The Diary of Sacco and Vanzetti

2004 American film

January 27, 2004 (2004-01-27)

Running time

57 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

The Diary of Sacco and Vanzetti is a 2004 American docudrama, written and directed by David Rothauser, about the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti and an account of Vanzetti's life from the moment of his arrival as an immigrant in the United States, to the events leading to his execution. Rothauser performs in his film in the role of Bartolomeo Vanzetti.^[1]^[2]

Background

David Rothauser had been interested in the events surrounding the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti since having written of them for his graduate thesis at Boston University in 1973.^[2] The concept was first developed as a full-length screenplay that included over 50 characters, but over the 30-year period of its development, Rothauser narrowed the focus to concentrate on Bartolomeo Vanzetti as the film's central figure,^[3] and to point out the flaws in the trial which led to then-Governor of Massachusetts Michael Dukakis’ official declaration in August of 1977, that "Sacco and Vanzetti had been treated unjustly and any disgrace should be forever removed from their names."^[4]

Synopsis

The film uses archived letters, speeches and documents to cover Bartolomeo Vanzetti's arrival to the United States as an immigrant, his involvement with Nicola Sacco, and the events of his trial leading up to his execution in Massachusetts in 1927.^[3]

Release

The film had its theatrical premiere at the Boston Underground Film Festival in October 2003,^[5] and continues to screen in New England seven years after initial release.^[3]^[6]

References

^ Staff (July 22, 2004). "Film re-examines infamous trial". Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
^ ^a ^b King, Loren (July 17, 2004). "Sacco and Vanzetti Trial Comes to the Screen". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Berry, Jake (April 3, 2011). "2004 doc about Sacco and Vanzetti still being shown". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
^ "The Diary of Sacco and Vanzetti". Concord Video & Film Council. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
^ King, Loren (September 14, 2003). "Finding adventure far from Hollywood: Film series, festivals bring diverse, thought-provoking films to town". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
^ Staff (April 10, 2011). "Updating education for new century: Sacco and Vanzetti film". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2011.