Storyville: Attica

When people ask me for recommendations of what to see on TV - and, for some reason, they often do - one of my standbys is Storyville. They’re a strand made by a variety of directors, on a huge range of topics, but they almost guarantee ninety minutes of intelligent viewing - a clear, organised stud of something you maybe didn’t think you wanted to watch, but done so well that you find you’re willing o change your mind.

Attica, the account of a long-ago prison riot, is a brilliant example. It’s accompanied with all kinds of warnings about violence bu you think US prison, of course it’s going to be a bit rough, but I can cope with that…And it’s disarming the way the early stages are narrated by relaxed black guys, reminiscing in old age about what happened to them when they were young. And the early part of the story is quite touching - prison inmates, taking over the prison and then trying to produce a rational set of demands, asking for key intellectuals they think they can rust to cme into the prison, and be part of this negotiation.

So far, so innocent, but outside the forces of reaction are gathering, Nixon and Rockefeller, both adamant that these black jailbirds can’ be seen to win, so by the end it comes as no surprise to watch a painful, brutal suppression, with all kinds of empty promises about fair treatment and non-violence being used to excuse state-sponsored assault which really is very hard to watch. I wasn’t sure what I was in for, and that’s part of the film’s intelligent approach, but it’s not something I’m going to find it easy to forget.