Chicago 7, 10

By Mark Boyer in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 28, 2008 4:19PM

This August will be the 40th anniversary of one of the CPD’s darkest hours (oh, but there are so many to choose from): the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The milestone will be commemorated on the silver screen with the release of a new movie, Chicago 10, which opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow. [See our October review.]

The film is an animated docudrama that focuses on what is commonly known as the 1969 Trial of the Chicago Seven, and it features live-action retroscoped animation (in the style of Waking Life) that’s mixed with archival footage.

Chicago 10 isn’t the only film that’ll revisit the Chicago Seven this year though; Stephen Spielberg has also announced plans to tackle the subject with a film that's been given the working title, The Trial of the Chicago 7.

So what’s with the number discrepancy? Can’t these directors count to 10? According to an article in yesterday's Trib, “The title refers to the Chicago Seven – prominent anti-war demonstrators – the two attorneys who represented them, and anti-war demonstrator Bobby Seale, who eventually was tried separately.”

Spielberg had originally announced that filming would start in April, but it has since been pushed back due to uncertainty over SAG contracts. Several popular actors, such as Will Smith, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Kevin Spacey have been named as potential leads, but the only confirmed actor is Sacha Baron Cohen, who is slated to portray Abbie Hoffman.