Sacco and Vanzetti (2007)
-
86% of critics liked it
(29 reviews) -
57% of users liked it
(1,761 ratings)
Filmmaker Peter Miller explores the crimes, trial, and execution of notorious 20th-century anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in a documentary that highlights just how this landmark case came to symbolize the injustice and intolerance experienced by immigrants longing to pursue their… More Filmmaker Peter Miller explores the crimes, trial, and execution of notorious 20th-century anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in a documentary that highlights just how this landmark case came to symbolize the injustice and intolerance experienced by immigrants longing to pursue their dreams in the land of the free. It was 1920 when Italian immigrant anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of murder in Massachusetts. Seven years later, when the jurors delivered their final verdict in a notoriously prejudiced trial, both men were condemned to death despite massive protests both in the U.S. and abroad. Eight decades later, as America continues to wrestle with issues of civil rights, immigrant liberties, and dissent, the case of Sacco and Vanzetti continues to resonate. In addition to balancing the personal and political aspects of the case as well as looking into the legal climate of the era, Miller's film brings the prison writings of Sacco and Vanzetti to life as never before as Tony Shalhoub and John Turturro read the deeply personal letters written by the pair during their ordeal. Additional music, artwork, poetry, and film clips inspired by the case propel the narrative by highlighting just what a lasting impression the Sacco and Vanzetti case has had on American culture. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Peter Miller
- Genres
- Documentary
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Mar 30, 2007 Wide
- Studio
- First Run
Critic Reviews
-
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Nicola Sacco, Bartolomeo Vanzetti, and the incredible firestorm of outrage generated by their criminal trials have been largely neglected in recent years, but Peter Miller's absolutely engrossing documentary Sacco and Vanzetti brings it all back.
-
Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times
The meat-and-potatoes style of Sacco and Vanzetti seems less a failure of imagination than a means of putting in the foreground its intriguing subject matter.
-
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Miller, a New Yorker, uses archival footage, dramatized readings and talking heads, including Sacco's niece and a neighbor of Vanzetti's, to get his point across.
-
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
Miller's film shows how quickly Americans facing perceived foreign threats are willing to ignore basic liberties. Sound familiar?
-
Ronnie Scheib, Variety
[Pic] 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.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Tony Shalhoub
as Nicola Sacco
- Studs Terkel
- Arlo Guthrie
- Giuliano Montaldo
-
John Turturro
as Bartolomeo Vanzetti
- Howard Zinn
- Nunzio Pernicone
- Michael Topp
- Lincoln Robbins
- Mary Anne Trasciatti
- Anton Coppola
