Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train 2003
Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller
Directed by Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller
VHS, color, 78 min.
Sr. High - Adult
History, Human Rights, Labor Relations
Date Entered: 08/06/2004
Reviewed by Brian Falato, University of South Florida Tampa Campus LibraryHoward Zinn is a professor emeritus of history at Boston University who has been at the forefront of struggles in the civil rights, labor, and peace movements for more than 50 years. This video, which takes its subtitle from Zinn’s autobiography, provides an overview of his rich career.
Born in 1922 in New York City to working-class parents, Zinn went to work at a shipyard at 18, where he began his involvement with workers’ rights by being a labor organizer. He enlisted in the Air Force during World War II and served on a bomber crew. His bombing missions had a profound effect on him and provided the impetus for his participation in the anti-war movement.
After the war, he enrolled in college, eventually pursuing a doctorate. His first teaching job was at Spelman College in Atlanta, an African-American women’s college. Zinn soon became involved in the burgeoning civil rights movement and was fired by Spelman for his activism. After getting a job at Boston University, he became a leader of the faculty union and frequently butted heads with the university’s conservative president, John Silber.
Zinn’s writings have often been directed outside academia. His A People’s History of the United States, which focuses on often-forgotten voices in American history such as women, minorities, and the working-class, has sold more than a million copies.
The video primarily features Zinn talking about his life, career, and views, with brief interviews with activist colleagues Noam Chomsky and Tom Hayden and former Spelman students Alice Walker and Marion Wright Edelman. Matt Damon reads excerpts from Zinn’s writings.
This approach presents facts about Zinn’s life and gives a taste of his writing, but doesn’t fully engage the viewer. Its relatively brief running time means the filmmakers can only skim the surface. Adding another 30 minutes to an hour would have allowed time to more fully explore specific events and also introduce individuals who are not so glowing in their view of Zinn. Despite the limited viewpoint, however, the video can still be recommended as an introductory look at this professor, author, and activist.