"Punishment Park" is a found footage movie shot as a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types across the desert in a type of capture the flag game. The soldiers vow not to interfere with the rebels' progress and merely shepherd them along to their destination. At that point, having obtained their goal, they will be released. The film crew's coverage is meant to insure that the military's intentions are honorable. As the representatives of the 60's counter-culture get nearer to passing this arbitrary test, the soldiers become increasingly hostile, attempting to force the hippies out of their pacifist behavior. A lot of this film appears improvised and in several scenes real tempers seem to flare as some of the "acting" got overaggressive. This is a interesting exercise in situational ethics.
Release Year: 1971Genre: Drama, ThrillerPlot Setting: VariousCamera Type: Film CameraFilming Reason: Document Event, MockumentaryDirector: Peter WatkinsWriter: Peter WatkinsCast: Allen Powell, Bob Franklin, Bob Lewine, Brian Hart, Bruce McGuire, Carmen Argenziano, Charlie Wyatt, Cliff Pinard, Conchita Thornston, Cynthia Jenkins, Danny Conlon, Dennis Wilson, Don McDonald, Don Pino, Don Vann, Fred Franklyn, Gary Johnson, George Gregory, Gladys Golden, Harlan Green, Harold Beaulieu, Harold Schneider, Harry McKasson, Jack Gozdick, Jack London, Jason Sunners, Jim Bohan, Jim Churchill, Jim Wettstein, Joe Hudgins, John Kerry, Katherine Quittner, Kent Foreman, Kerry Cannon, Lee Marks, Linda Mandel, Luke Johnson, Mark Keats, Mary Ellen Kleinhall, Michelle Johnson, Mike Hodel, Mitchell Harding, Norman Sinclair, Patrick Boland, Paul Alelyanes, Paul Rosenstein, Peter Watkins, Radger Greene, Rolando González, Ron Pennington, Ross Briegleb, Sandy Cox, Sanford Golden, Scott Turner, Sigmund Rich, Stan Armsted, Ted Martin, Tom Kemp, Van Daniels, Viola Gonzalez, Wally McKayCountry: USALanguage: EnglishRuntime: 88 minRegion: North AmericaFilm Type: FeatureMovie Title: Punishment Park (1971)
