Free Amerika Broadcasting

This student film of Dean Wilson was ambitious, but very unpolished. It has the raw, rough edge that many low-to-no budget "underground" films of the late 1960's and early 1970's have, giving it a period appeal to it's theme and time period.

It is 1969, several months after Richard Nixon has been assassinated. President Spiro Agnew (the very thought of that gives me shivers) proclaims martial law and news blackouts follow. A group of rebels take to the airwaves with a pirate TV station, "Free Amerika Broadcasting", in an attempt of delivering uncensored news. Little do they know that fate will have them becoming news.

The quality of filmwork and acting is amateurish to say the best (the film was the production of a community theater group), but it delivers an intensity that films of much higher budget fail to deliver.

For technical merit, I'd give this 4/10, but for sheer effort, 9/10.

(The video release of this film includes "Director's Copy", a short consisting of still photos and narration detailing the film's production, and a Dean Wilson short, "Boots Macallistar", about a blues musician.)