Very few people have seen this movie. But those who have know how great it is. Probably Arthur Penn's best film. And we're talking about the guy who made Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, Night Moves and The Chase. Unforgettable cinema.
shaream I missing something here? this movie feels uncontrolled, distant, and arbitrarily arranged. Nothing is established and everything just kind of flies at you. Don't get me wrong, I love watching it-- but not because I think it's a good movie.
I don't mean to impose, but I am the ocean.
Re: "am I missing something here?"
Yes. That *is* how it was (i.e., the feeling) for many of us here (U.S. 1960s~1975-ish). He captured it spot on, but within the context of Four Friends' relationships, not politics. A truly excellent viewing experience!
I'm sure it was, but what I'm saying is purely technical. From a filmmaking perspective the movie lacks the presence of a director which allows for extremely bizarre chaos.
"Da-Da", random flute at beginning, Isadore Duncan, the milk slap, random flame shooting in the background during the failed sex attempt... the list goes on. it's SO RANDOM!
I don't mean to impose, but I am the ocean.
"It's so random."
That's what I love about this film. It's like life... it sometimes makes no sense. It's funny, sexy, scary, strange, eccentric, moving, sad. It's one of those films that reminds me that life is strange, yet there is so much passion in it that you feel you have lived so much just watching this film.
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That's how things were in the 60's. Stuff just happened one thing after another, with no rhyme or reason for it. All of a sudden the "peace and love" thing ended and drugs, guns and crime came on the scene. Guys were getting drafted and dissapearing, coming back as different people or maybe dying in Viet Nam. Things seemed so disconnected and random in general.
All of a sudden there would be local radio reports of unrest in the city that you lived in and the National Guard would be on the streets with combat weapons with a curfew impossed on the city. That's the type of things that happened in that period.
I remember seeing this film as a teenager, within a few years after it came out. At the time I thought it was one of the best films I had ever seen up til that point. I just remember how I thought the character development made it seem so authentic. I'd like to see it again to see if I still feel the same.
shareCan't agree more, one of the memorable movies in the 80s, alongside The Final Countdown, Falling in Love, Platoon, Heavily Metal Jacket...
shareThe vomiting fight scene was hilarious, I'll give it that.
So was the childbirth scene.
An absolute mess. Dreadful film. 3 Bores and a Nut Case. Cliched and overwrought with characters who are symbols not people. It's howlingly bad. Penn's best film is The Miracle Worker (1962)
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