runedharma

I also agree that The Graduate is a cultural revolution film, because it reveals the emotional sickness of the 1960's "Establishment, " the realm of cocktails and cigarettes. These are the people enjoying their lives, and children getting deferments from the Viet Nam War, while other unlucky young folks are dying in Viet Nam. The one friend of the family tells Ben to go into plastics, rooted in petroleum, which produces napalm. The Graduate also reveals the growing Narcissism in America. Also, Mrs. Robinson is selling off her daughter like a piece of meat for the dogs. Edited by: runedharma on Sep 19, 2012 1:10 PM

I would agree that Midnight Cowboy is a cultural revolution film. I read in a forgotten source that Midnight Cowboy opened the door for social losers to be heroes in a film. Male prostitution is a real Velvet Underground/Factory idea. I also present Catch-22, because it is a great film for the Viet Nam era, even though it is set in WW2. The Dow Industrial was an object during the Viet Nam War, and Catch-22 reveals the money making of all sides of war. How do you spell Haliburton?

DARKBLUE: Thank you very much for your input on this thread. In my elementary school era and junior high times in the 1960's I grew up in a SoCal beach town with the surfers. But there were bikers as well. In my high school era in the San Francisco Bay Area I went to Biker High School. Biker guys and Biker chicks, and some ended up in notorious gangs. This was the early half of the 70's. It seems what has survived are the surfers and the bikers. Sons of Anarchy is continuation of the biker theme. In the Beach Party movies you have the clash between the surfers and the bikers in a comic way. I can remember going to the drive-in once and seeing a real bad biker gang film. Biker films are quite important in a cultural study. My great-uncle was one of those WW2 vets who bought and Indian Motorcycle, and worked as a teamster.

My first Billy Jack movie was The Trial of Billy Jack. I had graduated from high school in June of 1974, and this was a pretty intense film for me at that age. Saw Billy Jack at an art house a few years later. Glad I saw that on the big screen. Never saw Born Losers. Good films for the social justice era, which still have relevance for today. Worked with some At Risk kids for awhile and always thought of these movies.

PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (1971) with Al Pacino; PERFORMANCE (1970) with Mick Jagger EL TOPO (1970); THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1973) both directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and both films quite cosmic.

The Trial Of Billy Jack...yes, the Billy Jack series is an important example of this era.

Thinking about films of surfers, hippies, dopers, bikers, student revolution, alternative culture made in the 1960's and 1970's. Examples Blow-Up, The Trip, Zabriskie Point. Suggest! They don't have to be A films, even Drive-In cult as well.