The Weather Underground

Terrorist bombs in America? Yes, most people have forgotten them, but a small group of far left radicals of the the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) bombed a number of buildings to protest the Vietnam War. We don't need more social violence like this, but where are our student protesters today? This documentary takes you back to the tumultuous sixties and early seventies.

I found the film to be very interesting and accurate. I am 65 and lived through all of the events depicted in the film.

I am very saddened by what has become of the "revolutionaries." Except for a very few they seem to have forgotten what they were about. Mark Rudd was especially pathetic methinks.

They were fighting the most powerful terrorist organization the world has ever known...the United States of America. And Brian Flanagan mentioned the Oklahoma City bombing and the bombing of the twin towers......but fails to mention George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush,Ronald Reagan, and assaults American military force in the middle east, the far east, and in Latin America.

It was very sad to see the energy sapped out of these folks. Has the US government promised not to harass them if they don't say much?
Remember Marlon Brando said that the movie the Godfather was not about the Mafia; it's about the United States Government.

I shall remain a revolutionary... an activist for justice, healthcare, and peace.....an activist against capitalism, war, and racism until the day I die.

Many documentary film-makers don't play fair. They ignore any fact or argument that doesn't support their position, and edit their footage in a way that forces you to accept their views. Their goal is not to inform, but to persuade.

Consider Michael Moore. I like his documentaries -- and I'm inclined to agree with him on the issues he's addressed (e.g., gun control, the war in Iraq, the arrogance and duplicity of the Bush administration) -- but they're far from unbiased. That's fine, of course, because he doesn't pretend to be neutral. He's an advocate who presents ideas and perspectives largely ignored by the mainstream press. His work is valuable (and often entertaining), but ultimately unsatisfying. I always leave a Micheal Moore film wondering what an informed person on the other side would have to say.

"The Weather Underground" is different. Though I'm sure the directors have strong feelings about their subject, they don't express them in the film. Instead, they present a balanced history of the Weathermen and let you form your own opinions regarding this controversial organization that endorsed the use of violence to protest the Vietnam War.

Because the directors resist every temptation to reveal (let alone impose) their personal views, people who watch the film often have wildly different reactions to it. I first saw the movie in a packed theater in Chicago. One of the interview subjects was Todd Gitlin, a former president of the SDS who was active in the anti-war movement but critical of the Weathermen. He seemed smart, sensible and thoughtful, and I found myself agreeing with most everything he said. But others in attendance actually hissed whenever he appeared on screen. I'm sure it would have been easy for the directors to make Mr. Gitlin appear either reasonable or misguided, but instead they let each viewer make his own assessment.

"The Weather Underground" is a great documentary: compelling, informative, thought-provoking, sometimes heartbreaking, and occasionally very funny. (The last scene, showing a former Weatherman where you'd never expect to see him, made me laugh out loud.) It's also worth owning, as it rewards repeated viewings.

A fascinating look into the "radical" group that bombed government buildings in the 1970's. The movie consists of interviews, past newscasts, and general footage from the 1960's and 1970's. The movie provided me with a lot of information I did not know before. I liked this movie for two primary reasons: First, it showed how many of the movements during this time period were, or tried to be, connected (e.g., black panthers and weathermen). Second, it provided great insight into the debate of what is acceptable forms of violence and what are acceptable forms of revolution. Furthermore, it did all this with seamless transitions between interviews and other footage. Kudos and I'm sorry I didn't see this film previously. I plan on using this in my classrooms when discussing social movements.

They were a radical organization that wanted to overthrow the United States government. The were an offshoot of the SDS (Students for an Democratic Society). Their name came from a Bob Dylan song "Subterranean Homesick" ("You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"). They bombed a lot of places, mostly government buildings.

Being guided by hate doesn't accomplish anything lasting so they disbanded in the late '70s. Most of them turned themselves in and because the FBI did a lot of stuff illegally to capture them so they were pardoned. They claimed they were against capitalism yet went on to live middle class lives. One owns a bar in NYC and won $23,000 on Jeopardy! They showed a clip of him at the very end of the movie on the show but not the part where Alex Trebek asks him a question about him. Can you imagine Alex asking him "So, you belonged to an terrorist group back in the '60s era?"