The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971)
Directed by Howard Alk
Sub-Genres - Biography, Law & Crime, Politics & Government, Race & Ethnicity |
Release Date - May 1, 1971 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 89 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Clarke Fountain
During the filming of a documentary which permitted the Black Panther Party (BPP) in Chicago to put forth its views, the Attorney General of the State of Illinois authorized a police "raid," with overwhelming force, on BPP headquarters, This police action resulted in the death of BPP leaders, including Fred Hampton, and injured many more. The documentary is consequently in two sections. In the first, the original intent of allowing the BPP to speak for itself about its aims and methods prevails. In the second part, police press releases and filmed raid reenactments are contrasted with footage detailing the recollections of BPP members on the scene, as well as shots of the shooting site. These recollections and site visits make it perfectly clear that the police's account of their raid cannot be true.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
Black-Panthers, killing, police, political-leader, racial-tension, re-enactment, shooting [crime], sting [police setup]
