Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
March 2006 Reviewed by: Marc Mickelson Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Between 1973 and 1975, the Symbionese Liberation Army, a home-grown terrorist group, committed murders, bank robberies, and other acts of violence throughout California, including its most famous crime: the kidnapping of media heiress Patricia Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst. In a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome, Hearst began to identify with her kidnappers, eventually having an affair with one of them and joining them in their radical activities. "Magic" is how SLA members characterized Hearst's involvement, as she turned out to be a very effective propaganda vehicle, keeping the SLA in the news and creating surprising twists and turns that mesmerized the public.

Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst documents the events of the nearly 600 days of Patty Hearst's captivity through newsreel footage and interviews with the people involved. The SLA grew out of '60s radicalism, especially the 1970 Kent State Massacre, where Ohio National Guard troops fired on a group of college protesters, killing four, and was spiced with caution about governmental power. "We saved the world from Hitler, and then we were Hitler," said SLA member Russ Little. "We [America] were running rampant throughout the world and lying about it." Thus, Patty Hearst's kidnapping involved more than the taking of one young woman. It marked the rise of a revolutionary spirit.

As with all movies that mix materials filmed decades apart, the video image of Guerrilla is as good as the footage allows. Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is uncommon for documentaries but is tastefully done here. Extras, including bank-robbery footage and Patty Hearst audio tapes, definitely add to the movie's message. Docurama, the company behind the DVD release of Guerrilla, has the most extensive catalog of documentaries I've seen. There are dozens of interesting and significant titles.

It is impossible to watch Guerrilla and not think about the socio-political climate in America today, with its foreign war, bugging of American citizens, and president with sagging public approval. The movie ends with footage of Patty Hearst, who received a presidential pardon for the crimes she committed with the SLA, on a talk show juxtaposed with court proceedings for her SLA cohorts, a scenario with the earmarks of what writer Maureen Orth has called "the celebrity-industrial complex." Guerilla is a stylish, high-energy movie and fascinating video history lesson in one.

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