Title: Hair (1979)
Director: Milos Forman
Actors: John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverley D'Angelo, Anne Golden, a.o.
Runtime: 121 Min.

I like those older, rocky musicals/rock operas, like Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (my fave musical of all time). They seem to be a lot better music-wise than most musicals nowadays. The modern ones seem to be so fluffy for some reason, while these old ones have an edge.

Hair also has an edge. It takes place in a time where hippies were taking a stand against the establishment, burning draft cards and demonstrating against the war, man. Peace man! I like the spirit of this movie and of the hippies too. The songs give a critical view of the way things were done back then, and most of it still has not changed. Rich people still rule the world, there are still wars, there still are racial differences and people dying because of stupid conflicts. People should watch this movie and wonder why things havent changed. Take the song Flesh Failures/Let The Sun Shine In. It tells us people are starving, laboratories are taking over the world and the likes. This is a song that comes from the 1960s and look 40 years later these things are still happening.

As for the drugs. I do not see this movie as a promotion for drugs. I myself do not take drugs and I do not feel the need to take them either. I, however, think people should do whatever they want and they really do not start taking drugs because a movie shows it. If they do, then they were not emotionally strong to begin with. Just because you watch a show about ER doctors does not make you one and i think it applis to this movie too. Some trippy moments are actually funny. For instance in Manchester, England when Claude is tripping Berger picks him up, while singing and he does not even seem to notice.

My favourite songs however have got to be Easy to be Hard, sung by Cheryl Barnes and Got Life, by Treat Williams. Easy to be Hard is such a powerful song. It is very beautiful and the lyrics are very moving. Cheryl Barnes is an amazing singer and is both strong and delicate in this scene and that is a tough combination to do as an actor. I Got Life is of course the legendary scene in whch Treat Williams jumps on the table at the party and starts singing about every body part imaginable. It is a very funny scene and it shows the clash between the free Hippies and the stuffy rich people. And it just makes you to get up and dance along (on a table or just on the ground)

Sometimes ths movie makes me feel I was born in the wrong era. I probably would have become a hippy if I had lived in those days. I am quite spiritual and a vegetarian. Not sure if I would have taken drugs though. Anyways, I give this movie a 8.5/10. I would like to see the stage version too, but I doubt I will.