Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8

Spectacular docudrama that highlights one of the most famous trials of the 20th century. The usage of the split screen and seeing the real defendants commenting on the trial as the actors are playing their parts is so innovative and amazing. The real Abbie Hoffman is as always so entertaining and a larger than life figure. So sad to know he killed himself a few years after he was filmed for this movie. Also the use of real stock footage is interspersed throughout and adds a layer of reality and mounting tension during the trial. Tremendous performances led by David Opatashu as the judge and a terrific cast of riveting actors makes this a must see television movie.

Some TV movies make you wish for suicide and others entertain you. Still others do not belong, they seem to be real movies. This is one of them... I think this is a greatest TV movie of all time and a damn good movie.

This is one of those films that should be shown regularly; perhaps once every 2 weeks, for although these injustices occurred in 1968 in The Chicago 8 Trial, these same injustices take place every hour of the day here in the land of the supposed free. Obviously the cast was committed to the re-enactment of the truth about the U.S.judicial system, a system that locks freedom away and gags it into silence. With the real players from the actual trial close at hand for direction, the authenticity is underscored. Should the reader of this text be seeking a gift to give to our future - the children - give them this and teach them well. Teachers, buck the system and show this film in your classes with pride, for you are the educator, not the servant. Peace Free Leonard Pelitier (:

As someone who was living in Chicago in 1968 and very sympathetic to the Chicago 8 at the time, this is not quite the way I remember it. I went to high school (Berkeley-class of 57) with two of the defendants (Froines and Seale) and followed this trial about as closely (newspapers and TV accounts) as you could without being there in the courtroom.

While this film represents itself as factual and uses a lot of actual footage of the events, I don't buy it all. Judge Hoffman was not that tolerant or sympathetic nor defense attorney Kunstler that kooky, and little of what went on behind the scenes, especially with Mayor Daly, is not conveyed. This was one of the great political trials of the century and you don't get a sense of the true politics involved. One simple example is that the city of Chicago thought it was on trial, as much as the defendants were, and I got little feel for that from this account.

If you want the history of this trial read up on it, this movie must be taken with a bit of a grain of salt.

Required viewing for all American History students should be the rule. Thanks to the great actors, Mickael Lembeck, Elliott Gould, Peter Boyle, Brian Benben, and all the others, this film takes you back to when America's youth set out to made a statement and when they really believed they could change the world..... and didn't we in some ways???