Other Titles • Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army (2004) • Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
Synopses for Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army (2004)
1.
"Death to the fascist insect that preys on the life of the people!" declared the Symbionese Liberation Army, the domestic terrorist group that kidnapped newspaper heiress Patty Hearst and demanded a massive food program for the poor in exchange for her release. Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst examines this sensational case with a measured, sardonic view of every side; the SLA was born in the crucible of the Vietnam War and Kent State, but the documentary neither forgives nor condemns their actions (which include bank robbery, bombings, and murder). Instead, the SLA and the media bonanza that surrounded them become an astonishing petri dish of social and political trends that resonate with even more force today. Using interviews with reporters and surviving members of the SLA, footage from news reports and Hollywood movies, director Robert Stone (Radio Bikini) has crafted a smart, suspenseful thriller that mesmerizes even if you know the whole history. A superb documentary; the dvd is even better as it includes uncut footage from the security cameras of one of the bank robberies; the sentencing of the 2003 trial of four SLA members; complete audio recordings of Patty Hearst's media statements; and a balanced, thoughtful commentary from Stone. --Bret Fetzer
(15 votes)
2.
In 1974, young Patty Hearst became a media icon after she was kidnapped from her apartment by a group calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). At the time, Patty was an impressionable college student who happened to be the granddaughter of the infamous William Randolph Hearst. The SLA's demands on Hearst's family were unique; hoping to spark a class war in America, they instructed the Hearst's to make a multimillion dollar donation of food to the poor. But the story firmly imprinted itself in the history books when, two months after the initial abduction, Patty appeared to have joined forces with the SLA, and was caught on camera wielding a rifle as the team robbed a bank.
This documentary on Hearst's story offers some fascinating insights on what happened to her during her time with the SLA. Some startling footage has been unearthed, while some former members of the SLA come forward to give their account of the story. Hearst has subsequently enjoyed a post-kidnapping career as an actress, and has appeared in a number of films by the infamous "Pope of Trash" John Waters, whose 2000 film CECIL B. DEMENTED owes a sizeable debt to Hearst's kidnapping tale.
Movie Database
In Theaters
