Alice's Restaurant
Every Generation Has A Story To Tell.
"It is hard to imagine a more beautiful movie" (Time) than this critically acclaimed chronicle of hippie life during the late 1960s, which garnered the acclaimed director of Bonnie and Clyde his second Oscar nomination. Based on the song by folk music troubadour Arlo Guthrie, son of legendary "Dust Bowl" balladeer Woody Guthrie, this tribute film to "the lost generation" features memorable scenes with other folk artists life Pete Seeger, who join Arlo in song to make a profound statement about war, protest and change.
In the late '60s, a changing social and political climate inspired a new generation to create a lifestyle outside of the mainstream. Twenty-two year-old Arlo's journey to find a place for himself and his music includes a visit to his dying father in the hospital, gigs in New York and romps with his friends Alice and Ray, who run a small restaurant in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. And when an incident at Alice's Restaurant plays a pivotal role in Arlo's avoidance of the draft, it sends him down a road that he will consider a small price to pay to keep his freedom and his beliefs.
Member Reviews
Alice's Restaurant - TheWiz
If you have parents or grand parents that were anywhere between 13 and 35 back in the 60's when this flick was released, watch it! If you were between 13 and 35 back in the 60's when this flick was released and you found it to be the most hippest movie, or squarest, out there, watch it!
Then sit down together - the boomers and the boomer echoes and discuss what you saw on film. Talk about life now and life then.
Just about all of us wanted to be a musician back then and today children/teens have so many choices, it's difficult to decide what to do.
So yes, not a great flick but it did play an important social role during a period that was supposed to change the world.When Hippies Were in Flower - Bunuel
I find it odd that this movie is categorized as a comedy. Although there are some funny moments - particularly in the scene at the draft board, especially Arlo's banishment to Group W for the crime of littering - this film is definitely more bitter than sweet.
What I found particularly interesting is that the pervading elegiac tone was there from the beginning. I saw this movie when it came out in 1969 and found it sad then. It's still sad. Consider that the movie ends with a wedding, but is preceded by a funeral and a death. And the beautiful, lingering final shot of Alice after her church wedding shows her to be decidedly less than thrilled.
The movie is based, of course, on the legendary Arlo Guthrie folk song, "The Alice's Restaurant Massacree", which tells the story of how he was rejected by the U.S. Army because he disposed of some garbage by the side of the road. It's a wistful and funny song, and an effective protest against the War - that's the Vietnam War for you young'ns. And the essence of these two incidents is retained in the movie.
But director Arthur Penn and screenwriter Venable Herndon make this plot secondary to the story of Ray and Alice, who are both surrogate parents for Arlo and other hippies, and themselves sort of hippies manque. They also add a character who did not exist, a young man named Shelly who is trying to kick his heroin habit and who has a brief affair with Alice.
The overwhelming tone of the movie is one of regret: regret for the lost sense of community that existed briefly in the United States when Arlo's father Woody raised the spirit of the Depression poor; regret for the evanescence and perhaps unreality of the feeling of community that hippies and progressives longed for in the 60s; and regret for the squandered lives of young people lost in the changes of that time.
In its quiet, slow, and subtle way, this is a very moving film.
One small note: I remembered the sex scene bstill works - shargot
Of course this film is a period piece. Filmed in 1968, it captures the time of hippies, free love, drugs and music. The film covers the song in the middle piece and does a great job. What is remarkable is the last third of the film, for rather than portray a time of idealism and hope, the mood is one of sadness and regret. One can already feel the 60's spirit driftin' away, as we move from Woodstock to Altamont. This was Arthur Penn's follow-up to Bonnie and Clyde and a worth the visit.
Arlo's commentary is worth the rental.
Member Reviews
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Alice's Restaurant - TheWiz
If you have parents or grand parents that were anywhere between 13 and 35 back in the 60's when this flick was released, watch it! If you were between 13 and 35 back in the 60's when this flick was released and you found it to be the most hippest movie, or ...When Hippies Were in Flower - Bunuel
I find it odd that this movie is categorized as a comedy. Although there are some funny moments - particularly in the scene at the draft board, especially Arlo's banishment to Group W for the crime of littering - this film is definitely more bitter than sweet.
What ...still works - shargot
Of course this film is a period piece. Filmed in 1968, it captures the time of hippies, free love, drugs and music. The film covers the song in the middle piece and does a great job. What is remarkable is the last third of the film, for rather than portray ...