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1971
Directed by
Johanna Hamilton
Not Rated
2014
80m
Documentary
,
History
,
and more
7.3
97%
78%
Add to Watchlist
The story of a notorious 1971 activist burglary of an FBI office that led to the Bureau's numerous abuses against dissidents being exposed.
More
Where to Watch 1971
Kanopy
Free
The Roku Channel
Free
Cast of 1971
Bonnie Raines
Self
John Raines
Self
Bob Williamson
Self
Keith Forsyth
Self
Bill Davidon
Self
Peter Gregus
Bill
Lauren A. Kennedy
Bonnie Raines
Jonathan Joel Brennan
Bob
Rich Graff
John Raines
Daniel S. Taylor
Keith
Dennis Brito
FBI Agent
John Isgro
Custodian
Kerry Malloy
FBI Agent
Brian McCarthy
#9
Matthew Smith
Citizens' Commission
Danielle Varga
Citizens' Commission
Paul Darren
Security Guard
Richard Nixon
Self (archive footage)
Betty Medsger
Self
Terry Neist
Self
Athan Theoharis
Self
J. Edgar Hoover
Self (archive footage)
Bob Dole
Self (archive footage)
George McGovern
Self (archive footage)
Frank Church
Self (archive footage)
Katharine Graham
Self (archive footage)
Ben Bradlee
Self (archive footage)
Marilyn Ness
Citizens' Commission
David Kairys
Self - Civil Rights Lawyer
1971 Reviews
New York Daily News
Joe Neumaier
This is a terrific time capsule with a resonant message.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
[A] riveting, revelatory documentary.
Entertainment Weekly
Chris Nashawaty
Their message-namely, Who will watch the watchmen?-remains as important today as it was 44 years ago.
New York Post
Kyle Smith
Mostly, the film is much ado about nothing (though the break-in led eventually to a Freedom of Information Act document dump that revealed details about the FBI spying on Martin Luther King Jr.).
Slant Magazine
Steve Macfarlane
Johanna Hamilton's 1971 represents a mind-blowing scoop disguised as a fairly garden-variety issue doc.
The Dissolve
Scott Tobias
Even if it doesn't quite qualify as breaking news, 1971 certainly has the urgency of the past speaking to the present.
Los Angeles Times
Robert Lloyd
In her recounting, a strange and lively atmosphere of outrage, enthusiasm and paranoia, Hamilton has made of her tale a kind of real-life, old-fashioned analog caper film.
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
"1971" is an appropriately matter-of-fact title for a decidedly low-key documentary. But don't mistake a lack of flash for an absence of substance.
New York Times
Stephen Holden
Ms. Hamilton's straightforward documentary skillfully interweaves reminiscences by members of the group with re-enactments of the burglary.
The New Yorker
Richard Brody
The story, including its cat-and-mouse aftermath, adds the intricate excitement of a thriller to righteous historical outrage.
The Hollywood Reporter
John DeFore
An important addition to the filmography of dissent-oriented political docs.
Variety
Ronnie Scheib
The film offers surprisingly cogent, lived-in evocations of a period too often glossed over in impersonal, by-the-book montages.
Seattle Weekly
Robert Horton
Even if you have an allergic reaction to dramatic re-enactments in documentary films -- and I confess I get itchy during them -- 1971 provides an exciting, non-hokey account of a remarkable true story.
Philadelphia Daily News
Gary Thompson
This is fun, but the movie is perhaps most interesting for the way it examines the group's collective on-the-lam cool.
Film Journal International
Doris Toumarkine
[1971] benefits mightily from superb re-enactments, the palpable integrity of its activist band of break-in artists, and some Rififi-like suspenseful moments.
Film-Forward.com
Nora Lee Mandel
Real-life Oceans 11 plays out as political thriller with eerie timeliness in exposure of a 40-year-old mystery. Shadowy reenactments are suspensefully credible and effective.
Willamette Week
John Locanthi
Minor quibbles aside, it's an important documentary.
NYC Movie Guru
Avi Offer
Timely! As riveting and illuminating as The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.
Cinemalogue
Todd Jorgenson
It might seem like a history lesson, but this compelling documentary has plenty of contemporary relevance.
Baret News
Kam Williams
A belated tribute to some fearless patriots with the gumption to expose the FBI's lawless ways and the wherewithal to evade apprehension by the Bureau to boot!
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