Product Description

Brimming with the energy, passion and music that rocked a nation, Hair is an entertaining and powerful tribute to the turbulent spirit of the '60s. Brilliantly recreated by OscarÂ(r)-winning* director Milos Forman and screenwriter Michael Weller (Ragtime), this vibrant screen version of the Broadway phenomenon ranks "among the best film musicals" (The Hollywood Reporter)! Fresh from the farm, Claude Bukowski (John Savage, The Thin Red Line) arrives in New York City for a date with the Army Induction Board, only to walk into a hippie "happening" inCentral Park and fall in love with the beautiful Shelia (Beverly D'Angelo, American History X). Befriended by the hippies' pacifist leader, Berger (Treat Williams, Mulholland Falls), and urged to crash a formal party in order to declare his love for Shelia, Claude begins an adventure that lands him in jail, Central Park Lake and, finally, in the army. But Berger's final effort to save Claude from Vietnam sets in motion a bizarre twist of fate with shocking consequences. *1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; 1984: Amadeus

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3489 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-04-27
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 121 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
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 MacDermot's landmark musical in 1979 between his Oscar-winning films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus. With mixed reviews (Gene Siskel named it that year's 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 Dacus's rendition of the title song a highlight. As Berger's pièce de résistance number says, "I've Got Life"; so does the film, right down to its poignant declaration to "let the sunshine in." --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Hippies In Curlers . . .
What a long strange trip it's been. Barely ten years after its original theatrical run, Hair was brought to the screen by people who either hadn't seen it, didn't like it or just didn't get it or the themes it explored. Director Milos Forman apparently missed the 1960s entirely (or saw them exclusively through the lens of Soviet oppression and student demonstrations in Eastern Europe) and he seems to think that David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Peter Frampton were hippies. Treat Williams is a surprisingly good singer and dancer and quite good in the role of Berger but the film just misses the point - socially, politically and (perhaps most importantly of all) musically. The whole thing comes across as a put on and proof of the silliness of the counterculture.

A VIBRANT FILM VERSION OF '60's BROADWAY HIPPIE HIT
My first introduction to "Hair" was the classic 1968 Broadway Cast Recording. Much later, I saw the 1979 film version on Showtime and loved it!! Years rolled by, and I saw an excellent stage production at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre (twice) and added "Hair: The London Cast Recording" to my collection. I felt the time was right to view the film version again.
With eleven years between the original Broadway production and the film version, time allows for a different perspective. "Hair: The Movie" is not about "what's happening, baby, " as the stage production had been. But, it had to, and does, evoke some of the spirit of the late 1960's era. As director Milos Forman said: "When you are in the middle of a storm like the '60's, you do not have time to think about what is going on. With distance, now I can look at the period and see the contradiction, the humor."
Of course, there are differences between the stage and film versions. In the stage musical, the main characters of Claude, Berger, Shelia, etc. are all a merry band of hippies. Claude is conflicted. Will he burn his draft card or fight in Vietnam? In the film, Claude (John Savage) is a hick (from Oklahoma, I gather) who goes to NYC to join the Army and go to Vietnam. He meets Berger (Treat Williams) and his hippie pals in Central Park, who introduce him to the joys of drugs, sex, peace, freedom. happiness, etc. Shelia (Beverly D'Angelo) is now a society debutante who is drawn into the hippie group due to the mutal attraction between her and Claude. Of course, the hippies try to save Claude from going to Vietnam, and the film's "ironic twist ending," although different from the stage version, is every bit as moving and heartbreaking.
The film has an especially vibrant energy and the cast, particularly sexy Treat Williams as hippie leader Berger, is extremely charismatic. Most of the celebrated score by Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot, is included here; although a few songs are rather clumsily inserted into the film screenplay by Michael Weller. For instance, "Walking In Space," a drug use scene/song in the stage version, underscores an Army training sequence in the film. A few odd changes do not detract from the overall impact of the film, however. The opening number "The Age Of Aquarius," set in Central Park, is thrilling. Treat Williams' party crashing performance of "I Got Life", Cheryl Barnes' emotional showstopper "Easy To Be Hard", and the gender switching treatment of the "Black Boys/White Boys" number are a few other outstanding moments.
"Hair" belongs on that short list of film adaptations that manage to capture the spirit of the original stage musical and are a completely successful film musical in their own right. ("West Side Story," "The King And I," "The Sound Of Music," "Cabaret," and "Chicago" are the others). I'll never understand why the film version of "Hair" did not achieve the same success as the film version of "Grease," that shumaltzy/sleazy. over-rated tribute to the 1950's. "Hair" certainly has more grit, emotional power, better songs, and a stronger, more important message than "Grease." I don't even own "Grease," but "Hair" deserves to be in the library of everyone who loves the late 1960's and Broadway/film musicals.

Well loved classic.
A well loved classic that I re-visited for the third time. I did have an extra smile this time since I recall Scott Hamilton ice skating to the theme song in what was a very amusing skit on ice. The story is entertaining and the music fits well with the flavor of a tense moment in the sixties. When a country boy meets a group of homeless, city dwelling Hippies he's led on a strange journey he never expected, but will be touched by forever. A bizarre musical that is easily understood by any generation.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author