Punishment Park (1971)

"Punishment Park" is a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Watkins

Writer:

Peter Watkins

Stars:

Patrick Boland, Kent Foreman, Carmen Argenziano

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Boland	...	First Tribunal Defendant
Kent Foreman	...	Defendant in the tribunal
Carmen Argenziano	...	Jay Kaufman, Tribunal Defendant
Luke Johnson	...	Defendant in the tribunal
Katherine Quittner	...	Nancy Smith
Scott Turner	...	James Arthur Kohler, Tribunal Defendant
Stan Armsted	...	Charles Robbins
Mary Ellen Kleinhall	...	Allison Mitchner
Mark Keats	...	William C. Hoeger, Tribunal Chairman
Gladys Golden	...	Mary Jurgens, Tribunal Member
Sanford Golden	...	Sen. Harris
George Gregory	...	Mr. Keagan
Norman Sinclair	...	Alfred J. Sully - Tribunal Member
Sigmund Rich	...	Prof. Hazlett
Paul Rosenstein	...	Paul Reynolds - Tribunal Member

Storyline

"Punishment Park" is a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types across the desert in a type of capture the flag game. The soldiers vow not to interfere with the rebels' progress and merely shepherd them along to their destination. At that point, having obtained their goal, they will be released. The film crew's coverage is meant to insure that the military's intentions are honorable. As the representatives of the 60's counter-culture get nearer to passing this arbitrary test, the soldiers become increasingly hostile, attempting to force the hippies out of their pacifist behavior. A lot of this film appears improvised and in several scenes real tempers seem to flare as some of the "acting" got overaggressive. This is a interesting exercise in situational ethics. The cinéma vérité style, hand-held camera, and ambiguous demands of the director - would the actors be ...

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Plot Keywords:

military | desert | capture | punishment | anti establishment | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1980 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Büntető park

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, San Bernardino Mountains, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chartwell, Francoise

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whole movie was filmed using Eclair 16 mm camera. Theather cut and the version for released DVD is been blown up to 35 mm film.

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Goofs

In her tribunal closing statement, Alison Mitchner makes reference to the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, and uses the phrase "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". This phrase is in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.

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Quotes

James Arthur Kohler, Tribunal Defendant: My responsibilities as a citizen in this country do not include killing for it.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits at all. The title doesn't appear until halfway through the closing credits.

User Reviews

the politics are the real punishment in this leftist American nightmare

I saw Peter Watkin's Culloden and The War Game a few months before this and was very impressed. The technique is essentially the same, or at least very similar, in this film detailing on the one hand a trial of dissidents in California in the (apparently) near future, and on the other the attempts of a group of convicted "criminals" to slog through 50 miles of desert to win their freedom in a government-run "punishment park" as an alternative to prison. Watkins films everything in a documentary style, which causes for more than a little awkwardness or required strong suspension of disbelief: how is it that the camera crew is with the group of starving and parched prisoners over 2 days without either offering help or sharing in their misery? And that's merely the most obvious example. But questionable storytelling aside, this packs a punch; no question you have to be interested in political film-making to really get involved, but the film really isn't like anything else of its era: it pulls no punches, offers no simple solutions. The leftist political figures are certainly painted broadly at times, but they aren't all alike; the right-wing government functionaries seem a little more cartoonish, but even they are allowed to show at least a little humanity. Overall, the film gives much to think about and leaves an indelible taste.....8/10 DVD rental