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Billy Jack (1971)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
2 August 1971 (Sweden) moreTagline:
Just a person who protects children and other living things. morePlot:
Ex-Green Beret hapkido expert saves wild horses from being slaughtered for dog food and helps protect a desert "freedom school" for runaway. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. moreUser Comments:
An underappreciated masterwork moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Tom Laughlin | ... | Billy Jack | |
| Delores Taylor | ... | Jean Roberts | |
| Clark Howat | ... | Sheriff Cole | |
| Victor Izay | ... | Doctor | |
| Julie Webb | ... | Barbara | |
| Debbie Schock | ... | Kit | |
| Teresa Kelly | ... | Carol | |
| Lynn Baker | ... | Sarah | |
| Stan Rice | ... | Martin | |
| David Roya | ... | Bernard Posner | |
| John McClure | ... | Dinosaur | |
| Susan Foster | ... | Cindy | |
| Susan Sosa | ... | Sunshine | |
| Katy Moffatt | ... | Maria | |
| Gwen Smith | ... | Angela |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
114 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
UK:18 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) (cut) | USA:GP | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | South Africa:(Banned) | Canada:A (Ontario)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Elizabeth James was originally cast in the film but was later fired and replaced by Delores Taylor. moreGoofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of cameraman with camera visible on the back of a man's green shirt as Billy Jack surrenders himself to authorities near the end of movie. moreQuotes:
Barbara: What is the snake ceremony?Jean Roberts: A ceremony where Billy becomes brother to a snake.
Barbara: How does he do that?
Jean Roberts: By going on the mountain and being bitten by the snake over and over. Then he passes into unconsciousness for the last time. And if he lives, he has a vision. And in this vision, he finds out what his life's mission will be and who the spirit will be to guide him on this mission.
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Soundtrack:
WHEN WILL BILLY LOVE ME moreFAQ
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It is true that Tom Laughlin does not look like an Indian, half-breed or otherwise. It is true that some of the scenes, particularly the scenes improvised by the committee, are unnecessary (though extremely funny) and the film itself is too long. It is true that the martial arts scenes in this film are few and far between. However:
The film is not a martial arts film and it deals more with the spirit of being an Indian, a true American, than it is about the looks of one.
Often dismissed as a cheesy karate movie, BILLY JACK is in fact an excellent study of conflicting idealogies, of violence as a quick but by no means correct solution, and of the different varieties of love. Though it is much too long a film, the sheer enthusiasm and love for the children that Jean (Dolores Taylor) expresses gets the viewer involved on an emotional level. While we cannot justify Billy Jack's (Tom Laughlin) actions, we know he is doing it out of love for Jean. We feel the rage he feels towards Bernard, a character that is suprisingly deftly acted. At the start of the film, we sympathize with him; by the time he has raped Jean we, like Billy, want to rip him a couple of new orifices. His well-deserved death is quick and pathetic, like the shooting of the dog.
Billy Jack himself is an American icon, the true definition of a hero, presented in such a way that the audience questions their own ideas about heroism.
The characters are well-drawn, the cinematography breath-taking, the improvised scenes much funnier than anything to hit SNL in a long time. So why is it that this film, the most financially-successful independent film to EVER exist, is so often dismissed as nothing more than a bad karate movie? Because of bad marketing, for one thing; the other is the way it's often described: "A half-breed indian Vietnam Vet played by a white guy protects a 'hippie' school from bigotry." Much like the Freedom School that Billy seeks to protect, the film itself is marred by such bigotry and misconceptions.