Plan B Forum

Well worth the time. At the end, the audience clapped - how often do you see that? Nothing wrong with Hanks or Streep or Spielberg's direction, but not in any sense A++ film-making. To me the high point was quoting Hugo Black's words:

In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.

I felt like standing up and applauding those words, but I didn't. I am pretty sure I was not the only one. The applause at the end was not universal; but my guess (it was dark) was about 50% of the audience.

A lot of Republicans still think Nixon was done wrong. Which explains a lot now that I think of it.

yrs,
rubato

Preaching to the choir. I doubt many Trumpistas will go see this movie.

The best audience reaction in a movie theater I remember was after a showing of 'Gandhi with Ben Kingsley. The audience sat stone silent, then gradually got up and left in silence.

snailgate.

I developed a ritual of going to the movies with classmates in law school immediately after exams, so we wouldn’t fall to the temptation to analyze the questions and our answers to death. One of those occasions was to see Amistad, and we happened to attend a midday showing along with two busloads of local high school kids - nearly all black.

It was the best movie theater experience of my life, with thunderous applause at the end.

One of the best reactions I recall was while watching The Front (a movie in which Woody Allen (he only acted in it, didn't direct it) played a ghost writer for banned TV and Movie writers who were blacklisted). even eventually winds up before something like the McCarthy committee and they offer him the usual deal to squeal on others in exchange for being cleared; there's a bunch of legal wrangling about the 5th amendment, but finally it is clear he will face jail for contempt if he doesn't answer the questions (on live TV). When he responds "I question the committee's right to ask me that question; and as far as I am concerned, you can all go fuck yourselves", which brought a spontaneous burst of sustained applause. This was in the late 70s/early 80s in a suburban neighborhood theater, not in a college town or other "liberal enclave", and I was surprised how many people "got it" then. It wasn't really a great film ( and exiled Charlie Chaplin did a far better job with his A King in New York satire of the same thing), although it had its moments (especially Zero Mostel as a blacklisted actor), but the message appeared universal, at least then.