| 1971 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Johanna Hamilton |
| Written by | Johanna Hamilton Gabriel Rhodes |
| Produced by |
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| Music by | Philip Sheppard |
Production companies | Big Mouth Productions Fork Films Motto Productions |
| Distributed by | First Run Features[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
1971 is a 2014 Americandocumentary film and thedirectorial debut of producer Johanna Hamilton, who also co-wrote the film.[2] The film had its world premiere on 18 April 2014 at theTribeca Film Festival and focuses on the break-in of an FBI office inMedia, Pennsylvania on Monday, March 8, 1971, to steal over 1000 classified documents.[3] It was pitched at theSheffield Doc/Fest 2011 MeetMarket preceding its debut. The break-in took place on the night of the firstAli-Frazier boxing title fight dubbed theFight of the Century.
Hamilton was inspired to create the film after learning thatBetty Medsger was working on her bookThe Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI, which discussed the 1971 events and revealed the identities of many of the participants, who had remained anonymous up to that point.[4]
The film focuses on the events of March 8, 1971, when eight people orchestrated the burglary and public distribution of government files from an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania. The theft was altogether different than the numerous contemporarydraft board office break-ins, in which activists (including many of the burglars) burned government draft paperwork to interfere with America's continued participation in theVietnam War. The group, all of whom were ordinary citizens, called themselves theCitizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI and stole every file in the office. The goal of the burglars was to gather tangible evidence of government surveillance of civilian political activists, which was infringing onFirst Amendment rights. The stolen files exposed that the FBI was indeed running extensive, illegal operations intended to spread paranoia and distrust among numerousNew Left and black civil rights organizations. (Other files included training manuals, information aboutorganized crime, and information aboutdraft resistance.) Over time, the group mailed copies of the files to various newsrooms. Most news organizations returned the files to the FBI and refused to run stories regarding the stolen documents, but the notable exception wasThe Washington Post, which ran a front-page story on March 24, 1971, about the files which were mailed to journalist Betty Medsger. Arguably the most significant element in the stolen materials turned out to be a single file mentioning "COINTELPRO", a secret surveillance program that was run byJ. Edgar Hoover. Subsequent investigations andfreedom of information requests regarding COINTELPRO played a role in the 1975Church Committee.
Critical reception for1971 has been positive.[4][5]Washingtonian andVariety both praised the work,[6] which theWashingtonian described as "a compelling documentary that provides a powerful perspective on the current debate about the men and women who risk everything to disclose government secrets."[7]Indiewire also gave a favorable review, praising Hamilton's directing and stated "Her film is not celebratory, lingering on the notion that, with the public charade of COINTELPRO, ultimately the FBI won. While their post-break-in behaviors are mocked, the government credits itself with tactics specifically utilized to "enhance the paranoia," creating a culture of fear that still exists today."[8]