15 minutes was a lot of riot footage from different riots, and it was rather difficult to follow the transitions as the whole timeline was laid out with the necessary background information on the actual event. It was about a half hour into the movie that I finally understood what the Crisis in question was, although I question it being called the October crisis as the one kidnapping victim was missing for about 2 months and the other acts of terrorism went on for months before that. So perhaps I still missed that detail. For the most part the video made sense and could be followed, but there were some transitions - especially at the beginning - that I had to stop and go back and was maybe still a little confused about the timeline. Overall, I gathered that this video was covering a very messy time in Quebec and Canadian history, so it is not surprising that there was a lot to cover and not a great way to go about it. I get also get the sense that it would be more impactful if you could at least read, if not speak, French as well as English. That is likely true for most stories or anything with Quebec though. This video is entirely worth watching if you have any interest in Quebec or all of Canadian History. I have said a couple times that it was a little hard to follow, but I am confident I understood the majority of it, and the main points are shocking to someone with, mostly, only a stereotype understanding of Canada. It is saddening, but also humbling in a way. In a way I feel that it offered an unfortunately relatable view of Canadian politics. Like the idea that Canada could have such acts of pure terrorism inflicted on them by their own citizens makes it seem like Canada has more in common with the rest of the world. Which is unfortunate since in some ways I viewed them as a better than that before, but a country is made up of individuals who always come in a spectrum.

The October Crisis of 1970 I would rate this film a 6 out of 10 stars. I would give it less, however I tried to consider that the film was produced in 1974 and thus had it's limitations. The October crisis of 1970 is a documentary that tries to tell the story of the FLQ, a Canadian terrorist group in Quebec. It follows the group from it's early forming through the kidnapping of two prominent politicians. It tells of a time when the charter of rights in Canada was suspended citing the need for security around the nation. The Documentary was overall hard to follow. It took quite a bit of rewinding to get exactly what was being said. This could be because the event in history was confusing and scary for the people experiencing it, but I personally would not have taken a creative move like that. The narration didn't help matters much. It was very lack luster. Everything was said with the same tone and speed. It would have been much better if the narration had shown some of the emotion that was running through the film. There were no clear section breaks or transitions to help the viewer comprehend what they were watching. The speed of the film was a bit shaky, starting of slow and then gaining speed like a snowball as it got farther along. Slowing down the film, adding more subtitles, and section breaks would make the film a bit easier to understand. The film did have a few good notes. It offered perspective from multiple different views of the incident. It also makes good use of the existing video and audio of the event. The series of events that make the October crisis were important events that needed to be written about. If the video were updated and remade today, I think that it would be more effective as a teaching tool.

Rating 9/10 The October Crisis tells the tale of a tumultuous time in the history of Canada, a populist uprising in Montreal, tensions worn thin against a new radical but legitimate political party that threatens to secede and a small but dangerous group of young "visionaries" take the stage in what is a well crafted and thoughtful retelling of the events that took place in the days of October of 1970. The impressive collection of first hand footage, and detailed analysis of the events as they happened,along with commentary from survivors and involved persons exemplifies great journalism and is complimented by an equal class of cinematography. The little known tale of Canada's experience with terrorism and civil strife. The impressive design of the film is the expanding view of events, starting with the tensions and political happenings then expanding to the reactions of Canadians, and French Canadians. The story is balanced giving both sides a reasonable explanation. It is historically accurate and does not serve as a dramatization or inflation of any events, it tells and shows with footage where available all of the events, their locations and aftermath. The story is told such that it attracts and holds onto one attention and keeps it for most of the film. I do find it shocking at the end, the kidnappers are allowed easy passage to Cuba in only short negotiations and there has been no attempt to pursue them, at least in the time scale of the films production. The interviews and recordings from interviewed Politicians, police and other involved in the crisis added a human element to the story and further improved its marks. Some issues with the film were the dry voice overs were somewhat hard to listen to after a time. They discussion was valuable but eh audio quality was lacking in some parts.

Okay so this was a very informative movie/documentary. It had a very old feeling to it, but it is a little older so that's to be expected. I'm in this history of Canada course and going with stereotypical Canadian beliefs; I assumed Canadians were always just calm and collected but this proved me 100% wrong! Quebec was not only like the major role player but it (depending on how you look at it) was also the only problem. Those in Quebec wanted to just save their tradition of having French apart of their daily lives but the English was slowly taking over and with my mindset I thought those who were opposed would be peaceful. Ummm no, those separatists were blowing stuff up, angry because of change and when the queen shows up, game over. The thing that caught me off guard was how a politician can just up and say, "Canada is going through a major crisis!" How can you just know that? I mean sure there's a REALLY big issue going on and he was right, but to call it that early? I'm a bit suspicious. Regardless of that, if Trudeau was being labeled as a traitor for wanting new and bringing in English ways why not take a more..political approach and not a toddler approach? Kidnapping people? Starting riots? Killing police officers? I was appalled at how the police were beating the opposers like it's the 50's in America. This was a very opinion-changing event for me, seeing the ACTUAL footage of this happening. I understand the Queboicois wanting to withstand by their views but going to the extremes that they did was uncalled for. With that said I would recommend this for anyone wanting to get some deep insight into the rather history of Canada we don't really see, nor does Canada really broadcast. I now know that Canada is just as American as I assumed, they were, things don't go your way? Push forward and ask questions later.

The FLQ October Crisis 1970 film is, for lack of a better word, boring. The fact that the film is in black and white is of no issue, in fact FLQ October Crisis 1970 is very pleasing to look at and watch. The video compilation presented many scenes that are fun to watch and is intriguing to see the historical context of that time. Seeing the protest, conferences, and speakers during this time really sells the message that the video is trying to get across, and shows how important the political scene in Canada was during this time. However, the narration of this film destroys any enjoyment that one might have watching this film. The narration is so monotone that it makes a metronome sound like its playing a Beethoven symphony. The Narration could put a person with insomnia to sleep. If this was shown in a high school class, everyone, without a doubt, would be asleep including the teacher. If you can get past the narration, the information presented in the film is very informative and interesting. It outlines the political turmoil in Canada during the time wished to be independent. The biggest point of the film is the differences between several political parties and the struggles that followed suite due to these struggles. The film presents many interview from both sides that seemed pretty heated giving the film a slight edge that is dulled by the narration once more. Overall, I would not recommend this film. Although the information in the film is presented in a unique way, the narration makes this film not worth the watch. There is without a doubt, a better way to learn the information presented in this film. Given all these parameters, I would rate FLQ October Crisis 1970 a 4/10.