SACCO AND VANZETTI tells the story of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrant anarchists who were accused of murder during a payroll robbery in 1920, and after a notoriously prejudiced trial were executed in Boston in 1927. Their ordeal came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America, and millions of people in the U.S. and around the world protested on their behalf.

SACCO AND VANZETTI brings vividly to life the personal, political, and legal aspects of this legendary story through a wealth of archival footage, period art work, music, poetry, excerpts from the 1971 feature film, plus interviews with historians, authors, artists, political activists, a firearms expert, relatives of the protagonists, and readings of Sacco and Vanzetti's powerful prison writings by actors John Turturro and Tony Shalhoub.

The many personalities and organizations involved in these historic events—including the defendants, the presiding judge, the attorneys, the Italian anarchist movement, and the Communist Party—are examined in the political context of the era, especially the notorious 'Red Scare' of the 1920's, which led to the arrest and deportation of thousands of immigrants for their political views.

Although the case of Sacco and Vanzetti remains highly controversial today, the documentary marshals persuasive evidence for the innocence of the defendants and the blatant bias and injustice of the government's prosecution. In addition to its historical importance, SACCO AND VANZETTI reveals disturbing parallels to America's post-9/11 political atmosphere, in which civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack.

"Wonderful! As timeless as the struggle for human justice, as relevant as today's headlines."—Ken Burns

"A visually enticing and intellectually stimulating documentary!"—Donna R. Gabaccia, Director, Immigration History Research Center

"Packed with information."—J. Hoberman, The Village Voice

"Finally we have a superb and thorough documentary that gives light to the facts and feelings about this most important example of the miscarriage of old-fashioned American justice... This documentary needs to be viewed by all students of American culture."—Fred Gardaphe, Director, American Studies Program, Stony Brook University

"Spurred on by recent historical research, the evidence Miller assembles exonerating the defendants is nigh-well irrefutable... Perhaps most importantly, Miller realizes that the political passions fuled by Sacco and Vanzetti in the 1920's are supremely pertinent to our own era's democratic crises."—Cineaste

"Brilliant!"—Paul Buhle, Senior Lecturer, Brown University