Grass (1999)

Director:

Ron Mann

Writer:

Solomon Vesta (writer)

Release Date:

14 July 2000 (Spain)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

The history of the American government's war on marijuana in the 20th century.

Plot Keywords:

Marijuana | Government | Drugs | Anti Communist | Myth

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Woody Harrelson	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry J. Anslinger	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Cab Calloway	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jimmy Carter	...	Himself (archive footage)
Chevy Chase	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tommy Chong	...	Anthony 'Man' Stoner (archive footage)
Nancy Davis	...	Herself (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gerald Ford	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jerry Garcia	...	Himself (archive footage)
Allen Ginsberg	...	Himself (archive footage)
John F. Kennedy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gene Krupa	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fiorello LaGuardia	...	Himself (archive footage)
Timothy Leary	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Lennon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Cheech Marin	...	Pedro De Pacas (archive footage)
Gertrude Michael	...	Herself (archive footage)
Robert Mitchum	...	Himself (archive footage)
Richard Nixon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Yoko Ono	...	Herself (archive footage)
Eli Perell	...	Additional Voices
Josh Perell	...	Additional Voices
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Harry S. Robins	...	(voice)
John Sinclair	...	Himself (archive footage)
Douglass Smith	...	(voice)
Stephanie Zari	...	(voice)

Directed by
Ron Mann

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Solomon Vesta		writer

Produced by
Keith Clarkson	....	executive producer
Marc Glassman	....	associate producer
Sue Len Quon	....	co-producer
Ron Mann	....	producer

Original Music by
Guido Luciani

Cinematography by
Robert Fresco

Film Editing by
Robert Kennedy

Art Direction by
Paul Mavrides

Sound Department
Keith Elliott	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mishann Lau	....	dialogue editor
Rosnick MacKinnon	....	sound
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Tom Trafalski	....	sound designer

Visual Effects by
David Biedny	....	digital rendering
Dave Salter	....	animation cameraman
Mark Tureski	....	optical effects (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Steve Franko	....	colorist
Sue Len Quon	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Bob Casale	....	music producer: "Quit Playing Games with God"
Robert Kennedy	....	music editor
Elliott Lefko	....	music consultant
Guido Luciani	....	conductor
Guido Luciani	....	orchestrator
Herwig Maurer	....	composer: song "Dope Dreams"
Mike Rosnick	....	score producer
Ted Rosnick	....	score producer

Other crew
Craig Baines	....	researcher
Simon St. Laurent	....	opticals: Film Opticals
Maury Whyte	....	graphics coordinator

Production Companies

• Sphinx Productions

Distributors

• Films Transit International
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (USA) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films (Canada)
• Madman Entertainment (2001) (Australia) (DVD)
• Nowonmedia (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Unapix Entertainment Productions (2000) (USA)

Other Companies

• Deluxe Post-Production  post-production facilities
• Film Effects  opticals

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for drug content

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:M | USA:R

Company:

Sphinx Productions

Trivia:

The Ontario Censor Board wanted to remove some 1960s footage of some lab monkeys forced to smoke dope as it depicted animal cruelty.

Movie Connections:

Features "Confidential File" (1953)

Soundtrack:

Bustin' Out

A Witty look at the history of U.S drug laws.

This is a funny , tongue in cheek look at the American laws against marajuana and how naive authorities can be when it comes to drugs. The film is basically a look at old political rants and public imformation films on the evils of dope and how misguided they were and still are. There are some very funny clips such as the parents of a boy who is sent to prison for 50 years for possession of 1 ounce of grass who say" i'ts a little harsh"!!! There is nothing like a bit of understatement. Also the speech by Ronald Reagan who said "Marajuana causes insanity and memory loss"..well he should know all about that shouldn't he! I couldnt care less if it was legalised or not, im not in the habit of smoking subtances that make you lose control...i've got beer that can do that! If people want to have a joint , let them.Who are they harming?

7 out of 10.