FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE All Power To The People

Here, the often distorted history of the Black Panther Party is recapitulated in order to finally get rid of various conspiracy theories that accelerated its downfall at the time. A fate that also happened to other "extremist" movements in the late 60s. It was in 1992 when Helmer Lee Lew-Lee, who was on location as a cameraman during the riots in Los Angeles at the time, wanted to find out for himself how it could have come to this: How could American racism reach such a sad climax? Today - 2020 - we know; it wasn't even THE climax. in staccato, the time of slavery up to the civil rights movement of the early 60s is torn down by means of a collage technique. The assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy undermined the self-determination of the black lower class, which was repeatedly discriminated against. In 1967 the Black Panthers formed in Oakland and wrote a 10-point pamphlet. Above all, the Black Panthers called for better housing, education and food. The police considered them a racist force terrorizing blacks. Of course, the media was allowed to see this as "inflammatory." In a very short time, the Panthers became icons. Famous and infamous. There are now various theories on how the party was infiltrated and disintegrated by FBI people. And certainly Hoover and Nixon played no small role! Captivating as a saga, Lew-Lee traces the events. The footage material is presented in fast cuts - it's better to have prior knowledge. Often parallel events are cut like the "Red Power" movement of the early 70s. Even the era of the cold war under Reagan is touched upon. Too much of a good thing? Sometimes, yeah. Less colorful time-lapse landscapes and a shortage of material would have made a better, but not a more entertaining film. I think if you combine this documentary with Spike Lee's "Malcom X" and Mario Van Peebles' "Panther", you'll know more.