What a pleasant surprise! I had never seen this before, having seen the stage production a couple of times back in the day, there seemed no point, but this is impressive. With the benefit of hindsight, Milos Foreman is able to increase the emphasise on the anti war message to great affect yet retain the inherent 60s hippy vibe and celebratory element of the original. The director, very wisely, avoids any 'let's put on a show' device and instead allows his performers to prance and dance in new York's Central Park, which I have never seen portrayed so beautifully. There is a rich folk's garden party and sit down that in another's hands might have been dire, but Foreman is well practiced in the depiction of such events and makes it a central highlight. I'm sure he must have sneaked a few non actors in there just to make sure things didn't become too predictable. The final scenes as the youngsters finally come up against the army are extremely well done with the constantly moving camera and manage to convey the real poignancy of the situation and make for a spectacularly droll ending.
Review of Hair
