Attica: A Rebelião Sangrenta

Great movie if you're looking to get the facts about what actually happened during the Attica Prison Riot in 1971. But the writers were obviously so concerned with being fair and accurate that they forgot about stuff like drama, action, and humor, and atmosphere.

The only entertaining thing about this movie is that the casting is all over the map. Morgan Freeman is slotted perfectly into his usual role -- the dignified, thoughtful older black man who desperately wants to keep the young bloods from doing anything foolish. He found a role that worked for him, and even though he's quite young in this picture he plays the part like a man decades older.

At the other extreme is Anthony Zerbe, wildly miscast as hippy lawyer William Kunstler. A long time friend and collaborator of Charlton Heston's, Zerbe is best remembered today for his chilling portrayal of "Brother" Matthias, a freaked out mutant cult leader in the science fiction classic THE OMEGA MAN. Now the irony is that Zerbe brilliantly underplayed Matthias' psychotic mania, giving him an urbane, civilized air even as he was trying to roast Charlton Heston alive. Yet here, as a hippy lawyer who believes in peace and brotherhood, Zerbe chews the scenery and rolls his eyes incessantly, as though grooving on his own righteousness. It's hilarious, but not very convincing.

Young David Harris plays T.J. He's the gullible young black convict who believes that revolution is right around the corner. You'll never guess what happens to him at the end of the movie! Ironically, David Harris was red hot at this time, coming off his role as Cochise in the teen-gang classic THE WARRIORS. But while in that movie he could convey brutal power and menace with barely a glance, here he bleats "black power" in a hypnotized, childlike sing-song that makes him come across as more pathetic than anything else. From here it was all down hill, and Harris was last seen playing Denzel Washington's weak-willed sidekick Smalls in A SOLDIER'S STORY. "Now Peterson, he told me, uh, don't desert, but when that train start coming I just run, suh! C.J. he tole me to!"

Just a little note, my brother in law was the foreman on the jury, I still remember seeing his face on T.V. & his mother getting all upset, thinking the inmates or families would come after him. He never did have any problems but one of the other jurors & my brother in law became best friends and are still friends to this day.

Strange how bad things can sometimes lead to strange things, like friendship, marriage among others. I now live within a dozen miles from the prison, I have driven past the prison on many occasion, thinking what a scary place it is and how tough you need to be to survive a stint inside the stone walls. I drove my son past one day, explaining about how his uncle was on the jury. I think it frightened him a little bit. I told him to behave or he could end up on the inside! I remember watching the guards in the towers watching me, holding what looked to be M-16 automatic weapons. That was enough to make me turn around and head out of the parking lot and not look back!!

Americana is any collection of materials and things concerning or characteristic of the United States or of the American people, and is representative or even stereotypical of American culture as a whole. Right now I'm into Atticana.

It all started with the movie "Dog Day Afternoon." I had no idea what Al Pacino meant when he was repeatedly shouting "Attica! Attica! Attica!" I later found out that Attica was a prison in New York.

Last year I read the Pulitzer Prize winning book "Blood in the Water" by Heather Ann Thompson about the Attica uprising, retaking, and the subsequent years of litigation. Then, in the last few days, I've watched "Against the Wall" which focuses a lot on one guard, Michael Smith (Kyle MacLachlan) and one prisoner, Jamaal X (Samuel L. Jackson) aka Richard X Clark and highly dramatizes the entire event. After that I watched the 1974 documentary titled: "Attica" which, so far, is the best film on the topic. And I've now capped my Atticana craving with "Attica" the movie.

Although "Attica" the movie is based upon Tom Wicker's book, "A Time to Die," it is also closer in portrayal to the 1974 documentary. Even with the 1980 film editing I found that "Attica" sucked me right in. I was captivated by the situation more than I was by the individual characters. Though I know how it all went down, I still found myself attentive to what was said, what was done, and who did and said what. It's American history after all. So, even though I'm calling it Atticana, it is a part of Americana.

Not knowing much more about the Attica Prison Riots than hearing about it through "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Saturday Night Fever", but familiar enough that it was a dark period of history, I chose to start my study of the riots by watching this film. Regardless of whether that method of research was the smartest, I watched "Attica" with an open mind and the realization that TV movies tend to overdramatize and take liberties with historical-based subjects. However, I found little of this in "Attica". The movie seems to take a bold, straight-forward look at the events without muddying it with personal relationships, unnecessary side stories or drawn-out dialogue. There is a sympathy, a compassion and an understanding of both sides of the story for both the prisoners and the negotiators. It swiftly moves from one important scene to the next, addressing the pivotal points that occurred throughout those four days, climaxing on the unavoidably prolonged massacre at the film's conclusion. As a whole, I thought this was a well made, well directed, and a well acted movie, and hope that it has been faithful to the facts.

ATTICA, a made-for-TV film released in 1980, is an intense re-telling of the true story of the Attica prison riot in 1971 which led to a number of inmates being gunned down in cold blood by the authorities. This devastating incident is an almost legendary part of American history - I knew about it from watching DOG DAY AFTERNOON - so I was eager to see how the material was handled.

It turns out that this is a very well made production that sticks to the facts of the case without sensationalising them. The story is stark, complex, and deeply human, and the casting director deserves particular kudos for assembling a team of greats. On the one hand we have the likes of Charles Durning and Henry Darrow as the guys at the top trying to sort things out and then we get Morgan Freeman and David Harris as the empowered convicts trying to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

This is a thoughtful exploration of a hot topic and really an actor's dream, because many of the dialogue scenes are powerfully put across. ATTICA might well be the definitive retelling of an unforgettable true story.