The Trial of the Catonsville Nine Reviews

The motives of young protesters brought to trial for burning their draft cards during the height of the anti-Vietnam War movement are examined in this film based on the play of the same name by one of the real-life participants in the event. The intent is to show that each individual's actions were the result of personal ideals, not mere conformity to the then-fashionable protest of the draft. But attempts to defend this form of individualism don't hold up in court, and a guilty verdict is handed down. The play itself doesn't hold up well on screen, with the actors seeming to do more preaching than acting.