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Tony Shalhoub, Studs Terkel, Arlo Guthrie, Giuliano Montaldo, John Turturro ... see more see more... , Howard Zinn , Nunzio Pernicone , Michael Topp , Lincoln Robbins , Mary Anne Trasciatti , Anton Coppola

Filmmaker Peter Miller explores the crimes, trial, and execution of notorious 20th-century anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in a documentary that highlights just how this landmark case ... read more read more...came to symbolize the injustice and intolerance experienced by immigrants longing to pursue their dreams in the land of the free. It was 1920 when Italian immigrant anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of murder in Massachusetts. Seven years later, when the jurors delivered their final verdict in a notoriously prejudiced trial, both men were condemned to death despite massive protests both in the U.S. and abroad. Eight decades later, as America continues to wrestle with issues of civil rights, immigrant liberties, and dissent, the case of Sacco and Vanzetti continues to resonate. In addition to balancing the personal and political aspects of the case as well as looking into the legal climate of the era, Miller's film brings the prison writings of Sacco and Vanzetti to life as never before as Tony Shalhoub and John Turturro read the deeply personal letters written by the pair during their ordeal. Additional music, artwork, poetry, and film clips inspired by the case propel the narrative by highlighting just what a lasting impression the Sacco and Vanzetti case has had on American culture. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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59% liked it

1,717 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

29 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Peter Miller

Release Date: March 30, 2007

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DVD Release Date: August 21, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (48)

  • flixsterman
    December 13, 2009
    flixsterman
    A solid documentary about one of the worst miscarriages of justice in American history.
  • gator681
    April 5, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Sacco & Vanzetti" is an informative documentary about Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two immigrants and anarchists who were railroaded for a murder and robbery that happened near Boston in 1920 and executed in 1927.(Even though I heard of them, the pa... read morerticulars of the case were unfamiliar to me until now.) While borrowing too much from the Ken Burns school of documentary filmmaking(admittedly it does open it up a little but the music is definitely overkill), the documentary does an adequate job of linking their case to today via the immigrant issue and the war on terror. But regrettably it does not do the same with the death penalty and there is little information on anarchism as a philosophy. No matter how far we have come as a nation, it always seems like there is always more work to be done. [/font]
  • jscottcorley
    August 14, 2009
    jscottcorley
    Apparently this received a goodly amount of critical praise and although I found it very interesting and an ironic turn on current events, the filmmaking itself was not that compelling.

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Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington
May 17, 2007
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Nicola Sacco, Bartolomeo Vanzetti, and the incredible firestorm of outrage generated by their criminal trials have been largely neglected in recent years, but Peter Miller's absolutely engrossing docu... Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz
April 2, 2007
Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times

The meat-and-potatoes style of Sacco and Vanzetti seems less a failure of imagination than a means of putting in the foreground its intriguing subject matter. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
March 30, 2007
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Miller, a New Yorker, uses archival footage, dramatized readings and talking heads, including Sacco's niece and a neighbor of Vanzetti's, to get his point across. Full Review

Jack Mathews
March 30, 2007
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

Miller's film shows how quickly Americans facing perceived foreign threats are willing to ignore basic liberties. Sound familiar? Full Review

Ronnie Scheib
March 30, 2007
Ronnie Scheib, Variety

[Pic] does a superb job of condensing an overwhelming mass of documentation, archival imagery and artistic representation into a concise yet passionate history lesson whose relevance could not be time... Full Review

J. Hoberman
March 29, 2007
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Only 81 minutes long, Sacco and Vanzetti is packed with information. Full Review

Jan Stuart
March 29, 2007
Jan Stuart, Newsday

[Director Peter Miller] shrewdly exposes the monolithic, class-driven legal machinery that sent a pair of innocent, hard-working immigrants to the chair. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
March 22, 2007
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

A bit pedantic, but thorough and interesting throughout, a must for history buffs. Full Review

Cole Smithey
April 26, 2009
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

A long-held cause celebre for leftists the world over, the story of immigrant activists Sacco & Vanzetti is told in Peter Miller's rote documentary as a reference point for the way immigrants are stil... Full Review

Ted Murphy
July 14, 2007
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews

Surprisingly, this is the first nonfiction film to tackle the subject and Miller manages to find the parallels to contemporary times without being too pedantic or heavy-handed. Full Review

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