The Trial of the Chicago 7 Parent Guide

It’s September 24^th, 1969, the opening day of one of the most specular trials in American history. Crowds throng the courthouse steps, waving placards and chanting, “The whole world is watching.” And this trial gives everyone a whole lot to see.

Heading into the courtroom are the men known as the Chicago 8, all of whom were arrested in conjunction with the riots outside of the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 1968. The defendants, all anti-war activists, have been charged (for the first time in American history) with conspiring to cross state lines to incite violence. Now appearing in court are Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Rennie Davis, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Lee Weiner, John Froines, and Bobby Seale (whose trial would be severed from the other defendants, bringing the group down to seven). Director Aaron Sorkin hit the jackpot with his cast, and these men are played by, respectively, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Noah Robbins, Danny Flaherty, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Also brilliantly cast is Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman, remarkable not only for his bias against the defendants but also for his imperious manner and possible cognitive decline.

This film is not your average courtroom drama. For starters, it’s a matter of historical record, so it just takes a long memory or a few taps on your phone to find out how the case turns out. Secondly, this is less a legal film than a political one. The defendants allege that they are having a political trial and many moviegoers will likely agree with them. Some audiences will complain that the film is yet another example of Sorkin’s liberal biases showing. While it’s true that Sorkin, who produced The West Wing, has a definite preference for liberal causes, he is limited in imposing his own opinions by the historical record. With much of the dialogue coming straight from court transcripts, it’s difficult to see this film as a personal political statement

What this movie turns out to be is a launch pad for discussion, whether you share Sorkin’s progressive views or not. It raises numerous questions for citizens watching the film. Was the US justified in its participation in the Vietnam war? Were the tactics of anti-war protesters acceptable or proportionate? Why do protest leaders seek media coverage? Does this encourage violent confrontation? How is the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly balanced with the need to maintain order? Do we have an obligation to protect the rights of those with whom we disagree? Do you think Tom Hayden or Abbie Hoffman are right in their strategies for changing the country? Or do you think both are right or both are wrong? What role does race play in the treatment of Bobby Seale? Was Fred Hampton’s death accidental? How far has the country come regarding these issues in the intervening 50 years? These are big issues and I’d love to recommend the movie for older teens, but I need to put a red flag on the 43 sexual expletives in the film as well as further profane and negative language. Whether you think the trade-offs are worth it depends on your family’s values.

In addition to the questions it raises, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is disturbingly relevant for audiences in 2020. Speaking before its release, Aaron Sorkin said of the film he started working on ten years ago, “I never wanted the film to be about 1968…I wanted it to be about today. But I never imagined that today would get so much like 1968.” Those of us who turn from the news to the movie will be unnerved to see a Black man being beaten, manacled, chained, and gagged by court marshals and another Black man shot to death in his bed by law enforcement. We turn our gaze from today’s protests and riots to 1968’s protests and riots, with tear gas, Molotov cocktails, and scenes of police brutality. Once again, “the whole world is watching” as the US convulses along the same fault lines that tore it apart in the summer of 1968.