His daughters, Emily and Sarah Kunstler, made this timely documentary partly to celebrate their late father (he died in 1995) and partly to reiterate his fundamental beliefs.
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:12
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.6/10
Theatrical Release:Nov 13, 2009 Limited
Synopsis: During the second half of the 20th century, William Kunstler was one of the most admired attorneys in America--and one of the most hated. Kunstler was a man who thrived on controversial cases; in... During the second half of the 20th century, William Kunstler was one of the most admired attorneys in America--and one of the most hated. Kunstler was a man who thrived on controversial cases; in the 1960s, he specialized in defending clients who ran afoul of the law on civil rights and free speech issues, and he spoke on behalf of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Lenny Bruce, members of the Black Panther Party, Native American activists, and prisoners' rights groups. Kunstler found himself in the national media spotlight in 1969 when he defended "the Chicago Eight," activists who were accused of organizing riots during the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention; his flamboyant style in the courtroom fascinated the press, and some believe he soon became as interested in getting his name in the papers and his face on television as he was in the law. In his later years, Kunstler developed a reputation as a man who would defend clients whom no one else would touch, including drug dealers, accused rapists, organized-crime figures, and suspected terrorists, though he remained a passionate advocate of the American legal system. Kunstler's daughters, Emily and Sarah, began asking their famous dad questions about his career and his ideals as children armed with a home movie camera, and they've used some of that footage--along with vintage newsreels and interviews with Kunstler's friends, foes, and clients--as the basis for the film WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE, a biographical portrait of the man and his legacy. [More]
Director: Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler
Director: Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler
Producer: Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler, Susan Korda, Jesse Moss
Composer: Shahzad Ali Ismaily
Studio: Arthouse Films
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Reviews for William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe
Terrific archival footage from a range of seminal civil rights events, as well as affecting narration written by Sarah Kunstler and spoken by Emily Kunstler (who also edited the film), round out this superior documentary.
...an in-depth but deeply emotional chronicle of their father's fascinating life.
The film's point is clear. And for those looking for a straight answer, it's this: The bravest lawyer isn't the one who takes on the clients that allow him to feel good about himself. It's the one who takes on the clients that give us nightmares.
Kunstler's accomplishments, principles and courage are all here in Disturbing the Universe. But there is something else that adds an unexpected layer of emotional complexity.
Other than a few tasty tidbits, like the fact that he wrote Joseph McCarthy’s will while still a young family attorney, there’s not much fresh news about William Kunstler in this documentary.
A fond introduction to the activist lawyer by his daughters that may be more informative for their generation given that it covers little new ground.
A thoughtful, clear-eyed look at the life and career of Kunstler, the New York attorney who was famous, and infamous, for standing up for his liberal ideals even for clients who might have been morally objectionable.
A refresher course on the history of American left-wing politics in the 1960s and ’70s.
It is said that everyone either loved or hated radical defense lawyer William Kunstler. A documentary by his daughters asks, "Why choose 'or' instead of 'both'?"
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe is indeed about the radical-leftist attorney. But this engrossing and provocative documentary is also about a tragic kind of liberal guilt.
The major flaw with William Kunstler: Disturbing The Universe is that it isn’t more personal.
A deserving tribute to the man who, on his best days, stood up for the prisoners in Attica and the American Indian Movement at Wounded Knee and marched with Martin Luther King.
The film slowly loses the sobering toughness of its initial inquiry, and finally comes off as bloodline-biased hagiography.
Particularly effective in showcasing the good Kunstler did for so many people and that tends to overpower all the bad stuff for which the majority probably remember Kunstler for later in his life.
His oft-spoken use of Michelangelo's David as a personal symbol of the individual's decision to bring "power to the people" gives better insight into this jurist's fiery heart than any case study.
A very moving tribute to an underappreciated hero who spent his life as a tireless defender of the defenseless.
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