Review: The making of Howard Zinn’s The People Speak has all the strengths and weaknesses a converted novel of this caliber could possibly possess. It’s a documentary every one should hold to a high standard but also expect to contain many faults. Even director Tony Sacco admits there were problems in developing this work and its no surprise that even years of refinement haven’t been able to perfect it. The problem, as is the case with most documentaries, is found squarely with a director who tries to make a film out of a story instead of just letting the story speak. This is, after all, nothing more than dramatic readings. That should be the focal point of the film, but unfortunately, it tries to also be a history lesson and a call to act. Though each of these parts could be considered crucial, they should be implicit reactions within the viewers, not explicit forcings by the film. Sing song-ing back and forth between a brief history lesson and a dramatic reading deluded viewers' responses. And the responses to these dramatic readings is what this documentary is all about. The actors are superb and deserve more screen time for their ability to draw out the emotions of each and every word. Viggio Mortenson specifically is truly legendary picking up various different readings as if he were born for each role. The only time you won't find yourself truly captivated is during a few of the songs, which (not surprisingly) fall flat because the only build up is a brief historical summary- not exactly your best opening act. The People Speak is a one of those documentaries that was clearly over thought in its production. The need to create a story beyond the performances they filmed is apparent but totally unnecessary. This should be about audiences directly connecting with primary sources from our nation's history, instead, its a jumbled history lesson briefly interrupted by emotional reenactments. Audiences shouldn't suffer through such banality to find such enriching reflections. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 4- wished to hear more of the readings and songs Entertainment: 4- A slow beginning and semi-flat ending don’t destroy the pure, raw emotion generated throughout Technical: 3- great camera work but this is another case of a director getting in the way of the story Overall: 3.5- There are many things to love, but I wanted more of those
 
Format: Theaters Year: 2009 Running Time: 120 Min Distributor: Artfire Films, Cenetic Media Producer: Tony Sacco, Howard Zinn, Josh Brolin, et al. Director: Tony Sacco Date Reviewed: 4-25-2009 Story: Inspired by historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," a slate of top performers takes the stage to recreate the voices of American history's most eloquent dissenters, many of whom are excluded from traditional history books. The words of slaves, authors, politicians, poets, protesters and others come to life, courtesy of a cast that includes Don Cheadle, Sean Penn, Sandra Oh, Marisa Tomei, Benjamin Bratt and many more (NetFlix).