There are different periods in the history of countries that play more or less significance roles. No doubt that First and Second World Wars immensely influenced the life and political situations almost in every country. These were the most disastrous event and their aftermaths were often disastrous too. In spite of these tremendous periods in the world’s history there were no less and maybe, according to some views, more important period in the history of America in the twentieth century. The period of the 60s is treated now as the time of innovations in culture, science, music and fashion. That was the time of renaissance. Everything has changed, music, art, media (Lee, Shlain 137). The change was on every level, it was a big transformation from the conservative fifties (Klett 86). Swinging sixties were the time of countercultures, disobediences of different kinds, struggle for humans’ rights and drugs (Lee, Shlain 6). The new after war generation rejected the rules, traditions and misconceptions of their parents. This bright and noisy period declared the rules for the next generation to come. As it often turns out in history, the sixties were very controversial and complicated period. It can’t be treated only as time of innovations, freedom and high-class music. Unfortunately, this period is associated also with the most important event of that time, the Vietnam War that happened mainly as the result of the Cold War (Lee, Shlain 8). In 1965 the USA military forces began the ground military actions in the territory of the South Vietnam (Caputo 23). This war was one of the most tragic periods for America and, of course for Vietnam. The aim of this paper is an attempt to examine this extraordinary period, the period of the sixtieth in America with the help of the cinema. Three outstanding films – Hearts and Minds, Harold and Maude and Easy Rider will help to see the country and people of that period and try to feel the atmosphere of the time. The sixties, their landmarks and importance for America is the theme, uniting these films.
HEARTS AND MINDS
Hearts and Minds is documentary film and it was shown first time in 1974 (Parkinson 46). In 1973, United States stopped the activity in Vietnam and the military personnel returned home (Lee, Shlain 39). The film describes this war as a terrible symbol of the sixties. This very talented documentary brings out one thought that comes from time to time. The honesty of the American films about the war in Vietnam always gains respectful attitude. There are documentaries and very well known feature films about Americans in this war and it is always understandable that they are as truthful as possible. The film Hearts and Minds isn’t an exception. The title of the film is partially taken from the words of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who said that the victory in this war would be depend on the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people (Caputo 17). In the film there are various interviews with the war participants and their families, politicians and ordinary Americans. People are always different and it is interesting to watch different reactions of former soldiers and officers. Some of them are proud of their participation; some can’t hold the tears, remembering that time It is really emotional to watch, for example, the Navy pilot with very clever, kind face (Lee, Shlain 15). He remembers that dropping the bombs was not so difficult. He felt himself as if he was involved in a game. He flew to the destination area and the computer did the rest of the job, dropped the bombs Now, at home in America he can’t stop crying, remembering the time. It is difficult to write about the war, not having been there but, most likely this sequence shows the personal tragedy of every man in the war. The war makes everyone different. What you easily did during the military operation, later at home if you are lucky to survive, you try not to think of it. The best thing is to forget about that time, but it is in vain. So the war is definitely the main landmark of the sixties in America. This war arose many protests and changed the attitude to the world of many citizens of this country (Klett 43). The aftermaths of the war in Vietnam are really terrible for America itself and for other countries.
Generation gap is also one of the characteristic features of the sixties. There is another interview in Hearts and Minds which may approve this statement. The interviewer talks with father and mother whose son was killed in the war. They are unbelievably brave and decent people. It can be seen how hard it is for them to answer the questions about their son. Nevertheless, they are friendly and even try to joke. At the end of the interview they say that they always trusted the government and they do now. Apparently, their son’s life was inevitable sacrifice for the sake of their country. After that, antiwar activists, young Americans in a lot of cities are shown in the film (Lee, Shlain 206). The answer of the parents of killed solder is symbolic, in a way. It goes to show the core difference between generation of the sixties and their parents. The decent and honest Second World War generation was the one of believers. These people had firm principles and opinions and, maybe illusions. Their children are different; they are rebellions (Caine 85). The young people of the sixties doubt their governments; they are against of any kind of pressure and violence, especially in the form of war.
HAROLD AND MAUDE
This film is a comedy with black humor (Ebert 47). It dates back to the 1971 though the characters, music and the idea of the film has the spirit of the sixties (Ebert 48). The plot of this film pictures two extravagant people who are different and at the same time very much alike. Harold and Maude are embodied the features of the representatives of some subcultures. The trend to have unusual manner of behavior, kind of thoughts or type of clothes was really widespread in the cities of America in 1960s. The music by Cat Stevens, the popular singer and composer of the sixties and seventies helps to create the necessary atmosphere. Harold is a young man from a wealthy family who cannot find his place in the contemporary world. He is captivated by the theme of death and constantly attends funerals and drives a hearse, his favorite kind of car. He is obsessive with staging fake suicides. It would be really a big understatement to say that this man is ordinary. He lives in a big house with unemotional mother.
Harold meets Maude who also attends funerals. She is a woman of 79, but in comparison with her, Harold is not so unique. Maude has a weird way of treating this world. This weirdness cannot stir up anything, but admiration. The seventy nine year old woman is full of passion to paint life with the brightest colours that can only be imagined. She is the example of the person which extremely hard to find not only among the humans of her age, but among the people of much younger generation. Maude is the typical representative of the generation of sixties. She is rebellious, absolutely free soul without any kind of prejudices. Of course, her respectful age tells that her best time of life she had survived many years earlier than in the sixties. On the other hand, the time of youth does not exactly imply that this is the best period (Cook 28). It is another prejudice and Maude hates them. Looking at her energy, optimism and open-minded attitude to life, there comes the feeling that the best period for her is now, every single day (Cook 29). As opposed to Harold, she attends funerals not because she wants to see the death, but because she wants to feel life. Death for her is natural process and it seems like she does not afraid of it. The audience doesn’t have much information about Maude, though. She lived in Vienna, was married once and Harold accidentally notices the Nazi concentration camp tattoo on her arm. It explains a lot, but anyway this lack of information about her former life is one more difference between Harold and Maude. There is a lot more facts about young man, his life, family and ambitions or, it would be better to say their absence. Maude’s motto is to try something new every day. She is against borders, countries and patriotism, every person belongs to the world. Her point of view was also common among young people in the decade of the sixties. Maude looks a bit like representative of hippie (Lee, Shlain 113). On the other hand, she has more energy, passion and courage than those young people. It is really strange that she has not become a leader, guru of some kind of subculture in the middle of the sixties. Inevitably, Harold is dumbfounded every time he meets Maude. It is also natural that they become friends and soon their friendship turns into romance. Of course, there is a very big age difference, but knowing Maude, her soul and her behavior it is not much of a surprise. Harold inevitably begins to feel admiration, respect and then love to this woman. This is the time for Harold to act like absolutely free person who has no biases in relations with Maude. Knowing the reaction of his mother, he tells her about his feelings, about wedding and his bride. It is important not to forget that this is a comedy film and the audience can see the funny reaction to his words not only of his mother, but of the priest, psychiatrist and, eventually his uncle. The following sequences lead the audience to the end of this story. During the little, private and very warm celebration of Maude’s 80th anniversary, she says to Harold that she cherishes this moment of absolute happiness. Its importance is very valuable, because she has drunk a few pills and by the night she would be dead. Many days before, she told Harold that it would not be right to die after the age of eighty. Harold calls the ambulance but the doctors didn’t manage to rescue Maude and she dies. This event does not look so sad, because Maude treats her coming death with absolute calmness. In the final sequence Harold’s car drives off the high cliff and then the next shot reveals Harold playing banjo. So he seems to follow Maude’s advice to live and love each day to the fullest. Harold and Maude is the typical film of the sixtieth, in spite of the fact that it was shot in 1971. The spirit, accents, beliefs and thoughts of the main characters suit the best this famous time. The atmosphere of inner freedom, courage and aspiration to be yourself, these are the main features of the heroes of this film. The same thoughts and desires prevailed among young Americans in the sixties.
EASY RIDER
This film can be described as a road movie. Naturally, using only these words in its description would be impossible. The film does not only reflect the society and all the issues of controversy in the history of America of the sixties (Lee, Shlain 123). This film could be described as the history itself; it is a landmark of counterculture. The film was directed by Dennis Hopper and produced by Peter Fonda. Fonda and Hopper were the stars of Hollywood cinema business and their career had begun from this low budget film (Fonda 56). The plot of the film is quite simple but its calm simplicity shows people, emotions and life of the whole generation of that time. The film is about two guys who are driving their motorbikes across the country. The theme of drugs is shown in the film repeatedly (Lee, Shlain 6). The main characters are Wyatt or Capitan America (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) (Goldman 59). They bring cocaine from Mexico and sell it in Los Angeles (Lee, Shlain 19). They receive a large sum of money and decides to drive to New Orleans to see the Mardi Gras festival. Apart from this sequence, the main heroes use marijuana several times and one time they ingest the LSD (Lee, Shlain 5). The hitch-hiker, whom they have given a lift, gave it to them. They have a bad trip, the term which was also popular at the described period (Lee, Shlain 6). They had frightening hallucinations of different kind (Lee, Shlain 20). The theme of drug consumption takes quite a long time of the film period. It is understandable, that it was quite common thing for that time and, in a way a landmark of the period. There is another immensely popular actor in Easy Rider who has started his way to stardom from this film. Jack Nicholson plays the role of a lawyer George, who is a drunk and who spent the night in jail after overindulging in alcohol (McGilligan 57). Here, in jail he meets two main characters and all three men become mates. One more landmark of that period in America is shown in the film. This is issue of tolerance and the lack of it. George once says that people always talk about freedom and at the same time they are afraid of anyone who exhibits it. His words were proved by the attitude of local guys and a police officer in a café. They make loud, insulting comments and taunts. The long hair, leather cloths and motorbikes definitely make the main characters different. Later Billy, Captain America and George make a camp outside the town and are attacked and beaten by locals. George has fatal injuries. This is not the only tragedy in this film and it shows the contradiction and tension in the society of that period. There were a lot of young people who had inner freedom and they lived accordingly. On the other hand, this lifestyle sometimes provoked misunderstanding and even aggression, the example of it can be seen in that sequence. George’s words come to mind. Freedom is one of the key principles of the country, but when people see really free individuals they don’t understand them.
The film is packed with the events and persons that may be treated as landmarks of the time. At the time of the 1960s the United States and Europe faced the hippie movement. It was the period of rise and fall of this counterculture. Billy and Captain America are invited to live in the commune of hippie. The communal lifestyle, meditation is also something that was rather trendy of that time, so as the notion of free love (Lee, Shlain 54). The sequences of the Easy Ride prove it. Two men are asked to stay in the commune but they have to move. Later they decide to ride to Florida and have a wealthy retire. During their trip two local guys in a trunk decide to scare them with the shotgun. Billy shows his middle finger at them and they fire the shotgun. Billy is seriously wounded. Wyatt rides for help and the local men fires the bike’s gas tank that caused explosion (Fonda 57).
This road movie with tragic end was shot in the end of the decade. It has become the touchstone of the time and generation which is not a surprise. The film Easy Rider embodies the main cultural events and symbols of the America of the period. Freedom, love, drugs, motorbikes and intolerance at the same time, everything is shown brilliantly here. Splendid music of this film is also an example of wonderful sounds of the time. In a way, this film may be treated as a documentary; there are so many true-to-life sequences and characters! They precisely characterize the period and the country. Easy Rider is the era itself that is very interesting to watch now, if there is a need to feel the history of the country of that period and indulge into it.
CONCLUSION
Writing about the sixties in the USA and the films that reflect that period is easy and at the same time is quite difficult. Every film, that is examined represents that period very precisely. The paper begins with the excellent documentary Hearts and Souls. The war in Vietnam is definitely the most tragic period in the history of the sixties in the USA (Klett 83). The decade, which is known as the time of the aspiration to live in piece, was remarkably violent. The assassination of John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King In spite of all these events it may be said that this time is the time of hope, freedom and rebels for human rights. The war in Vietnam provoked a huge wave of anti-war demonstrations and protests (Lee, Shlain 137). They eventually urged politicians to admit that they were wrong and take the troops out of that country. These protests and anti-war marches are shown in the Hearts and Souls along with the sequences of war and civil life. There are very interesting interviews of the ordinary Americans, taken on the streets. They often say that they just don’t think about the Vietnam or don’t know exactly the details of the events that happen there. This reaction is very typical not only for the Americans but for people in every country, anywhere. Life goes on and everybody has his or her own problems, joys and hopes. Yes, people can feel compassion or even anger of something that happens in the world or in their own country. In the end, it turns out that the most important things are your own family, children and average living. Life dictates its own rules. Later, youngsters of the sixties, representatives of different subcultures will cut off their hair, put on official suits and became office managers. It is life and these facts do not deny all the best that was achieved in sixtieth. That time was mainly unique in terms of progressive thoughts, brave acts and lack of prejudices. The approvals to this statement give two pictures, Harold and Maude and Easy Rider. These different pictures are dedicated to one theme. They show the relations of the people, their aspirations to inner freedom. Talking about the period, there is a statement which is quite well known. If you remember the sixties you were not there (Caine 85). The meaning of these words is understandable, it exhibits the time as a period of drugs, alcohol, sex and pseudo-reality (Lee, Shlain 101). It is true, to some extent. After war generation wanted to have fun and hip lifestyle, young people didn’t believe the ideas their parents have (Lee, Shlain 54). On the other hand, it is the time of humanists’ cohesion. It is the time of attempt to understand and to be understandable (Golman 45). Many Americans answered their patriotic beliefs and went to lead the war. Many other young men went to jail or lost their citizenship, because they didn’t want to take part in military activities against the small and poor country (Caputo 111). That was the time when individuals felt some kind of social equality and were free in expressing themselves. Probably, one of the most important changes was in how people began to treat each other. The relationship between men and women started to be more relax and harmonious. Harold and Maude is the film which is exactly about this kind of relations. This film shows two people of very different age group but this is not a hindrance for love and harmonious relations.
Of course the films of this paper cannot mirrors all the events that took place in the country of that time. They did not show the beginning of the struggle of people, having black skin for their rights, peaceful protesters and radicals (Lee, Shlain 105). Martin Luther King was one of the greatest leaders in American civil rights movement. He advocated the non-violence and passive civil disobedience. Women’s Liberation Movement became well-known in the whole country. The aim of it was revision of all historic patterns of family life (Klett 108). There were Beatles, British Invasion and rock extravaganza (Lee, Shlain 114).
The excellent films which were observed are unable to show the whole picture of America of that period. This is impossible and not necessary. The most important thing is that they remind of the very significant, beautiful and controversial period in the history of the country and the name of it is swinging and rebellious sixties.
Terms and Their Definitions
Antiwar activists – people who express strong disagreement with war activities.
Bad trip – scary and unreal images, the result of consumption of LSD.
Counterculture – the ideas and way of life that are opposed to the accepted norms.
Cold War – hostility between the USSR and the USA in a row with other non-communist countries, without military conflicts, though.
Cocaine – kind of illegal strong drug.
Controversy – public discussion and argument about something.
Drug – an illegal substance that has physical or mental effect.
Hallucination – the fact of hearing or seeing something that does not really exist.
Hippie – a person rejected the way of life the most people live. Wears long hair, takes drugs and believes in love and freedom.
Hip lifestyle – fashionable way of living.
LSD – strong illegal drug, affected person’s mind.
Military personnel – group of people whose profession is connected with arm forces.
Meditation – the practice of staying immovable, not hearing noises in order to make your mind calm.
Media – television, radio, newspaper and internet.
Navy – the part of armed forces that flight at sea.
Pseudo-reality – feeling when something seems real, but it is not so.
Protest - expression of strong disagreement with something or somebody.
Radicals – persons with radical opinions.
Rock extravaganza – impressive entertainment of rock music.
Works Cited
Davis, P. Hearts and Minds, 1974.
Ashby, H. Harold and Maude, 1971.
Hopper, D. Easy Rider, 1969.
Lee, M. Shlain, B. Acid Dreams. The Complete Social History: The CIA, The Sixties, and Beyond. New York: Groove Press, 1985. Print.
Caputo, P. A Rumor of War. London: Pimlico, 1999.
Parkinson, D. Cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Caine, M. The Autobiography. The Elephant to Hollywood. London: Hodder and Stoghton, 2010. Print.
Klett, E. Modern Life. Stuttgard: Oxon, 1969. Print.
Goldman, W. Adventures in the Screen Trade. Ney York: Grand Central Publishing, 1989. Print.
Ebert, R. The Great Movies. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003. Print.
Cook, D. A History of Narrative Film. London: Norton and Company, 2003. Print.
Fonda, J. A Biography. London: Trafalgar Square Publishing, 1998. Print.
McGilligan, P. A Biography of Jack Nicholson. New York: Faber and Faber, 1994. Print.
