Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian-born anarchists accused of murder in Boston in 1927 and after a notorious trial, executed. This is the first major documentary to explore their landmark story. The ordeal of Sacco and Venzetti came to symbolize the bigotry aimed at immigrants and dissenters in the US and millions of people around the world protested on their behalf. 80 years later the episode has an added resonance as America once again grapples with civil liberties and the rights of immigrants. Miller expertly blends archival footage, a wide array of interviewees, extracts from the 1971 feature SACCO AND VENZETTI and dramatised readings - actors John Turturro and Tony Shalhoub read Sacco and Venzetti’s writings from prison.
“Peter Miller’s labour-of-love documentary does a superb job of condensing an overwhelming mass of documentation, archival imagery and artistic representation into a concise yet passionate history lesson whose relevance could not be timelier.” Variety
Introduced by Stuart Christie.
Britain’s most famous anarchist, Stuart Christie was at the centre of two key events in British radicalism. In 1964 he was arrested in Spain but escaped the death sentence for attempting to assassinate General Franco; in 1971 suspected of being a member of The Angry Brigade, he was centre stage in the subsequent landmark trial.
During 2008 Stuart Christie and CINECITY will present a special programme of screenings and events exploring anarchism and film.
Director: Peter Miller. USA 80mins. Director: Peter Miller. USA 80 mins. Documentary
