The Sixties - The Years That Shaped a Generation (2005)

It was a time when a generation rebelled and lost its innocence. From the Vietnam War to the struggle for racial equality to the birth of a counter-culture explosion, the 1960s was a decade of change, experimentation and hope that transformed an entire nation. The two-hour documentary features revealing interviews with the prominent figures of the era including: Barbara Ehrenreich, Daniel Ellsberg, Jesse Jackson, Tom Hayden, Arlo Guthrie, Henry Kissinger, Norman Mailer, Robert McNamara, Ed Meese III and Bobby Seale.

A one sided view

Although the part of the 60's is accurate, it is focused on Vietnam. While it was a major part of the 60's, it wasn't the ONLY thing. Music, fashion, cold war, and space race are minimized. Too much political. December 5, 2007

lukewarm rehashing of the 1960s that is best viewed as a primer

The Sixties: The Years That Shaped A Generation gives us a broad retrospective of these times although this suffers from two major flaws. The DVD documents mostly the years between 1967 and 1974; and there should have been more newsreel footage from that era instead of interviews with historians who weren't always present at the major demonstrations.

The archival footage is in very good shape as we see the youth of the 1960s spearheading the development of major social movements. We see many college students, black people and women fighting for fundamental social change and greater equality with the white male population. There is good footage of Martin Luther King, Jr. as he gives his speeches; and the footage of Bobby Kennedy was great also. It's positive to see that the 1960s produced major advances in equality for blacks, student rights, women and gays.

Some of the interviews by Arlo Guthrie and Henry Kissinger are valuable because these people were deeply politically involved during a time a rapid social change and upheaval. I didn't see the advantage of interviewing others like Pat Buchanan. Yes, he wrote speeches for Nixon, but I didn't get the impression he publicly involved himself in any movement, left or right, of the day.

I must say once again that the title is going to mislead you. Yes, this covers the turbulent 1960s; but it starts with 1966 and 1967--not 1960. The viewer, therefore, gets the message that the makers of this film don't consider anything before 1966 or 1967 as being noteworthy. I would disagree.

The DVD doesn't have bonus features--unless you count "scene selection." Sigh.

Overall, I recommend this for people who want an elementary introduction to one of the most turbulent times in recent American history. Students of global history will appreciate the footage of student protests in other countries across the globe. Unfortunately, however, I think the film was made somewhat carelessly. There's scarcely any information about the years before 1967; and the interview footage adds color but just not enough. December 2, 2007

The Sixties - The Years We STILL Can't Be Honest About

This perspective on our nation's most defining period of contemporary history SHOULD have been more aptly entitled "1968" since the bulk of video images linger on events during this year of that decade. Focus is deserved here, because in many respects, 1968 was a critical watershed forever impacting our nation's social, moral and ethical psyche.

If viewed as from the perspective of a photo snapshot, "The Sixties" displays merit by conveying a sense of the confusion, optimism, dichotomy, complexity and uncertainty of this time. The indelible images from this period are riveting enough in and of themselves.

The two problems with this video are that (1) it does not give a perspective from the past of those forces which set the stage for this tumultuous decade--either from the beginning of the sixties or from the end of the decade of the fifties and (2) it does not give a coherent understanding of positive legacies as well as those curses that still impact our nation today.

These two problems highlight the fact that this video SHOULD NOT be seen as a definitive summary. It is unfortunate that various activists interviewed (grown older--but not necessarily wiser) tout various ACHIEVEMENTS during the sixties resulting from their efforts as beneficial to the country. They do not honestly admit to the deep seated and pernicious impact their FAILINGS introduced to our society.

Despite the general self-congratulary aura that "The Sixties" seems to project, elements of truthful self-examination occasionally seep through. One notable example is Bobby Seale's (The Black Panther Party co-founder) confrontation of Huey Newton (The Black Panther Party's other co-founder) about finding a brick of cocaine to allegedly finance the party's activities.

Overall, "The Sixties" is the perspective of some activists from period who appear unwilling to admit that their moral protests and altruistic motives did not fully coincide with their actions or the outcomes of their efforts.
November 8, 2006

If you were there, it's O.K; if not this leaves a lot of questions

If you already have a good grounding in the "Sixties," this production isn't bad.

The problem is that it really is more 1964-74 rather than the "Sixties." It glosses over many of the events, and if you have the background that's O.K. because you KNOW the necessary details. But, if you are mostly clueless about the times the necessary background to understand why events are occurring is arguably sparse.

I also find the use of current era talking heads from 1990s to explain what is happening is a bit distracting. We had fine news coverage in the 1960s. Why not use that footage to explain the times and supplement it with comments from current social commentators, rather than do it in the reverse as this production does.

For those who want to relieve the days, it's an O.K. piece, though a bit shallow. For those who don't have a clue and want to understand what happened, I'm afraid it will leave them a bit lost. June 30, 2006

Deja-Vu!

As a person who was a college aged person during the sixties, watching this video brought back many of the feelings experienced then and are resurrecting themselves now. The domestic violence in the streets certainly is down, however our participation in a questionable war goes right back to 40 years ago! The assassinations of JFK,Malcolm X,MLK,and Bobby Kennedy along with a generation of American soldiers and Vietnamese people being injured/killed stills affects me profoundly. I hope people who watch this keep these events in mind when they enter the voting booth again. And remember that many of the young people portrayed in this video are the senior citizens today! November 22, 2005

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