Iraq & Vietnam War Stories

Last night my wife, Susan, and I watched a film that has not received the attention it deserves.  The Beatles music - 33 songs - that is woven into the fabric of this unique movie musical is what it has become known for, but what we discovered is that it is a powerful anti-war film.  Set in the mid to late ’60’s it chronicles the evolution of our culture and in so doing presents the Vietnam War as the debacle it was with its cataclysmic effects on a generation and a country.  If musicals don’t work for you - even when the music is beautifully rendered versions of Beatles’ classics - then this film may not be the one for you, but its vivid depiction of the ways in which its characters adapt to the extraordinary times is well worth checking out.  One additional recommendation comes from my 16 year old son who is watching it for a second time this morning after having seen it with a group of friends in the theater.  I believe that this film does a remarkable job of bridging the generational divide and teaching about a time when anti-war activism was commonplace.  We could certainly use a dose now!  That the draft features prominently in what drives some of the protest is unavoidable conclusion, but just seeing young people protesting against a war is a good way for our youth to spend their time…

I found a “viewer comment” on the web to be particularly thoughtful so I am including it herein.  I appreciated his reference to the film’s giving him, “as an activist some badly needed renewed vigor.”

The 1960’s Counterculture In All Its Glory!, 1 October 2007

Author: liberalgems from Baltimore, Maryland
As someone who was literally a child of the mid - late 60’s & and a student of the time period, I first want to thank everyone who had anything to do with the making of this film! Your timing could not have been better! You helped me to remember the fervor, passion and idealism that made up the mid-late 60’s. It’s been many years since I have burst out sobbing in a movie theater! Thanks for helping to lift the fog a bit! As an activist, you have collectively given me some badly needed renewed vigor!

I also feel so very, very sorry for all the critics of this movie who don’t have a clue about what it all this means, or whose hearts have grown so hard with such bitterness, cynicism or despair; or have just simply sold-out; or plain no longer care! All your ranting and raving and nay saying won’t do a thing to take away one moment of the adventure, creativity, experimentation, excitement or passion that made this time in history so great!

I also want to thank the brilliant filmmakers for paying homage to so many great cultural icons, organizations and events of the period: Walter Cronkite, the greatest broadcaster of the 20th century. Baba Olatunji, the Nigerian Drummer and social activist, his double looked like he came right off the Drums of Passion album cover! I can now see him smiling from heaven! The tremendous scene with Bread and Puppet, a living, breathing, direct link to 1960’s radicalism, warmed my heart! You even went up to their stronghold in Glover, Vermont, to film part of the scene! Bravo! The SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), which did not advocate violence, and the much smaller splinter-group that morphed into an organization advocating extreme measures, called the Weather Underground. The brave Martin Luther King, Jr. and his intervention in a labor dispute, which cost him his life. The historic occupation of the Ivy League, Columbia University by its students protesting both the Vietnam war and the intense poverty that surrounded the school. Ken Kesey and his legendary bus. The Jimi Hendrix & Janice Jopplin characters who show such dignity, and a passion for music. And, of course, the Beatles! Their music reaches deep into my soul. You gave me insights into the meaning of their tunes that after all these years never crossed my mind!

I also enjoyed being bathed in all the very colorful special affects. The 60’s and early 70’s were a time of outrageously bold colors and design. Something brilliantly portrayed in “Across the Universe”! The only film I intend to purchase on DVD that has been released this year!

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