"40 Years a Prisoner" (2020 release; 109 min.) is a documentary about the Phillie radical activist group called MOVE. As the movie opens, it is 2017 and we are introduced to Michael Africa Jr., who informs us that both his parents are in prison and have been since 1978. We then go to "Philadelphia 1976", as we get to know the MOVE headquarters compound, where a group of 10-15 adults and their kids live community style and basically have cut off ties with the surroundings. This is not what the mayor and other authorities in Philadelphia have in mind, and things eventually evolve into a stand-off and outright siege... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.
Couple of comments: this documentary is directed by Tommy Oliver ("1982", "Black Love"). Here he reassesses what happened to MOVE and its members, while also examining the long shadows of these events now 4 decades later. The documentary's primary focus for sure is on the events of the late 70s, but towards the end pivots nicely to today. What is really amazing is to watch the racist dog whistling from the Philadelphia politicians, and when you look at what is going on today in the age of Trumpism, one must conclude that things haven't gotten much better, if at all, now 4 decades later. Meanwhile, "40 Years a Prisoner" now serves as a time bottle of what (urban) life was like in the late 1970s. It ain't a pretty picture, that's for sure. All that aside, you may recall that in 2013 there was a documentary called "Let the Fire Burn" about another incident involving MOVE, this time in 1985. Like "40 Years in Prison", it uses archive TV footage extensively and it also makes for compelling if not incendiary viewing. So which MOVE documentary is the better? In my (subjective) view, it's "40 Years a Prisoner" by a nose, simply because it is more comprehensive, but in reality I'd readily encourage you to seek out both.
"40 Years a Prisoner" premiered on HBO a few weeks back, and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming devices. If you have any interest in. If you have any interest in a particular 1970s slice of life involving a radical black activist group, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this documentary is directed by Tommy Oliver ("1982", "Black Love"). Here he reassesses what happened to MOVE and its members, while also examining the long shadows of these events now 4 decades later. The documentary's primary focus for sure is on the events of the late 70s, but towards the end pivots nicely to today. What is really amazing is to watch the racist dog whistling from the Philadelphia politicians, and when you look at what is going on today in the age of Trumpism, one must conclude that things haven't gotten much better, if at all, now 4 decades later. Meanwhile, "40 Years a Prisoner" now serves as a time bottle of what (urban) life was like in the late 1970s. It ain't a pretty picture, that's for sure. All that aside, you may recall that in 2013 there was a documentary called "Let the Fire Burn" about another incident involving MOVE, this time in 1985. Like "40 Years in Prison", it uses archive TV footage extensively and it also makes for compelling if not incendiary viewing. So which MOVE documentary is the better? In my (subjective) view, it's "40 Years a Prisoner" by a nose, simply because it is more comprehensive, but in reality I'd readily encourage you to seek out both.
"40 Years a Prisoner" premiered on HBO a few weeks back, and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming devices. If you have any interest in. If you have any interest in a particular 1970s slice of life involving a radical black activist group, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.