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Kent State Massacre Protest Film Vietnam War U.C. Berkeley Campus May 4 (1970)

1970 · Short film · 4 min

  • War
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Synopsis

This untitled Vietnam War protest film was probably made by a student at UC Berkeley. Unfortunately there is no main title or credits so -- we just don't know. The film contrasts the war in Vietnam with the Kent State shootings, which took place on May 4, 1970 during a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by United States military forces as well as protesting the National Guard presence on campus. The film shows some of the broader reaction to the news of the Kent State tragedy, including the U.C. Berkeley campus on strike. The b&w film uses still photography and live action footage to make its points about police brutality, the military industrial complex, and the misguided policies of the Nixon Administration with regard to the Vietnam War. The film begins with images of Richard Nixon and audio about the war in Vietnam, before transitioning abruptly to images from Kent State. At 1:02, protests at UC Berkeley is shown with a banner reading "Stop Nixon's Slaughter". At 1:11, a large cadre of police are shown at the UC campus. At 1:53, shots of the Daily Californian newspaper headlines announcing that Governor Ronald Reagan has closed the campus to quash protests. At 1:58, inside a student organizer headquarters is shown with different positions in the group described -- from "Internal Education" to "External Education". At 2:02, students are shown making silk screens of protest posters. The poster shown at 2:10 is "Amerika is Devouring…

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Details

Running time
4 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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