NETFLIX'S THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7: VIEWERS' REACTION
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 now on Netflix is, at once, a familiar saga played out in real life and resulting from the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. It is also a new version of the same event, this time written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, best known for TV's award-winning series, THE WEST WING. The fact that this account can be labeled a "docudrama," mixing fiction and non-fiction, is an interesting perspective in itself and a separate subject. This critic's perspective takes another approach: the viewer's relationship to the film. Simply put, that relationship centers around our connection to the "characters." It is a disconcerting one in the beginning. As each of the Chicago 7 is initially introduced, we unconsciously compare the real-life person to the actor playing him. For example, Academy Award winners , Eddie Redmayne and Mark Rylance, show very little physical resemblance to Tom Hayden and William Kunsler, respectiv