Taking Liberties - DaaVeeDee

Taking Liberties (DVD) (*)

$20.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
BAFTA Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
101 min

Aspect Ratio:
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Deleted Scenes
Interactive Menu
Making Of
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2007 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Chris Atkins

Written By:
Chris Atkins

Actors:
David Morrissey ..... Narrator (voice)
Ashley Jensen ..... Narrator (voice)
Kate Allen ..... Herself - Director - Amnesty International
Ross Anderson ..... Himself - Cambridge University
Moazzam Begg ..... Himself - Former Guantanmo Detainee
Tony Benn ..... Himself
David Bermingham ..... Himself - Natwest 3
Emma Bermingham ..... Herself - Wife of David
Tony Blair ..... Himself (archive footage)
David Blunkett ..... Himself
Phil Booth ..... Himself - NO2ID Coordinator
Brendan ..... Himself - Father of Ellen & Rose
Malcolm Carroll ..... Himself - Baptist Minister
John Catt ..... Himself
Linda Catt ..... Herself - Daughter of John
Shami Chakrabarti ..... Herself
Chris ..... Himself - Peace Campaigner
Kenneth Clarke ..... Himself
Lydia D'Agostino ..... Herself - Solicitor
Amani Deghayes ..... Herself
John Denham ..... Himself (archive footage)
Des ..... Herself - Retired Headmistress
Maya Evans ..... Herself (also archive footage)
Frances ..... Herself - Mother of Ellen & Rose
Stephen Grey ..... Himself
Stephanie Harrison ..... Herself - Barrister
Helen ..... Herself
Jennifer ..... Herself - Retired Headmistress
Boris Johnson ..... Himself
Mohammed Abdul Kahar ..... Himself (archive footage)
Abul Koyair ..... Himself (archive footage)
Jane Laporte ..... Herself
Timothy Lawson Cruttenden ..... Himself - Solicitor
Sarah Ludford ..... Herself (as Baroness Sarah Ludford)
Michael Mansfield ..... Himself (as Michael Mansfield QC)
Dr. David Nicholl ..... Himself
Chief Superintendent Barry Norman ..... Himself
Rachel North ..... Herself
Henry Porter ..... Himself - Novelist / Observer Columnist
Milan Ray ..... Himself (also archive footage)
Toby Rhodes ..... Himself - Splash Clothing
Richard ..... Himself - Peace Campaigner
Ellen Rickford ..... Herself
Rose Rickford ..... Herself
Philippe Sands ..... Himself (as Philippe Sands QC)
Michael Scheuer ..... Himself
Clare Short ..... Herself
Clive Stafford Smith ..... Himself - Lawyer
Sylvia ..... Herself
Mark Thomas ..... Himself
John Tulloch ..... Himself
Walter Wolfgang ..... Himself (also archive footage)
Zorha Zewawi ..... Herself

Synopsis:

The shocking truth about the erosion of our fundamental civil liberties by Tony Blair's government will be exposed in Taking Liberties.

Right to Protest, Right to Freedom of Speech. Right to Privacy. Right not to be detained without charge, Innocent Until Proven Guilty. Prohibition from Torture. Taking Liberties will reveal how these six central pillars of liberty have been systematically destroyed by New Labour, and the freedoms of the British people stolen from under their noses amidst a climate of fear created by the media and government itself.

Taking Liberties uncovers the stories the government don't want you to hear - so ridiculous you will laugh, so ultimately terrifying you will want to take action. Teenage sisters detained for 36 hours for a peaceful protest; an RAF war veteran arrested for wearing an anti-Bush and Blair T-shirt; an innocent man shot in a police raid; and a man held under house arrest for two years, after being found innocent in court. Ordinary law-abiding citizens being punished for exercising their 'rights' - rights that have been fought for over centuries, and which seem to have been extinguished in a decade.

Irreverent but revelatory, outrageous but true, Taking Liberties combines these real stories of liberty loss with never-seen-before footage, cheeky stunts and comment from Mark Thomas, leading politicians, celebrities, human rights organisations, academics and lawyers. Narration from Ashley Jensen (Extras, Ugly Betty); a pumping soundtrack with tracks by Oasis, Radiohead, Stranglers and Franz Ferdinand; and the presence of Kurt Engfehr, producer of Fahrenheit 9/11and Bowling For Columbine add up to make Taking Liberties the most explosive and controversial film to hit screens this summer.

Filmmaker Chris Atkins uses his documentary Taking Liberties to make a case for the erosion of civil liberties in the administration of prime minister Tony Blair. Atkins uses a combination of archival and interview footage to reveals a series of heinous injustices carried out against British citizens, from unlawful imprisonment, to outrageous terrorism accusations, to punishment by torture and outlawed protests. Highlights include Jack Straw's negotiations with the United States that yielded an unfavorable balance of extraditing power in favor of the U.S., and Walter Wolfgang's arrest, under the blanket of terrorism, for heckling a Labour Party conference. Original animated sequences link individual the segments, narrated by Ashley Jensen.

Documentary. A look at the way that civil liberties were eroded in the UK under the Prime Ministership of Tony Blair.

This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 04 November, 2009.