Films & Events
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe
Hailed as a hero and condemned as an opportunist, attorney William Kunstler became a media star in the 1960s, defending the Chicago Seven in one of the most controversial trials in U.S. history. This incisive documentary by Emily and Sarah Kunstler is an affectionate, sometimes ambivalent tribute to their father, a man who both defined his times and helped to create them. Getting a taste of political activism while fighting for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., Kunstler subsequently took on cases that were splashed across the front pages of the world, including the Attica prison riots and the standoff at Wounded Knee. He confounded his family and supporters when he shifted to criminal cases in the 1970s, defending admitted murderers, rapists, and Mafia kingpins. His transition from saint to pariah was cemented when he worked for the defendants in the infamous Central Park jogger trial. Interviews with his contemporaries and electrifying footage of the historic events in which he participated make William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe an absorbing history lesson and an intensely personal portrait of a husband and father, providing no easy answers in its deconstruction of a political and cultural icon. Director Emily Kunstler expected to attend both screenings
Cast & Crew
Director: Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler
Producer: Jesse Moss, Susan Korda
Editor: Emily Kunstler
Screenwriter: Sarah Kunstler
Cinematographer: Brett Wiley
Music: Shahzad Ismaily
Filmography: Debut Feature Film
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(1 review)
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Stunning, Jun 03, 2009
By Jason Eckelman
“This is easily one of the very best documentaries I have ever seen. By turns a smart account of the history & politics of Kunstler's life, a searing indictment of institutional racism in the US, and a brutally honest assessment of 2 daughters' attitudes about and understanding (or, occasionally,”
… full review
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