Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
Original title: Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
632
YOUR RATING
The story of the 1974 kidnap of teenage heiress Patty Hearst, which set off one of the most bizarre episodes in recent American history.The story of the 1974 kidnap of teenage heiress Patty Hearst, which set off one of the most bizarre episodes in recent American history.The story of the 1974 kidnap of teenage heiress Patty Hearst, which set off one of the most bizarre episodes in recent American history.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Donald DeFreeze
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (voice)
Marcus Foster
- Self
- (archive footage)
Anne Hearst
- Self
- (archive footage)
Catherine Hearst
- Self
- (archive footage)
Patricia Hearst
- Self
- (archive footage)
Randolph Hearst
- Self
- (archive footage)
Popeye Jackson
- Self
- (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan
- Self
- (archive footage)
Kathy Soliah
- Self - Angela Atwood's best friend
- (archive footage)
Steven Weed
- Self
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe documentary only briefly delves into Patty Hearst's return to public life after prison, but does not mention that John Waters facilitated it by casting her in a number of his films, beginning with Cry-Baby in 1990.
- GoofsIn the beginning of the documentary Russ Little inaccurately makes the statement that Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was Bolivian. In fact, he was from Argentina.
- ConnectionsFeatures The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Featured review
Well-constructed documentary about one of America's most fascinating stories
In 1973, a left-wing militant group calling themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army shot and murdered black school superintendent Marcus Foster and wounded his deputy. Led by prison escapee and black political activist Donald DeFreeze, Foster's murder was a confused statement about fascism, apparently revealing Foster to be a pawn in what was essentially an ethically corrupt school system. The following year, they kidnapped newspaper heiress Patty Hearst from her home and caused a media sensation. The SLA made demands that her father Randolph Hearst pay to feed the starving, while the media storm gathered even more momentum. It reached its peak when recordings of Patty were released to the media declaring her sympathy towards the SLA, and her wish to join them.
The 1970's was a time of revolution and a new political awareness. Like the Red Army Faction (or the Baader-Meinhof Group) in Germany, the children of the 1970's were children of Nazi's and, in America, of blatant political corruption (the Watergate scandal, for example). The SLA were inspired by Marxism, anti-Capitalism, and Che Guevara's revolution in Cuba, believing that America would benefit from an equal society, and from the eradication of corruption and racism. "Death to the fascist insect that prays upon the life of the people!" was one of their motto's, and although it is easy to sympathise with their relatively naive hopes and views, the SLA certainly went about their business in a strange way. They committed murder, bank robberies and kidnapping - acts that certainly aren't beneficial to the people.
Sadly, the former SLA members that are interviewed in the film are not those that experienced the Patty Hearst scenario first hand (those people are either dead or in jail), so the interviewees don't draw from personal experiences and are quick to distance themselves from the darker aspects of the SLA. Hearst herself is sadly absent from the film, which is a shame, because as a result, she gets off relatively lightly. She is now a part-time actress and media darling, which is quite sickening given what she did. As to whether she was brain-washed or she was acting on her own accord is left unexplored. Robert Stone's documentary, is, however, well-constructed and contains plenty of fascinating archive footage. Plus, this is one of the most fascinating stories in America's recent history, and a poignant commentary on the role of the media in creating national treasures out of scandal and sensationalism.
www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
The 1970's was a time of revolution and a new political awareness. Like the Red Army Faction (or the Baader-Meinhof Group) in Germany, the children of the 1970's were children of Nazi's and, in America, of blatant political corruption (the Watergate scandal, for example). The SLA were inspired by Marxism, anti-Capitalism, and Che Guevara's revolution in Cuba, believing that America would benefit from an equal society, and from the eradication of corruption and racism. "Death to the fascist insect that prays upon the life of the people!" was one of their motto's, and although it is easy to sympathise with their relatively naive hopes and views, the SLA certainly went about their business in a strange way. They committed murder, bank robberies and kidnapping - acts that certainly aren't beneficial to the people.
Sadly, the former SLA members that are interviewed in the film are not those that experienced the Patty Hearst scenario first hand (those people are either dead or in jail), so the interviewees don't draw from personal experiences and are quick to distance themselves from the darker aspects of the SLA. Hearst herself is sadly absent from the film, which is a shame, because as a result, she gets off relatively lightly. She is now a part-time actress and media darling, which is quite sickening given what she did. As to whether she was brain-washed or she was acting on her own accord is left unexplored. Robert Stone's documentary, is, however, well-constructed and contains plenty of fascinating archive footage. Plus, this is one of the most fascinating stories in America's recent history, and a poignant commentary on the role of the media in creating national treasures out of scandal and sensationalism.
www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
helpful•30
- tomgillespie2002
- Feb 15, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Antartiko polis: I apagogi tis Patty Hearst
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $105,054
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $22,444
- Nov 28, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $105,054
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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By what name was Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst (2004) officially released in India in English?
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