Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed

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Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed

Released Sep 17, 2004

1h 17m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

88%

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8 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Pioneering politician Shirley Chisholm is the subject of this lauded documentary. The nation's first African-American congresswoman, the passionate Chisholm launches a campaign for the United States presidency in the 1972 election, and wins an impressive amount of support, given the era and the still-prevailing prejudices of many voters. The film takes a close look at her presidential run, providing interviews with Chisholm and the dedicated individuals who worked on her groundbreaking campaign.

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Ned Martel

New York Times

Avoids some hard questions: in her presidential campaign did she make mistakes in building relationships? Did she follow some ill-planned strategy or none at all?

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 23, 2004

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

Solid, straightforward docu should prove a durable broadcast and educational item for years to come.

Sep 21, 2004

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Melissa Anderson

Village Voice

Abundant archival footage of other contenders -- Edmund Muskie's breakdown in New Hampshire, a loopy Hubert Humphrey ad -- skillfully reinforces Chisholm as a refreshingly quixotic populist, running on fervor and indignation.

Sep 21, 2004

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Carey-Ann Pawsey

Orca Sound

The documentary is truly a reflection of the woman herself as it does not bend or acquiesce to anyone. An inspiration for woman and minorities today

Rated: 3/5

Mar 30, 2020

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Film Threat

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2005

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David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

Hearing her speak her finely honed mind in unscripted, un-'handled' terms is worth the price of admission in itself.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 18, 2004

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Georgan G

Shirley Chisholm was quite a woman. I was proud to vote for her in 1972. This documentary took her campaign to heart & brought me back there again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/10/23

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Audience Member

A very important documentary about a pivotal moment in our nation's 'history. Should be seen by everyone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

Bloody hell this woman is seriously inspiring. I wish I'd heard about her sooner. I am now a fan!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

This was a very good documentary. While the movie did talk about her historic run and it's relevance to history, and anyone who watches this movie can see it's relevance to what has happened in 08, this movie did leave me wondering what was her ideological stance on most things. While it was alluded to them, never really pinned them down. While no movie can totally get every details of history, to me it left me with other questions, but never really answered them, but they could have just been out of the scope of this movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Very good documentary about Chisholm's historic run for the Democratic nomination in 1972. Her story is rather important in presidential politics. If the film has a flaw it is the sometimes inaccurate depiction of some of the motives behind some of the events and it's depiction of McGovern at times. Very good political documentary though.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

Before Hillary Clinton, before Barack Obama, there was Shirley Chisholm. This is a must see documentary. Besides the sociopolitical relevance of Rep. Chisholm, the documentary is well done as a piece of cinema.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Shola Lynch

Director

Shola Lynch

Producer

Phil Bertelsen

Producer

Ramon Hervey

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Pioneering politician Shirley Chisholm is the subject of this lauded documentary. The nation's first African-American congresswoman, the passionate Chisholm launches a campaign for the United States presidency in the 1972 election, and wins an impressive amount of support, given the era and the still-prevailing prejudices of many voters. The film takes a close look at her presidential run, providing interviews with Chisholm and the dedicated individuals who worked on her groundbreaking campaign.

Director: Shola Lynch
Producer: Shola Lynch, Phil Bertelsen
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Realside Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 17m

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