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Beware of any scripted movie about historical events. If it smells it sells. A TV movie was made about the 1970 Kent State Massacre in 1981. It was not historically accurate and I doubt this little teleplay is either. The era depicted was about generational distrust, a disagreement to say the least, over failed war to fight communists, and the fact there was a military draft where children of 18 could be sent off to war without the right to vote on it (until a few months later, among other issues). Per Nixon's announced plan to invade Cambodia, after he had previously and publicly said he would not invade Cambodia, lit the fuse for the Kent State event. Some soldiers, ordered to invade Cambodia refused after they heard their own kind were murdered and crippled and wounded at Kent State. Kent state was also about agitators from the outside such as Abbie Hoffman, instigating extreme behavior and violent dissent at a previous outdoor protest event on campus, set the stage also. there was plenty of blame to go around. Any college adminstration was also to blame for ignoring student concerns, rather than foster intelligent debate, and the over reacion of paranoid, trigger happy politicians and military willing to to shoot umarmed, misled youth. How sad a time it was for all. My advice, stick with documentaries, study the history books and newspaper archives, see the real photos, and make up your own mind why things happened, before you watch this or any other movie on this era... no matter what your age. And don't let it happen...ever again! Kent State 1970 was "free world's version" of Tienamin Square in China in 1989.Read full review
Shallow, biased, this story ignores the very real depth of feelings on both sides, the ranges of feelings on both sides-- and is a rather stupidly handled look at a very, very complex time in American history. It has great tech skills, great acting performances, but dives directly into falsehoods, one sided bias, and is painful to anyone who actually lived through that era, who actually saw what happened first hand. There were good people on the antiwar side, and bad ones, and the same status applied to the other side, too, but this movie makes the depth of the issue trite, glosses over and lies about what happened as it "presents its point." .
I enjoy this film because it brought back a lot of memories of the year (1970). The film itself is filled with stock footage of the protests at Kent State and others that Spring. The story is a drama set during the year of 1970 starting on May 2 in Kent Ohio, with the burning of the ROTC building on the Kent State campus. From there it follows the reaction of various high school students and college students who were involved directly or indirectly with the protest at Kent that resulted in the shootings of the students on May 4th. Woven in the drama is some history. Some of the characters are invloved in the Portage County Grand Jury's inditement of 25 students and teachers for the protests at Kent. Known in history as the Kent 25 they were the scapegoats of the state of Ohio to lay the blame on someone other than the National Guardsmen who pulled the triggers and Governor James Rhords who sent the guard to Kent. He was losing in a reelection bid that Spring. Like I said it brought back a lot of memories. I recomend the film to anyone wanting to get a feel of what it was like back in those days.Read full review
I decided to buy this film because it is the last one i know of that has Jonathan Brandis in it. It shows alot about the 70's from what I can tell, but I was born in the 80's so I really dont know how accurate it is. like I said in the title, somewhat slow, but informative.
I bought The Year That Trembled about two months ago, just feel like doing it because I wanted to get to know about the back back in those days. I like the movie, it was touching, good actors, they make you feel that you are living the movie