Netflix is commemorating the verdict of trial of the real Chicago 7 — seven men attacked and charged for exercising their rights to protest the Vietnam War during the 1968 Democratic National Convention — by putting the movie version of events up on YouTube this weekend.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on Friday (that's 3 a.m. Saturday on the East Coast), Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 will be free to watch on the Netflix YouTube channel until 11:59 p.m. Pacific time Saturday (again, basically 3 a.m. in New York) on Saturday.
Netflix released a video announcing the commemoration that included Sorkin and much of the cast.
"When we began shooting the trial of the Chicago 7, Sorkin says, "each of us knew that we were in rare territory. We knew that the story we were telling was not only an important chapter of American history, but also chillingly relevant to current events."
Alex Sharp, who played Rennie Davis in the movie, continued: "Fifty-one years ago this month, the whole world watched as a group of men awaited the verdict of what we now know as the trial of the Chicago 7."
The rest of cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Sacha Baron Cohen, John Carroll Lynch, Jeremy Strong, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Michael Keaton also read through the scripted announcement, before Sorkin wrapped things up.
"Join us for global viewing event of our film Trial of the Chicago 7, and honor of the real Patriots who inspired a generation to take to the streets and uphold the foundations of our constitution. It's our honor to share the story with the world."
When we reviewed The Trial of the Chicago 7 back in October 2020, our own Leigh Monson described it thusly: "Fans of writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s trademark style of glossy historicism, fast banter, frantic matched cuts, and heroic monologuing are probably going to find plenty to like."
