Abbie Hoffman Videos

If you've ever seen the Coen Brothers movie The Big Lebowski, these lines will sound familiar to you: Ever heard of the Seattle Seven? That was me. Well, me and six other guys. That's the main character, The Dude, talking about himself. Much of The Dude's life and habits are fiction. But the Seattle Seven were a real group of people. They were brought up on federal charges in early 1970. Their trial garnered national attention. And Jeff Dowd was one of the seven. He's also the real life inspiration for the character of The Dude. Jeff Dowd lived in Seattle for more than a decade. But he never expected to get national publicity for being part of the antiwar movement. Jeff tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how he became a political activist.

In this animated clip from the documentary CHICAGO 10, Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman discusses The Great Conspiracy with radio show host Robert Fass. For more on this film by Brett Morgen and Participant Media, visit TakePart.com/chicago10. In theaters now.

Filed under: Animation, Documentary, New Releases, Sundance, Podcasts, Celebrities and Controversy, Politics, Interviews, Cinematical Indie, Roadside Attractions Director Brett Morgen doesn't make conventional, talking-head, "impartial" non-fiction films; he himself notes "I'm certainly more interested in creating modern-day mythologies than historical documentaries." After co-directing On the Ropes and The Kid Stays in the Picture, he next, ambitiously, decided to use state-of-the-art techniques to bring a 40-year old event to life in Chicago 10. Combining computer-animated footage and dramatic interpretations of court transcripts with footage and audio from 1968 -- some of it previously undiscovered -- Morgen's film audaciously animates and recreates the trial of activists Abbie Hoffman, Bobby Seale and others that followed in the wake of the protests they organized outside the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1968. Speaking with Cinematical from New York, Morgen talked about the level of digging required to unearth the unseen archival material he found, the differences he encountered between his actors who had done animation before and those who hadn't, what he learned about the '60s from making the films and much more: "This is a timeless story, that I think is relevant at any time -- and more relevant during wartime." This interview, like all of Cinematical's podcast offerings, is now available through iTunes; if you'd like, you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below: For Cinematical's reviews of Chicago 10, you can find Christopher Campbell's take here and my review from Sundance 2007 here.Permalink | Email this | Comments

"National Anthem" - Abbie Hoffman, "Disgruntled Employee" - Likwid Thoughts; Geeknotes: Dr. Floyd Promo, Daize Shayne glamour shots, Website Hiccups, etc; Open Mic Stage: "To Jack Kerouac" - Ted Berrigan, "Attagirl" - Bettie Serveert, "Maybe" - Wendisue, "There She Goes" - Brother Love, "Ophelia Drowns" - Ekáyàni And The Healing Band; Map Room: Motorcycle Airbag, Obesity Vaccine, Invisible Bookshelf, PNAC Cliff Notes; Venue Verite: "Washington at Valley Forge" - Abbie Hoffman

"National Anthem" - Abbie Hoffman, "Disgruntled Employee" - Likwid Thoughts; Geeknotes: Dr. Floyd Promo, Daize Shayne glamour shots, Website Hiccups, etc; Open Mic Stage: "To Jack Kerouac" - Ted Berrigan, "Attagirl" - Bettie Serveert, "Maybe" - Wendisue, "There She Goes" - Brother Love, "Ophelia Drowns" - Ekáyàni And The Healing Band; Map Room: Motorcycle Airbag, Obesity Vaccine, Invisible Bookshelf, PNAC Cliff Notes; Venue Verite: "Washington at Valley Forge" - Abbie Hoffman