Punishment Park
Peter Watkins
© Shellac
In a desert area of southern California, a group of convicts must cross the desert on foot, without water or food, to earn their freedom. At the end of the long journey, an American flag symbolises their success. But to "spice up" the game, armed and mobile special forces set out in pursuit, not hesitating to intercept anyone who crosses their path.
Cast : Patrick Boland, Kent Foreman, Carmen Argenziano, Luke Johnson, Katherine Quittner, Scott Turner, Stan Armsted
Scenario : Peter Watkins
Cinematography : Joan Churchill, Peter Smokler
Sound : Michael Moore
Editing : Terry Hodel, Peter Watkins
Music : Paul Motian
Scenario : Peter Watkins
Cinematography : Joan Churchill, Peter Smokler
Sound : Michael Moore
Editing : Terry Hodel, Peter Watkins
Music : Paul Motian
Production : Chartwell, Susan Martin
Distribution : Patrick Watkins
Distribution : Patrick Watkins
Immediately banned by the authorities, the film remained in cinemas in New York for only four days. The Nixon administration deemed the film dangerous for the nation, accusing it of spreading a false image of the United States. Inspired by the application of the McCarren Act, an emergency law passed in 1970 in response to the escalating conflict in North Vietnam, Punishment Park is a political fable. Peter Watkins imagines the possible consequences of the declaration of a state of emergency by the President of the United States. The director’s strength lies in his ability to sow confusion by presenting the story as if it were a reality TV show. The use of non-professional actors and activists playing themselves, combined with the freedom to improvise in the dialogues, helps to maintain the illusion of reality. Peter Watkins subverts all the conventions of documentary filmmaking, offering a "foreshadowing of the paranoid omnipresence of the media".