Underground

After reading Prairie Fire: Political Statement from the Weather Underground in 1974, filmmaker Emile de Antonio determined to make a “new kind of didactic, revolutionary film”—a “film weapon.” He formed a collective with fellow filmmakers Mary Lampson and Haskell Wexler, and through a series of “cloak-and-dagger meetings” the trio arranged to interview active members of the radical political group the Weather Underground. Living with the fugitive activists in a safe house for three days, the filmmakers interviewed them about their ideological opposition to the American government and their personal paths to the controversial Weather Underground. Wexler, the cinematographer, was forced to film the activists either from behind or through a scrim to conceal their visual identities.
When the film became known to the FBI, de Antonio, Lampson, and Wexler were subpoenaed and ordered to turn over all of their negatives and tapes. The filmmakers argued that the subpoena violated their First Amendment rights, and represented prior restraint. After they were backed up by the ACLU and numerous Hollywood stars including Harry Belafonte, Warren Beatty, Jeff Bridges, and Mel Brooks, the subpoena was dropped. The completed film Underground was released in 1976. That same year Folkways released the soundtrack to the film, which includes the entire audio of the documentary. Liner notes offer a detailed account of the filming process, written by Peter Biskind and Marc N. Weiss.
Track Listing
101
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Statement by the Underground | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 4:13 | |
102
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Violence Is Necessary: H. Rap Brown, Malcolm X, M.L. King, Jr., F. Castro | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 7:48 | |
103
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The Viet War: Ho Chi Minh, N.T. Dinh, J. Ford | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 6:58 | |
104
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SDS, Chicago 1969, Days of Rage | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 6:16 | |
201
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Attitudes of the Underground | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 6:46 | |
202
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Self Criticism | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 2:41 | |
203
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Puerto Rico-"Mongo Affair" | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 3:03 | |
204
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Making the Film | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 3:27 | |
205
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We are Professional Revolutionaries | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 2:17 | |
206
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The West 11th Street Explosion | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 8:39 | |
301
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Capitol Bombing- Returning Medals | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 5:18 | |
302
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Fear and Commitment | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 4:13 | |
303
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Class Origin and Class Stance | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 1:20 | |
304
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The Publication of The Praire Fire | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 4:06 | |
401
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Make Up of Capitalistic Power and the New Revolution | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 3:16 | |
402
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The Prison Movement and Attica | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 2:20 | |
403
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It Is The People Who Make The Change | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 1:28 | |
404
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We are a Small Organization | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 0:51 | |
405
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Interview at a L.A. Unemployment Center | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 7:48 | |
406
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Why We Are Communist & Speak Collectively | Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground | 3:15 |