Review of Den vita sporten (1968)
Protests and counter-protests surrounding a Davis Cup tennis match scheduled to be played in the small Swedish beach community of Båstad, against a visiting all-white team from Rhodesia. A large group of activists bus themselves in to assert that sports should not be exempt from sincere anti-racist politics. They are met by raised batons and a water cannon, despite earlier public notice that “All this talk of water cannons is just silly”. In the aftermath, large parts of the local citizenry sign a petition to allow more extensive use of force against protesters, and go out hunting for any remaining students.
Direct cinema produced by a collective known as Grupp 13, including both Bo Widerberg and Roy Andersson of subsequent fiction-film distinction.
The gate-crashing scene is an astounding record, skillfully shot from an excellent vantage point, but there is great depth as well.
References here: “Maj 68” (2018).