Greetings (1968 film)

Last updated

Greetings
Greetings (1968 film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Brian De Palma
Written by
  • Charles Hirsch
  • Brian De Palma
Produced byCharles Hirsch
Starring
CinematographyRobert Fiore
Edited byBrian De Palma
Music by
Production
company
West End Films
Distributed by Sigma III
Release date
  • December 15, 1968 (1968-12-15)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$39,000

Greetings is a 1968 American black comedy film co-written and directed by Brian De Palma. A satirical film about men avoiding the Vietnam War draft, it marks Robert De Niro's first major role.

Contents

It is the first American film to receive an X rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), [1] [2] although it was later given an R rating. However, contrary to some allegations, it was not the first film to receive an X-rating in the United States; the first film to hold an X-rating in the country was in fact French-British film The Girl on a Motorcycle (also known as Naked Under Leather). [3] [4]

De Niro reprised the character of Jon Rubin in the 1970 film Hi, Mom! , also directed by De Palma. The film was entered into the 19th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won a Silver Bear award. [5]

Plot

Three friends—Paul, a shy love-seeker; Lloyd, a vibrant conspiracy nut; and Jon, a peeping tom and aspiring filmmaker—explore free love, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War and amateur filmmaking.

Cast

Production

Reception

Greetings holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 17 reviews. [6]

Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote, "Some of it is amusing, as when one of the lads is coached in the technique of draft-dodging. Most of it is strained and unfunny, with some generous nudity for nudity's sake and a hip sprinkling of four-letter words." [7]

Variety wrote that the film "has its sluggish sequences" but "[m]uch of the production has a freshness that is infectious". [8]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "the funniest film since The Producers —and stylistically its superior. It has the fresh and uninhibited wit of the best of the student films yet has the grace and control to sustain itself throughout its 88 minutes." [9]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars out of four, and wrote, "What holds the film together is not its plot (there isn't one) but its attitude, its general instinct for what is funny in our society." [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bailey, Jason (2018-12-06). "A Brief History of the X Rating". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  2. ↑ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  3. ↑ "'X' Marks Spot For Only 1 of 1st MPAA Group: W7 'Girl'". Daily Variety . October 22, 1968. p. 1.
  4. ↑ "The Girl on a Motorcycle". Gene Siskel Film Center. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Berlinale 1969: Prize Winners". Berlin International Film Festival . Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Greetings | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes .
  7. ↑ Thompson, Howard (December 16, 1968). "The Screen: 'Greetings' on 34th Street". The New York Times . p. 61. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Film Reviews: Greetings". Variety . December 25, 1968. p. 18. ISSN   0042-2738.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (May 21, 1969). "'Greetings' at the Granada". Los Angeles Times . Part IV, p. 12. ISSN   0458-3035.
  10. ↑ Ebert, Roger (July 30, 1969). "Greetings movie review & film summary (1969)". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved March 23, 2022– via RogerEbert.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.