[AMERICAN ANARCHIST
screens Wednesday April 5th at 2:20 pm and Thursday April 6th at 9:40 pm at
Tower City Cinemas as part of the 41st Cleveland International Film Festival.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
A portrait in ambivalence and regret, AMERICAN ANARCHIST tells the story of William Powell, author of the
infamous tome 'The Anarchist's Cookbook'. Powell wrote the book in 1969 at the
age of 19. It includes instructions for such fun do-it-yourself projects as
making a bomb and crafting a silencer.
At the time he wrote the book, Powell believed that violence
was a reasonable response to the socio political climate of the late sixties.
Now in his mid-sixties and working with children who have learning
difficulties, Powell's views have changed considerably. But the legacy of the
book he authored all those years ago continues to follow him.
On the one hand, as Powell points out, you can't really hold
him responsible for what people do with the information in the book. On the
other hand, it clearly bothers him that his work has provided a blueprint for
terrorists and murderers.
