Fuelled by revolutions around the world–China, Cuba, the Congo–and by the failure of marches on Washington to stop the escalation of the Vietnam War, the Weathermen splintered from Students for a Democratic Society in 1969. Led by the charismatic Bernardine Dohrn, among others, these educated, glamourous revolutionaries aimed to overthrow the government. DVD Features: * Commentary by: director Sam Green,former Weathermen Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers * Original Weathermen audio communiques * Bonus film on former Weatherman David Gilbert: A Lifetime of Struggle * Excerpt from the Emile de Antonio film Underground * Filmmaker biographies * Filmmaker statement 

Review

The key players in the radical movement known as the Weather Underground are skillfully brought to life in this Oscar-nominated documentary. The Weathermen were born of sixties protest, but took their scheme to overthrow the U.S. government to especially violent extremes. Never a well-populated movement, the Underground petered out as its leaders aged during the seventies; by decade's end, weary of hiding, most of them had turned themselves over to the authorities. That journey, by which a fire-breathing revolutionary such as Bernadine Dohrn became a (still fiery) gray-haired wife and mother, is an intriguing one. This film, rich in period footage (and some unnecessary sensationalism) captures the era somewhat broadly. But the present-day interviews with the participants, contrasted with their radical selves, provides an exceptionally detailed look inside the organization itself. It's not a nostalgic look back, and the overall mood is sobering rather than celebratory. Lili Taylor provides the narration. --Robert Horton