The Age of Aquarius is brought to life by the filmmaker who made Amadeus a household word. Milos Forman directed this version of James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermots landmark musical in 1979 between his Oscar-winning films One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Amadeus. With mixed reviews (Gene Siskel named it that years best film) and lukewarm box-office grosses, the film all but disappeared from the collective consciousness. Yet the film beautifully delivers on its promise to bring the 60s back to life. Hair re-creates a colorful world of counterculture finding an anvil to pound on: the Vietnam War. Forman and his design team allow the film to wash over you, starting at the free-flowing opening in which masses of hippies, police, and even their horses eagerly groove to the familiar beat of Aquarius. In the best work of his career, Treat Williams makes his leading- man debut as Berger, the leader of the Central Park
troop who takes draftee Claude (John Savage) under his wing on his trip through New York City and the apex of what the 60s was. The new recording of the music is quite fine, with Chicago band member Don Dacuss rendition of the title song a highlight. As Bergers pièce de résistance number says, Ive Got Life; so does the film, right down to its poignant declaration to let the sunshine in. --Doug Thomas
Hair is easily one of the most evocative movie musicals Ive ever seen. The acting is terrific; the choreography is outstanding and the cinematography by Twyla Tharp works wonders for the film. The songs are incredibly catchy, too. The casting is exceptionally well done and overall this stuns me even if the two original authors James Rado and Gerome Ragni didnt like Milos Formans adaptation of their stage play to the big screen. In addition, the quality of the print is very good.
When the action starts, we meet Claude Bukowski (John Savage) who has been drafted into the Vietnam War; he leaves his native Oklahoma to go to New York City for his physical exam and initial induction into the military. Once Claude gets to Manhattan, however, his plan for two days of sightseeing rapidly goes in another direction when he sees a beautiful young woman horseback riding in Central Park and meets a group of free thinking, loving hippies who hang out in Central Park. Despite Claudes initial resistance, he soon takes a liking to the hippies (although Lord knows the hippies and Claude dont seem to have that much in common) and the hippies like Claude, too. The hippie group includes George Berger (Treat Williams) who is essentially their leader, the colorful Jeannie (Annie Golden), Hud aka Lafayette (Dorsey Wright), Woof (Don Dacus) and, at times, a few others singing and dancing their way along for the ride.
To spice things up, there are all sorts of antics, like the hippies hiding Sheilas clothing when she impulsively skinny dips in a Central Park lake with Claude; and there are the predictable yet very well done scenes of the hippies doing drugs and asking for a little spare change so they can rent a horse and show off a bit when they next encounter Sheila and her snooty horseback riding friends. Berger, the hippies and Claude even wind up crashing a party in Sheilas honor so that Claude can see Sheila once more before hes drafted.
But Hair gives us so much more. Its a fond, fun and nostalgic look back at the latter half of the 1960s, a time when quite a few young people sincerely believed that they could change the world by protesting, questioning authority and leading their lives free of the typical social norms and mores of society. Hippies honestly believed that taking certain drugs was a relaxing experience that led to better self-understanding; some psychotherapists even encouraged their patients to take LSD for better group therapy experiences at a time when LSD was actually still legal. (LSD was legal until 1967.) Unfortunately, the hippies were unable to change the governments mind about the war in Vietnam. They simply lacked the power to change the governments policy on Vietnam. Since the
latter part of the 1960s there has never been such a hopeful time for so many young Americans.
The DVD comes with a widescreen version on one side and the standard fullscreen version on the other side. There extras are a bit disappointing; we get a stills gallery of what is basically advertising for the movie along with the original theatrical trailer. I would have liked at least a directors commentary; and another commentary by Treat Williams would have been awesome.
Hair remains one of the best musicals ever--its current Broadway revival forty years after the original production proves this is both powerful and memorable. I highly recommend this movie for people interested in an era when young Americans had much less cynicism and so much more hope for the future than they do in our times; and people who like high quality control movie musicals will not be disappointed.
