MR. KUNSTLER: Why not, your Honor? What's wrong with singing?
There's dramatic tension, politics, characterization, music of the times. The defense counselor, William Kunstler, ends up being handed 22 counts of contempt of court. And none of it is screenplay creative non-fiction. Judy goes on to recite the whole song instead, as if it were a poem, which it is. And she answers Kunstler's question regarding Abbie's state of mind prior to Chicago:
THE WITNESS: There was nothing violent about anything that went on in the preparations on our side for this Convention. We were provoked.
Did that gem of a scene get into the movie about the trial? No, of course not.
What about the marvelous testimony of Allen Ginsberg? At one point he's asked to explain what a "be-in" is (as opposed to a sit-in) and there's jocund confusion:
THE COURT: Just a minute I am not sure how you spell the be-in.
MR. WEINGLASS: B-E I-N, I believe, be-in.
THE WITNESS: Human be-in.
THE COURT: I really can't pass on the validity of the objection because I don't understand the question.
MR. WEINGLASS: I asked him to explain what a be-in was.
MR. FORAN: I would love to know also but I don't think it has anything to do with this lawsuit.
THE COURT I will over the objection of the Government, tell what a be-in is.
THE WITNESS: A gathering-together of younger people aware of the planetary fate that we are all sitting in the middle of, imbued with a new consciousness, a new kind of society involving prayer, music, and spiritual life together rather than competition, acquisition and war.
It gets even better, because Ginsberg is so natural and tuned-in:
MR. WEINGLASS: Mr. Ginsberg, do you recall anything else that Mr. Rubin said to you in the course of that telephone conversation?
THE WITNESS: Yes, he said that he thought it would be interesting if we could get up little schools like ecology schools, music schools, political schools, schools about the Vietnam war, schools with yogis.
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