One of the most successful movies that were released on October 2020 on Netflix, was the The Trial of the Chicago 7.
The movie captured the attention of many viewers in the world. So, let’s find out more about it!
- The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a 2020 American historical legal drama film.
- It is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.
- The film follows the group of Chicago Seven.
- Chicago 7 was a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters.
- They were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
- It features an ensemble cast that includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, and Jeremy Strong.
- Sorkin originally wrote the screenplay in 2007.
- Back then his intention was Steven Spielberg to direct the film with mostly unknown actors.
- After the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and budget concerns forced Spielberg to drop out as director.
- Sorkin was announced as director in October 2018.
- Much of the cast joined that same month.
- Filming took place in the fall of 2019 in Chicago and around New Jersey.
- Originally planned for a theatrical release by Paramount Pictures.
- The distribution rights to the film were sold to Netflix due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- It was released in select theaters on September 25, 2020.
- Then began streaming digitally on Netflix on October 16, 2020.
- The film received positive reviews from critics, and the viewers.
- Aaron Sorkin stated to Vanity Fair in July 2020 that he first found out about the planned film during a visit to Steven Spielberg’s home in 2006.
- He even specified that Spielberg told him he wanted to make a movie about the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention and the trial that followed.
- He also added that he did not understand in which capacity Spielberg wanted him to be involved.
- In July 2007, Sorkin wrote the script for The Trial of the Chicago 7, based on the conspiracy trial of the so-called Chicago 7.
- Executive producers Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald collaborated on the development of Sorkin’s script, with Spielberg intending to direct the film.
- Sacha Baron Cohen was cast as Abbie Hoffman as early as 2007.
- At the same time, Spielberg approached Will Smith for the role of Bobby Seale.
- He also planned to meet with Heath Ledger about playing Tom Hayden.
- The Writers Guild of America strike, which started in November 2007 and lasted 100 days, delayed filming and the project was suspended.
- Sorkin later continued to rewrite the script for Spielberg, and the director intended to mostly cast unknowns to keep the budget down.
- In 2008, Ben Stiller was reported to be working with Sorkin while considering directing the film.
- In July 2013, it was announced that Paul Greengrass would direct.
- He exited the project two months later when a budget could not be agreed upon, and it did not move forward.
- In July 2020, Vanity Fair reported that Spielberg had decided to resurrect The Trial of the Chicago 7 “a year and a half ago.”
- In October 2018, Sorkin was announced as the director of the film.
- In December 2018, the film was put on hold due to budgetary concerns, until it was revived and ready for distribution offers
- At his rallies Trump started being nostalgic about the good old days beating up protestors and the movie became relevant again.
- At that time, I had no idea how relevant it would come with the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
- Sorkin was in post-production of Trial of the Chicago 7 when anti-racism protests started sweeping the country following the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
- He told Entertainment Weekly that he made changes to the film to “add quick cuts to crime scene stills [from Hampton’s killing], police stills, black-and-white photographs of the bullet holes in the wall, of a blood-stained mattress, of five police officers almost smiling standing there, and adding the sound effect of a camera shutter,” and “now in the world of Rashard Brooks and Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, having those shots and having one of them be police officers obviously resonates today.
- The score was written by British composer Daniel Pemberton, who also wrote the score for Aaron Sorkin’s 2017 film Molly’s Game.
- The soundtrack, titled The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (Music From The Netflix Film), was released digitally under American record label Varèse Sarabande and Universal Music Group on October 16, 2020.
- The soundtrack features three original songs performed by British singer Celeste.
- One of the three main soundtracks was also submitted to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best Original Song in September 2020.
- “Blood on the Streets” was released as a promotional single on October 15, 2020, a day before the release of both the soundtrack and film.
- A physical CD edition of the soundtrack will be released on 20 November 2020.
- All music is composed by Daniel Pemberton.
- Sacha Baron Cohen admitted he was “terrified” of having to do an American accent for the film.He knew Abbie Hoffman had a unique voice, having a Massachusetts accent but also having gone to school in California, and was worried he would “sound wrong”. Aaron Sorkin had to reassure him that the role was “not an impersonation, but an interpretation”, which Baron Cohen claimed did not help much.
- As a method actor, Jeremy Strong (Jerry Rubin) begged writer-director Aaron Sorkin to get him teargassed as well as being thrown on the ground by an ex-cop portraying a riot police officer.
- Sorkin refused to have this happen on set.
- Frank Langella plays a judge who is sympathetic to the pro-establishment positions of the Nixon administration. Langella previously played Nixon in the movie Frost/Nixon.
- This is the second courtroom drama written by Aaron Sorkin to include a judge named Julius.
- Julius Hoffman really was the name of the judge in the trial of the Chicago Seven.
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