If you ever feel like experiencing what it must have been like being part of the west coast hippie counter-cultural scene back in the late 60's, well this documentary is about as good a way to go. Set predominantly in the Haight-Ashbury district and a rural commune called Strawberry Fields, this is a ground level look at the freaks, long-hairs and beatniks of this time and place. The approach taken by the film-makers is of the show don't tell variety, to that end there is no narration. This allows the participants to talk for themselves, which unavoidably leads to a great deal of pretentious waffle. Occasionally a nugget of truth comes through and while the hippies come across nowadays as spectacularly naïve, they nevertheless seem earnest. Also included are an extended psychedelic dance routine to some blaring acid rock, body painting, LSD trips and a finale in which a large gathering assembles for a protest against the Vietnam War. Priceless time capsule stuff.
4 Reviews
Don't forget the commentary track!
alan4artg11 May 2007
Most of the reviews of the DVD of "Mondo Mod" and it's counterpart of the same DVD package "Hippie Revolt", fails to mention the most interesting element of each film. And that is the commentary track on this DVD that is totally synced-up with movie. Johnny Legend and another person with him (sorry I forgot his name) Provides probably the most insightful and observant commentary about each film and what they experienced in that period. In fact, it is absolutely a delight to listen to! They were there! They can describe what the real story is behind the film footage. The movies alone with the original soundtrack only rates a 3. But with the commentary track I rate each film an 8! Please everybody if you buy or rent the DVD, don't ignore the commentaries. Highly recommended!
Fascinating Document Of The Time
Poison-River27 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
"San Fransisco in the middle 60's was a very special time and place to be part of", wrote the late great Hunter S Thompson, and this documentary, shot as it actually occurred, tries to prove this. However time has been rather unkind to both that period of history, and indeed this movie itself.
Most of the footage was shot in the Haight-Ashbury district in the Spring and Summer of 1967. The entire area seems swamped with hippies, beatniks and weirdos. Long hair, beards, kaftans, flowers, flutes, bongos, and wild wacky jerky dancing seem to the requirements of the day.
What makes this documentary stand out from other similar films of the time(Mondo Mod for example), is that there is no arch wise-cracking patronising voice-over narration here. None of that "Hey Daddio, check these groovy cats out....Man, that's a blast. Far Out!!!" stuff. Instead we get genuine voice-overs from the people who were there. Some are very lucid and intelligent(even if they have evidently been ingesting some mind-altering substances), others however drawl and slur and talk gibberish, but this all adds to the realness of the piece. Also, there's no ADR of those interviewed on screen, so what we hear on the soundtrack are the genuine sounds of the time.
My favourite sequence occurs about half way through, in a segment called 'Life In A Commune'. A young man tells us about life in the 'Strawberry Fields' commune. As he enthuses, the camera pans around to show nothing but absolute squalor. He goes on to tell how a young woman had too many candles in her abode and how it caught fire. He saved her but she received 60% burns to her body. We see the burnt remains of her shack, and as his voice breaks with emotion, the camera closes in on a burnt and melted copy of 'The Free Wheelin Bob Dylan'. Next up is a young mother who regales all her hippie friends(and we the viewers) with her mystical/drug-related stories. She may well be tripping, but she remains lucid and enthusiastic in her oration. "We USE dope, but dope is NOT our world" she tells us. Then she goes on to explain how she took LSD even before she had even gotten high on liquor. "And on that first trip I saw the face of Jesus" she goes on, while some mournful guitar-and-flute piece plays in the background.
The film ends with footage of an anti-Vietnam rally, at which Muhammed Ali is present. Here, the movie loses a point for it's subjective editing. A clean-cut 'square' young marine tells us he's going to Vietnam in 30 days for a 1 year tour of duty. He is then harangued by some bearded, wild haired hippy who tells him that most decent American citizens want the troops home, but before the young marine has a chance to answer, the scene cuts away. We hear the rally being declared unlawful, and then the police in riot-gear move in. Instead of showing us any conflict that may have occurred, we see the placards and banners lying broken and in tatters. A powerful and moving last image.
Time has also been unkind to the film-stock that was used. What was probably a very colourful time is now reduced to murky browns and oranges, giving the film an Autumnal, sepia tone, which actually works as this is now a period curio and nothing else. The film also loses a point for the lengthy 'trip-out' sequences, as pounding acid-rock instrumentals play out, we are bombarded with strobes and oil-lights. This is okay for a few minutes, but it goes on and on and on.
A real curio, and an intriguing portrait of a strange time and place. Definitely worth seeing.
Most of the footage was shot in the Haight-Ashbury district in the Spring and Summer of 1967. The entire area seems swamped with hippies, beatniks and weirdos. Long hair, beards, kaftans, flowers, flutes, bongos, and wild wacky jerky dancing seem to the requirements of the day.
What makes this documentary stand out from other similar films of the time(Mondo Mod for example), is that there is no arch wise-cracking patronising voice-over narration here. None of that "Hey Daddio, check these groovy cats out....Man, that's a blast. Far Out!!!" stuff. Instead we get genuine voice-overs from the people who were there. Some are very lucid and intelligent(even if they have evidently been ingesting some mind-altering substances), others however drawl and slur and talk gibberish, but this all adds to the realness of the piece. Also, there's no ADR of those interviewed on screen, so what we hear on the soundtrack are the genuine sounds of the time.
My favourite sequence occurs about half way through, in a segment called 'Life In A Commune'. A young man tells us about life in the 'Strawberry Fields' commune. As he enthuses, the camera pans around to show nothing but absolute squalor. He goes on to tell how a young woman had too many candles in her abode and how it caught fire. He saved her but she received 60% burns to her body. We see the burnt remains of her shack, and as his voice breaks with emotion, the camera closes in on a burnt and melted copy of 'The Free Wheelin Bob Dylan'. Next up is a young mother who regales all her hippie friends(and we the viewers) with her mystical/drug-related stories. She may well be tripping, but she remains lucid and enthusiastic in her oration. "We USE dope, but dope is NOT our world" she tells us. Then she goes on to explain how she took LSD even before she had even gotten high on liquor. "And on that first trip I saw the face of Jesus" she goes on, while some mournful guitar-and-flute piece plays in the background.
The film ends with footage of an anti-Vietnam rally, at which Muhammed Ali is present. Here, the movie loses a point for it's subjective editing. A clean-cut 'square' young marine tells us he's going to Vietnam in 30 days for a 1 year tour of duty. He is then harangued by some bearded, wild haired hippy who tells him that most decent American citizens want the troops home, but before the young marine has a chance to answer, the scene cuts away. We hear the rally being declared unlawful, and then the police in riot-gear move in. Instead of showing us any conflict that may have occurred, we see the placards and banners lying broken and in tatters. A powerful and moving last image.
Time has also been unkind to the film-stock that was used. What was probably a very colourful time is now reduced to murky browns and oranges, giving the film an Autumnal, sepia tone, which actually works as this is now a period curio and nothing else. The film also loses a point for the lengthy 'trip-out' sequences, as pounding acid-rock instrumentals play out, we are bombarded with strobes and oil-lights. This is okay for a few minutes, but it goes on and on and on.
A real curio, and an intriguing portrait of a strange time and place. Definitely worth seeing.
Groovy snapshot of the 1960's hippie youth culture
Woodyanders26 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary on the 1960's hippie youth scene on both the Sunset Strip and in Haight-Ashbury really captures the wildness and turbulence of the era with exceptional acuity to the point where the viewer can almost smell the incense burning on the screen. Among the sights and events to be relished herein are a highly illuminating visit to a commune, a be-in, body painting, a love-in that comes across like one big merry stoned-out picnic, longhairs tripping on LSD, and a climactic protest on the street against the Vietnam war. What gives this documentary its remarkably raw and invaluable sense of authenticity is the fact that director Edgar Beatty wisely eschews narration in favor of letting the hippies talk about themselves and the vibrant counterculture they are a part of in their own words: While the hippies often seem very naïve in their simplistic worldview, their extremely earnest desire to change the world for the better through the force of sheer positive energy registers as engaging and endearing just the same. A fascinating time capsule.
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