Summary

anti war film - In 1969, as a protest against the Vietnam war, American serviceman George Caputo left his unit and sought asylum in Columbia University’s St. Paul’s Chapel. He was supported by a number of radical student organizations and individuals. This is the story of the passionate debate that went on during the 4 days that they held the chapel. 00:13-00:47 – B/W - MFS ZI of a a young man handing out fliers for an antiwar demonstration on a New York City street in 1969. - ZO of a young man and woman sitting on chairs on a sidewalk in New York City with an illustrated poster that says “Resist Oppression Resist the Draft!” - CU of a flier that says “The Resistance Strategy APRIL 3.” - ZI of two people burning a draft card under an umbrella. - “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield playing in an audio track underneath. 00:47-01:30 - EXT MS of Martin Liberman saying it’s the Viet Cong’s resistance that makes our resistance meaningful panning to a W/S shot of people applauding. - Various shots of Police Chicago police attacking demonstrators in Grant Park during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. 01:30-02:09 - ZO Tilt shot of the “Letters” statue by Charles Keck at the Broadway and West 116th Street entrance to Columbia University revealing graffiti at its base. - Various shots of students on the lawns at Columbia University’s main campus on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. - EXT FS of a person eating an apple on the campus of Columbia University. - ZO WS of people playing football on a lawn in front of Butler Library at Columbia University. 02:09-02:29 - Text cards informing viewers that a 17-year-old serviceman named George Caputo sought asylum in a Columbia University chapel. 02:29-03:10 - EXT WS of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. - EXT FS of people sitting in front of a sign that says “Bring the G.I. Homes” on a column at an entrance to St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. - Various Ext shots of people at St. Paul’s Chapel. - EXT WS of a person of a person standing next to a sign that says “Support Our G.I. Brothers” on the campus of Columbia University. - EXT MFS of two men in trench coats on the campus of Columbia University. 03:10-04:06 - ZO EXT WS of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. - EXT MS of an unidentified protestor with a skull and crossbones patch on his jacket sitting on a lawn in front of Butler Library at Columbia University talking about getting approval for AWOL G.I. George Caputo to stay in St. Paul’s Chapel. - ZI EXT shot of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University 04:06-08:50 - Various INT shots of unidentified protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University talking about the lights being shut off the night before and the conspiracy surrounding it intercut with a title card that says George Caputo hasn’t been seen since then and asking “Where’s George?” as the unidentified protestors debating what happened to him. 08:50-12:48 - INT ZI of actor Al Lewis from the television series The Munsters talking to unidentified protestors inside the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University and being asked and responding to a question about the career repercussions for actors and athletes who are part of the antiwar movement. 12:48-14:10 - Unidentified protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University walking past a handmade sign that says “Slovenly Living Is for the Pigs” and talking about how obsessing on undercover police in the crypt is undermining their goals. 14:10-26:19 - MFS of Handmade signs hanging in the crypt at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University that say “Support A.W.O.L G.I. Support Rebellion” and “Support G.I. Rebellion.” - Various INT good shots of protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel intercut with unidentified people talking at a microphone about the G.I. movement, their failure to protect soldiers using churches as sanctuaries, George Caputo and the gap between educated and working people of the same age. - MS of a woman speaking wearing a sweat shirt that says “WMCA Good Guy.” - CU shot of a small dog in the crypt at St. Paul’s Chapel. 26:19-35:44 - Various shots of an unidentified ex-serviceman and current student talking in the crypt at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University talking about how the Army was prepared to use armored personal carriers with 50mm machine guns against demonstrators at the pentagon in 1967. - Various good shots of protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel with hand-made posters above them that say “Stockade System” and “Support GI Rebellion” listening and as unidentified protestors talk about the Black Panther Party pioneering the use of liberated zones, more actively using the sanctuary to assist soldiers and disbanding political groups on Columbia’s campus. 35:44-41:38 - Various good shots of protestors clapping, cheering and laughing in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel as George Caputo returns to the sanctuary and briefly speaks to them. - Various shot of unidentified speakers talking about George Caputo and putting their differences aside intercut with protestors listening. - Various shots an unidentified protestor and CU shots of his notebook as he reads a declaration about the use of St. Paul’s Chapel intercut with various shots of people listening. 41:38-56:23 - Various shots of George Caputo and other speakers intercut with protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University discussing whether Caputo should leave and if they’ll be violent or non-violent if the police, who they call “pigs” and “the man,” come to arrest him. - MS of an older bearded man in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel talking about supporters outside the chapel with computers who could theoretically shut down banks and other businesses if the police come to take Caputo. - Various shots of a protestor saying the Vietcong are winning but at great cost and that the protestors who he refers to as heroic guerillas aren’t going to win. - Various shots of Caputo intercut with shots of protesters listening as he exclaims that he’s not leaving the chapel, that only G.I.’s can end the war in Vietnam, that he didn’t go AWOL for his own benefit, and he intends to fight if the police come to take him. 56:23-01:01:41 - Various shots of protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University being critical of their actions on the third day of their occupation of the chapel. - Various shots of a young black man with an afro intercut with protesters listening as he says there is no support in the community for their actions and that the community think the protestors are “assess” and “fools.” He says what they are doing is ridiculous and a disgrace, that they should get out on the street, and stop “all this bullshit.” - Various shots of a person questioning if the protestors intend to get the G.I.’s arrested intercut with a MS shot of George Caputo and WS of the protestors listening. 01:01:41-01:07:01 - Various good shots of the protestors and George Caputo in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University with “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield playing in an audio track underneath. - Medium Full shot ZI CU of George Caputo talking about how he can be defended both actively and passively, the concrete steps that can be taken to defend the chapel and that all they’ve been doing is “bullshitting.” - Various good CU shots of the protestors in the crypt of St. Paul’s Chapel with “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield playing in an audio track underneath. - Medium Shot ZI to CU of an identified protester calling for a vote to finalize a course of action. - Full shot of a table with pamphlets and a sign that says “Support a G.I. Brother” blowing in the wind on the campus of Columbia University with an audio track of the above protestor playing underneath and title cards saying Caputo left after for good after five days in the chapel saying he didn’t want to be a martyr and his goals were accomplished. 01:07:01 - Slow motion wide shot ZI to full shot of a man and woman tossing a football to each other on the campus of Columbia University. - Panning WS shot on a street in New York City with a ZI on graffiti that says “The War IS Over.” - Audio track of “Bookends Theme” by Simon and Garfunkel playing underneath.