Product Details

• Actors: Shirley Chisholm, Walter Cronkite, George Wallace, Ralph Abernathy, Amiri Baraka
• Directors: Shola Lynch
• Producers: Shola Lynch, Becca Bender, Phil Bertelsen, Ramon Hervey
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: March 1, 2005
• Run Time: 76 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006UEVMC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,227 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Chisholm '72 - Unbought & Unbossed" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from New York, was the first black woman elected to the United States Congress (in 1969), and then--long before the likes of Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton--the first African American of either gender to seek a major party's presidential nomination, an effort recounted in Unbought & Unbossed. Chisholm, who died in January 2005 (the 76-minute documentary was produced the previous year), undoubtedly knew that her chances of winning her party's 1972 nomination, let alone the general election, were nil; she ran, she said, to "shake up the system." But while her quest may have been hopeless (as it turned out, so was that of George McGovern, the eventual nominee, who lost to incumbent Richard Nixon in a landslide of historic proportions), it was hardly quixotic. Well-educated, articulate, and tough, Chisholm faced plenty of opposition, including from women and other black politicians; she was even physically attacked on the "Chisholm Trail," as she called her campaign ('72 was also the year that Alabama governor George Wallace, another would-be Democratic nominee, was shot and paralyzed). But she stayed the course all the way up to the Democratic convention in Miami, when she finally released her delegates to McGovern, and continued serving in the House of Representatives until 1983. Whether or not Shirley Chisholm met her goal of becoming "a catalyst for change," as she planned, is arguable. But that she had guts and the strength of her convictions is beyond debate. --Sam Graham

Product Description

CHISHOLM ?72 Unbought & Unbossed is the first historical documentary on Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her campaign to become the Democratic Party?s presidential nominee in 1972. Following Chisholm from the announcement of her candidacy in January to the Democratic National Convention in Miami, Florida in July, the story is like her- fabulous, fierce, and fundamentally ?right on.?

Chisholm?s fight is for inclusion, as she writes in her book The Good Fight (1973), and encompasses all Americans ?who agree that the institutions of this country belong to all of the people who inhabit it.? Shunned by the political establishment, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm asks people of color, feminists and young voters for their support to ?reshape our society and take control of our destiny as we go down the Chisholm Trail in 1972.? To the surprise of many, voters responded.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars it was great! February 8, 2005

By Aubrey Ward III

Format:DVD

Ok, I did not buy the DVD. Howver, I did see this film on an episode of POV which airs on the station PBS (Public Broadcasting Station). Regardless, the film was very well done. I love vintage footage so I was in heaven. This film has plenty of 1972 interviews, campaign commercials, demonstrations, they even play Shirley Chisholm's campaign song.

The documentary also did a great job of showing various points of view about the Chisholm campaign. It would have been real easy to manipulate the film so as to villanize those who didn't support Chisholm or did support and then turned later on it. The film is unbiased and honest. The participants interviewed made decisions like any human would. The viewer is given the opportunity to decide whether he thinks it was a good or bad choice.

My only criticism is that I wish I could've heard more about the other side of the campaign. How was Shirley Chisholm when the cameras weren't rolling or when the speech was over. There is a moment when Shirley is asked about an incident where she was almost stabbed in the back. She was naturally uncomfortable with that moment and she became a bit choked up. I wish there was more of that. It would have been good for people who want to follow in Chisholm's footsteps to see the personal struggles as well as the triumphs. But then the doc. is truly about her campaign. I'll just have to read her autobiography for the other details.

All in all, the doc. was very well done. It was educational, lively, exciting, and thought provoking. The real tragedy, though, isn't her defeat but that no one has picked up where she left off. The "dirty" politics that kept Shirley's campaign down are still well and alive today.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Fired Up August 25, 2005

By Tina Tang

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This documentary reawakens the political activist in us all! It's as educational as it is entertaining. Ms. Lynch reveals the American election process while unfolding the story and character of the vivacious Shirley Chisholm. I saw this film at the Sundance film festival and had to have it for my DVD collection. It'll fire you up and make you care again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sister Shirley gave 'em her all June 11, 2005

By Fredric A. Cooper

Format:DVD

Shirley Chisholm ran for President of The United States in my favorite year, 1972. This fine documentary shows what a lot of guts and determination, along with real, concrete convictions, the lady had, and we can now fully appreciate what she set out to do. A real progressive candidate is such a breath of fresh air any time, and Ms. Chisholm was certainly ahead of hers. It's fun to see the vintage 1972 footage for all the wonderful fashions and hairstyles as well. I dig Shirley's suits, which matched right down to her blouse. Now that's style.