Punishment Park (1971)
Genre: Mockumentary / Thriller
Duration: 88 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Peter Watkins
Stars: Carmen Argenziano
IMDb score:
7,7 (8.718)
Releasedate: 9 May 1971
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Punishment Park plot
"One of the most controversial films ever made."
Punishment Park follows a group of left-wing dissidents (Black Power activists, anti-war protesters, and a politically oriented folk singer, among others) as they face a cursory interrogation by a panel of military officers and ordinary citizens. They are given a choice: Either they choose a long prison term or they spend 72 hours in Punishment Park, a place in the Southern California desert. In three days, the prisoners must cover the 53 miles on foot, with minimal water and food in the scorching heat, while being chased by the National Guard who are allowed to shoot them for no reason. If they can complete the journey in the 72 hours, they will go free.
Actors and actresses
Jay Kaufman
Defendant in the tribunal
Defendant in the tribunal
Nancy Smith
Charles Robbins
Allison Mitchner
William C. Hoeger, Tribunal Chairman
Mary Jurgens
James Arthur Kohler, Tribunal Defendant
Mr. Keagan
Reviews & comments
kos
-
- 46849 messages
- 8971 votes
Very nice pseudo-docu that is especially well made. It is that at some point it gets very out of hand, otherwise you would almost think it is real.
This is also a result of the really very good acting, especially by the 'court' members, very convincing.
You just believe that woman who gets all mad when some left-wing hippie is smart and sings songs that could influence her children'. .
There are two aspects, already mentioned here, that keep me from a high score, first of all it is very time-bound. Okay, you now also have a Guantanamo Bay, but how things are going here, with just some rebellious students, is now very unthinkable.
Kind of makes me long for a contemporary version of this movie, maybe with anti-globalists and environmentalists or something.
Secondly, it is all very caricatured. That also has its charm, but it is now a very left-right story in which really no one is a bit nuanced.
On the other hand, it is very clever how Watkins, in contrast to, for example, a 'Das Experiment', DOES manage to convey convincingly and credibly how something like this can get completely out of hand and violence can escalate.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
-
- 12014 messages
- 7038 votes
Best success.
Was on the watch list for a long time, maybe even 1 of the titles that were on it the longest. I found the story intriguing at the time and I had very high hopes for it. Over the years, that interest has faded a bit, but recently I came across it again and then I took a look.
These kinds of films really score on the way of filming. Punishment Park works mainly because it is very realistic and gray. It almost always feels like a real reality movie and that makes the movie very intriguing to watch after just a few minutes.
Concept also remains rather special, but it is of course a small excuse to process some political messages through the film. However, Watkins often does this very subtly, partly because there are several parts where the characters give their opinions (interrogations) and do so in full glory.
However, I found those interrogations disturbing. Especially since they all seemed to be repetitive. Someone comes to make his point, gets nasty rebuttals and then snaps. I thought it was a bit too forced and exaggerated to see an angry person pulled out of the room 6 times every time.
The message is also pushed down the throat with various ways of editing. That makes it feel forced at times, but I have to say that it works very well for the most part. Some frustrating moments throughout the film that certainly do their job well.
The section in the penal park also works well. The realism that the film exudes does its job completely and that is why the film works. Some confrontational bits in between that are effective and the ending also works great. It is a separate project, this Punishment Park, and a project that clearly comes with a goal, but at times tries just a little too hard to push it down the throat of the viewer.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Hansiro
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- 168 messages
- 1689 votes
Was this recorded in 1971 or 2020? Not a step further there..
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