Still a Big Disappointment
Added 11/15/2009
Initially I had seen this movie on TV. I didn't like it - but I attributed that feeling to the fact that I was watching a movie on a small screen format for TV along with frequent interruptions for commercials.
So - I figured I would give it another try, bought the DVD and watched it in wide-screen format. I then realized that my first impression was on the mark. Big disappointment.
My reasons:
This was filmed in 1979 and looks like it was filmed in '79. The 60's were only ten years earlier, but the styles and the atmosphere here in NYC were much different from the late 70's. The costumes are basically what people were wearing in 1978-79. Example: the scene for the song "White Boys". There does not appear to have been any attempts in authenticating the earlier decade.
Wide angle scenes of dancers, as in Central Park were shot in frames which served to restrict the dance movement. The Twyla Thorpe choreography did not capture the zest and excitement that had been in the play. Yes - Ms. Thorpe is a legend and I am a fan - but the dance scenes appeared disjointed, robotic and inappropriate for a play of self-realization and non-conformity.
Practically every scene was filmed under a gray sky. The zombie-like dancing along with the '70's garb did not help to counteract the mood.
Hopefully someday another movie version of this fantastic play will be made and hopefully the director will present it with creativity and a feel for the period piece that it is.
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Great music, hateful characters that betray all that hippie stands for
Added 10/3/2009
I tried and almost succeeded in liking this movie. Its got some great music, some genuinely funny scenes and Claude (the lead) is tolerant, open minded, honorable and generally very likeable. Its too bad he's the only one. Berger is a not a hippie, he's a thug, a shameless bully that his group of friends follow pathetically. Sheila is a cold hearted upper class snob that betrays her poor spineless school chum (who drives her to school EVERY MORNING) by going along with the "hippies" when they humiliate him by stealing his car (correction, his FATHER'S car) for a cross country trip. How could any hippie watch that scene and not be grossly offended by it? I suppose I was supposed to be laughing hysterically, but all I wanted to do was scream at them to pick on someone their own size. This is NOT what hippies are about. This is "might makes right", a sentiment I'm sure these "hippies" would condemn.
Sadly, I must go back somewhat on something I said before. There WERE hippies like this back in the day, and they destroyed the movement from the inside. Berger has much more in common with Charles Manson then he does John Lennon. He takes advantage of the people around him for personal gain and I didn't get the impression that love had anything to do with it. This criticism applies to the movie in general. The characters don't spread love and happiness, they spew judgment upon those different from them and, basically, attack them. A lot of the "antagonists" in this movie are people that just want to be left alone.
Its too bad, because a lot of the music is genuinely great. The "Black Boys/White Boys" song had me cracking up, and "Let the Sun Shine In" is an undeniable classic. I've heard that the Broadway version is very different, but if it features Berger acting like an asshole and his mindless friends going along with every stupid scheme he comes up with (just so its been said, that whole trick to get into the military base would have never worked in real life), I'm not interested. If you, like me, resonate with the true ideals of the hippie movement, steer clear of this one.
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one heck of a musical memoir that is brighter, sharper and more insightful than most
Added 8/4/2009
Hair is easily one of the most evocative movie musicals I've ever seen. The acting is terrific; the choreography is outstanding and the cinematography by Twyla Tharp works wonders for the film. The songs are incredibly catchy, too. The casting is exceptionally well done and overall this stuns me even if the two original authors James Rado and Gerome Ragni didn't like Milos Forman's adaptation of their stage play to the big screen. In addition, the quality of the print is very good.
When the action starts, we meet Claude Bukowski (John Savage) who has been drafted into the Vietnam War; he leaves his native Oklahoma to go to New York City for his physical exam and initial induction into the military. Once Claude gets to Manhattan, however, his plan for two days of sightseeing rapidly goes in another direction when he sees a beautiful young woman horseback riding in Central Park and meets a group of free thinking, loving hippies who hang out in Central Park. Despite Claude's initial resistance, he soon takes a liking to the hippies (although Lord knows the hippies and Claude don't seem to have that much in common) and the hippies like Claude, too. The hippie group includes George Berger (Treat Williams) who is essentially their leader, the colorful Jeannie (Annie Golden), "Hud" aka Lafayette (Dorsey Wright), Woof (Don Dacus) and, at times, a few others singing and dancing their way along for the ride.
To spice things up, there are all sorts of antics, like the hippies hiding Sheila's clothing when she impulsively skinny dips in a Central Park lake with Claude; and there are the predictable yet very well done scenes of the hippies doing drugs and asking for a little "spare change" so they can rent a horse and show off a bit when they next encounter Sheila and her snooty horseback riding friends. Berger, the hippies and Claude even wind up crashing a party in Sheila's honor so that Claude can see Sheila once more before he's drafted.
But Hair gives us so much more. It's a fond, fun and nostalgic look back at the latter half of the 1960s, a time when quite a few young people sincerely believed that they could change the world by protesting, questioning authority and leading their lives free of the typical social norms and mores of society. Hippies honestly believed that taking certain drugs was a relaxing experience that led to better self-understanding; some psychotherapists even encouraged their patients to take LSD for better group therapy experiences at a time when LSD was actually still legal. (LSD was legal until 1967.) Unfortunately, the hippies were unable to change the government's mind about the war in Vietnam. They simply lacked the power to change the government's policy on Vietnam. Since the latter part of the 1960s there has never been such a hopeful time for so many young Americans.
The DVD comes with a widescreen version on one side and the standard fullscreen version on the other side. There extras are a bit disappointing; we get a stills gallery of what is basically advertising for the movie along with the original theatrical trailer. I would have liked at least a director's commentary; and another commentary by Treat Williams would have been awesome.
Hair remains one of the best musicals ever--its current Broadway revival forty years after the original production proves this is both powerful and memorable. I highly recommend this movie for people interested in an era when young Americans had much less cynicism and so much more hope for the future than they do in our times; and people who like high quality control movie musicals will not be disappointed.
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Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Added 7/28/2009
Somehow I had never taken the opportunity to view one of the signature musicals of my generation. It certainly was controversial in its' day in large part because of its' nudity on stage. However, the songs were popular and even made their way into the mainstream music (consider the Fifth Dimensions version of "The Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"). I had the Broadway version's album but I never knew what the plot was. Given the world of hippies back then, the possibilities were infinite. As I watched the movie the other night I found myself wondering whether the film was better than I thought or less impressive than what I expected. I decided it was better although it certainly is a "dated" film. The idea of challenging the "Establishment", free love, drugs, anti-military, getting rid of your "hang-ups", etc reminded me of how "over-the-top" so much of this was. Yet there were some restraints, some brief acknowledgements that being "hip" din't mean "anything goes". The ending is bizarre and I couldn't help but wonder if this was anything like the stage production.
I had a chance to see "Hair" a few times earlier but I passed on it because that was from a chapter in my life that I have advanced from. Those days were interesting but I often wonder if our "mission" to save Humanity may have set it back further instead. The older I got, the smarter my parents got and the more irrelevent those days were in my life. I'm glad I finally watched "Hair". The cinematogrphy and choreography were impressive at times. The music was good as well but I was disappointed in all the lip-synching. The acting was a mixed bag. Anyway, been there, done that, seen the movie, and living happily ever after in today's world.
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.....Undoubtely..... a ¡ must HAVE ! on your thaeter collection.
Added 7/17/2009
What can I say of this all time-hit....My dad & mom were way back away from my hometown ¿where? ....at London, England....watching the London Premiere ...in 1969....yeah....¡ 30 years ago ! ....I was six years old....imagine...and since then ....I fell in Love ...with : HAIR ....
....nudity on stage....great vocals...awesome performings....¡ what a belle-epoque ! .... luckily...today we have ....remastering technology ....restoring fans ....that un-earth & bring us all....timeless gems...
¡ Happy 30th Anniversaire ! for GEROME RAGNI & JAMES RADO : Book & Lyrics...GALT MacDERMONT : Music.....
I own the ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING : RCA VICTOR (1988)
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK R E C O R D I N G : BMG (1978)
.....the ORIGINAL U.K. ....L.P. (1969)....sadly perished caught in fire...(1995) at my sisters bedroom in Medellín,COLOMBIA (1995)
....H A I R = H I S T O R Y .....
Sincerely......a loyal fan
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Still a Big Disappointment
Added 11/15/2009
Initially I had seen this movie on TV. I didn't like it - but I attributed that feeling to the fact that I was watching a movie on a small screen format for TV along with frequent interruptions for commercials.
So - I figured I would give it another try, bought the DVD and watched it in wide-screen format. I then realized that my first impression was on the mark. Big disappointment.
My reasons:
This was filmed in 1979 and looks like it was filmed in '79. The 60's were only ten years earlier, but the styles and the atmosphere here in NYC were much different from the late 70's. The costumes are basically what people were wearing in 1978-79. Example: the scene for the song "White Boys". There does not appear to have been any attempts in authenticating the earlier decade.
Wide angle scenes of dancers, as in Central Park were shot in frames which served to restrict the dance movement. The Twyla Thorpe choreography did not capture the zest and excitement that had been in the play. Yes - Ms. Thorpe is a legend and I am a fan - but the dance scenes appeared disjointed, robotic and inappropriate for a play of self-realization and non-conformity.
Practically every scene was filmed under a gray sky. The zombie-like dancing along with the '70's garb did not help to counteract the mood.
Hopefully someday another movie version of this fantastic play will be made and hopefully the director will present it with creativity and a feel for the period piece that it is.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Great music, hateful characters that betray all that hippie stands for
Added 10/3/2009
I tried and almost succeeded in liking this movie. Its got some great music, some genuinely funny scenes and Claude (the lead) is tolerant, open minded, honorable and generally very likeable. Its too bad he's the only one. Berger is a not a hippie, he's a thug, a shameless bully that his group of friends follow pathetically. Sheila is a cold hearted upper class snob that betrays her poor spineless school chum (who drives her to school EVERY MORNING) by going along with the "hippies" when they humiliate him by stealing his car (correction, his FATHER'S car) for a cross country trip. How could any hippie watch that scene and not be grossly offended by it? I suppose I was supposed to be laughing hysterically, but all I wanted to do was scream at them to pick on someone their own size. This is NOT what hippies are about. This is "might makes right", a sentiment I'm sure these "hippies" would condemn.
Sadly, I must go back somewhat on something I said before. There WERE hippies like this back in the day, and they destroyed the movement from the inside. Berger has much more in common with Charles Manson then he does John Lennon. He takes advantage of the people around him for personal gain and I didn't get the impression that love had anything to do with it. This criticism applies to the movie in general. The characters don't spread love and happiness, they spew judgment upon those different from them and, basically, attack them. A lot of the "antagonists" in this movie are people that just want to be left alone.
Its too bad, because a lot of the music is genuinely great. The "Black Boys/White Boys" song had me cracking up, and "Let the Sun Shine In" is an undeniable classic. I've heard that the Broadway version is very different, but if it features Berger acting like an asshole and his mindless friends going along with every stupid scheme he comes up with (just so its been said, that whole trick to get into the military base would have never worked in real life), I'm not interested. If you, like me, resonate with the true ideals of the hippie movement, steer clear of this one.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
one heck of a musical memoir that is brighter, sharper and more insightful than most
Added 8/4/2009
Hair is easily one of the most evocative movie musicals I've ever seen. The acting is terrific; the choreography is outstanding and the cinematography by Twyla Tharp works wonders for the film. The songs are incredibly catchy, too. The casting is exceptionally well done and overall this stuns me even if the two original authors James Rado and Gerome Ragni didn't like Milos Forman's adaptation of their stage play to the big screen. In addition, the quality of the print is very good.
When the action starts, we meet Claude Bukowski (John Savage) who has been drafted into the Vietnam War; he leaves his native Oklahoma to go to New York City for his physical exam and initial induction into the military. Once Claude gets to Manhattan, however, his plan for two days of sightseeing rapidly goes in another direction when he sees a beautiful young woman horseback riding in Central Park and meets a group of free thinking, loving hippies who hang out in Central Park. Despite Claude's initial resistance, he soon takes a liking to the hippies (although Lord knows the hippies and Claude don't seem to have that much in common) and the hippies like Claude, too. The hippie group includes George Berger (Treat Williams) who is essentially their leader, the colorful Jeannie (Annie Golden), "Hud" aka Lafayette (Dorsey Wright), Woof (Don Dacus) and, at times, a few others singing and dancing their way along for the ride.
To spice things up, there are all sorts of antics, like the hippies hiding Sheila's clothing when she impulsively skinny dips in a Central Park lake with Claude; and there are the predictable yet very well done scenes of the hippies doing drugs and asking for a little "spare change" so they can rent a horse and show off a bit when they next encounter Sheila and her snooty horseback riding friends. Berger, the hippies and Claude even wind up crashing a party in Sheila's honor so that Claude can see Sheila once more before he's drafted.
But Hair gives us so much more. It's a fond, fun and nostalgic look back at the latter half of the 1960s, a time when quite a few young people sincerely believed that they could change the world by protesting, questioning authority and leading their lives free of the typical social norms and mores of society. Hippies honestly believed that taking certain drugs was a relaxing experience that led to better self-understanding; some psychotherapists even encouraged their patients to take LSD for better group therapy experiences at a time when LSD was actually still legal. (LSD was legal until 1967.) Unfortunately, the hippies were unable to change the government's mind about the war in Vietnam. They simply lacked the power to change the government's policy on Vietnam. Since the latter part of the 1960s there has never been such a hopeful time for so many young Americans.
The DVD comes with a widescreen version on one side and the standard fullscreen version on the other side. There extras are a bit disappointing; we get a stills gallery of what is basically advertising for the movie along with the original theatrical trailer. I would have liked at least a director's commentary; and another commentary by Treat Williams would have been awesome.
Hair remains one of the best musicals ever--its current Broadway revival forty years after the original production proves this is both powerful and memorable. I highly recommend this movie for people interested in an era when young Americans had much less cynicism and so much more hope for the future than they do in our times; and people who like high quality control movie musicals will not be disappointed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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