Watch The War at Home

The War at Home is a 1979 documentary film directed by Glenn Silber and Barry Alexander Brown that chronicles the Vietnam War protests and demonstrations that took place in Madison, Wisconsin during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film provides a comprehensive and powerful look at the anti-war movement in a Midwestern college town, using rare archival footage, photographs, and interviews with the activists and veterans involved.

The film is anchored by the story of Karleton Armstrong, a Vietnam veteran who participated in the bombing of the Army Mathematics Research Center on the University of Wisconsin campus in August 1970, as a protest against the war. Armstrong's emotional testimony is used as a frame for the entire film, as it examines the personal, political, and societal factors that led him to participate in the act, and the consequences he and his family faced as a result.

The War at Home takes a non-linear approach to its storytelling, using a combination of interviews, news footage, and still images to create a mosaic of a complex period in American history. The film covers a wide range of topics, from the student-led protests against the war and the draft, to the brutal police repression and violence that often met them.

One of the most moving and powerful threads in the film is the story of Betty Boardman, a housewife and mother of two who became one of the most vocal and inspirational leaders of the anti-war movement in Madison. Boardman's transformation from a quiet suburban housewife to a militant activist is charted in interviews with her and those who knew her, and her courage and commitment are contrasted with the apathy and ignorance of many of her neighbors and fellow citizens.

Another fascinating aspect of The War at Home is its portrayal of the influence that poets and writers had on the anti-war movement. The film features interviews with Allen Ginsberg, the legendary Beat poet and anti-war activist, who came to Madison to participate in the protests and read his poetry. Ginsberg's testimony and readings of his work provide an incisive commentary on the war and the social and political forces that fueled it.

The War at Home is a deeply moving and thought-provoking documentary that not only provides a valuable historical record of one of the most turbulent periods in American history, but also illuminates the universality of the themes it explores. Its depiction of the personal struggles of individuals caught up in larger social and political forces is both poignant and insightful, and its raw honesty and realism make it a powerful testament to the power of the human spirit to resist oppression and fight for justice.

The War at Home is a 1979 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6.