Punishment Park (1971)

Punishment Park (1971) (DVD) (*)

$20.99

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Australia ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
88 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Commentary
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Booklet
Remastered

Movie filmed in 1971 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Peter Watkins

Written By:
Peter Watkins

Actors:
Patrick Boland ..... Defendant in the tribunal
Kent Foreman ..... Defendant in the tribunal
Carmen Argenziano ..... Jay Kaufman
Luke Johnson ..... Defendant in the tribunal
Katherine Quittner ..... Nancy Smith
Scott Turner ..... Defendant in the tribunal
Stan Armsted ..... Charles Robbins
Mary Ellen Kleinhall ..... Allison Mitchner
Mark Keats ..... Tribunal Chairman Hoeger
Gladys Golden ..... Mrs. Jergens
Sanford Golden ..... Sen. Harris
George Gregory ..... Mr. Keagan
Norman Sinclair ..... Tribunal member
Sigmund Rich ..... Prof. Hazlett
Paul Rosenstein ..... Tribunal member

Synopsis:

While Peter Watkins' films of the 1960s reflected the political turmoil and tumult of that decade, 1971's Punishment Park offered a disturbing look at the backlash against leftist activism which emerged in the wake of such events as the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and the shootings at Kent State University. Set at some unspecified point in the near future, Punishment Park was inspired by a provision of the 1950 McCarran Internal Security Act, which gives the President of the United States the right to suspend the traditional judicial system in favor of tribunals to deal with people believed to be 'a risk to internal security' in the event of what the Chief Executive deems a national emergency. As the McCarran also enabled political prisoners to be held in concentration camps rather than conventional penal facilities, Punishment Park follows a group of left-wing dissidents (Black Power activists, antiwar protesters, and a politically oriented folksinger, among others) as they're given a perfunctory hearing by a panel of military officers and ordinary citizens. They are then offered a choice: They can either serve long stays in prison (seven years is the shortest sentence mentioned), or spend 72 hours in Punishment Park, a section of the Southern California desert. The prisoners are to travel 53 miles on foot in three days, with only minimal provisions of water or food under 110 degree heat, while they are followed by National Guard troops who are permitted to shoot if provoked. If they can complete the hike in the allotted time, they'll be allowed to go free, though it soon becomes obvious that despite the fact the odds have been stacked against them, the prisoners are being dealt an unfair hand along the trail.

Punishment Park is a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types across the desert in a type of capture the flag game. The soldiers vow not to interfere with the rebels' progress and merely shepherd them along to their destination. At that point, having obtained their goal, they will be released. The film crew's coverage is meant to insure that the military's intentions are honorable. As the representatives of the 60's counter-culture get nearer to passing this arbitrary test, the soldiers become increasingly hostile, attempting to force the hippies out of their pacifist behavior. A lot of this film appears improvised and in several scenes real tempers seem to flare as some of the 'acting' got overaggressive. This is a interesting exercise in situational ethics. The cinéma vérité style, hand-held camera, and ambiguous demands of the director - would the actors be able to maintain their roles given the hazing they were taking - pushed some to the brink. The cast's emotions are clearly on the surface. Unfortunately this film has gone completely underground and is next to impossible to find. It would offer a captivating document of the distrust that existed between soldiers willfully serving in the military and those persons who opposed the war peacefully

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 16 June, 2025.