William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe Review
By David Kempler
Attica! Attica! Attica!
Very few men and women make a difference of epic proportion in their chosen field. William Kunstler was one of those men. He was arguably the most influential trial attorney of the second half of the twentieth century. In "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe", his daughters Emily and Sarah explore the life of their father, trying to view him as an outsider might but also letting us know what went on behind the scenes. However, since both ladies were very young during his heyday, their journey is also educational for them. They learn by viewing archived footage and by interviewing the main players in their father's life.
Kunstler was an "ordinary" attorney, living a relatively peaceful life in a suburb of New York City. He knew he wanted more but it crystallized for him when he flew to Mississippi to help with the fight of the Freedom Riders. It was on this trip that he dealt with the fact that justice was more important than the law. This consumed the rest of his life. If there was a large-scale political trial in those times, much more than likely, he was in the thick of it. After the Freedom Riders came his defense of the "Chicago 8", activists who protested against the Vietnam War. When the inmates took over Attica prison, he was there negotiating for the prisoners to get what they wanted. When a tribe of American Indians in South Dakota requested he come to help, he did, and enthusiastically. He always went where he thought he was needed, if he felt it was a case of huge import that might play a major impact in the public eye.
In the latter stage of his career he derailed a bit, fighting more for publicity cases then the causes behind them. Because of this he lost the adoration of the Liberals who loved him. He had gone from crusader against government corruption to a seeker of fame. He lost his way, but he never lost his ability as an attorney. He won cases that were thought by everyone to be unwinnable, including getting an acquittal for a man who killed multiple New York City policemen.
Some of the interviews were fascinating to see, partially for what was said but also because of who they were. Father Daniel Berrigan, who broke into government property and destroyed draft records. Bobby Seale, the American civil rights activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party along with Dr. Huey P. Newton. Many other big names are interviewed here and all offer pieces that help us understand the whole man.
"William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" has no fat on it. Every scene counts. It is clearly and interestingly presented and is directed with a firm hand by his daughters. The editing is first-rate, as well. There is nothing fancy here. It is to the point and tries to be honest about what made the man special. He makes a point near the end that is extremely powerful:
"I suspect," says Kunstler talking to a crowd during the Chicago 8 trial, that more people "have gone to their deaths through a legal system than through all the illegalities in the history of man: 6 million people in Europe during the Third Reich. Legal. Sacco and Vanzetti. Legal. The hundreds of great trials throughout the South where black men were condemned to death. All legal. Jesus. Legal. Socrates. Legal. All tyrants learn that it is far better to do this thing through some semblance of legality than to do it without that pretense."
