Included Films:
Columbia Riots
Columbia Riots
Produced: 1969
Length: 50 Minutes
Universities have always been the cradle of a nations future. It not only transmits and preserves knowledge but more often it is a place of progress and innovation. Universities can also be a forum for political riots, social outrage, and violence. Columbia University had strong ties into military intelligence and military research during the height of the Vietnam War, when learned anti-war protestors and students took several of the Universities buildings hostage as a symbol of their outrage. Along with this anti-war sentiment, April of 1968, saw black protestors protesting the building of a gym near their Harlem neighborhood which they deemed, Gym Crow because of the back door located at the Harlem entrance of the gym. Tensions mounted between white anti-war protestors and black anti-segregation protestors causing Columbia College to be locked down. Complete with interviews of the students and scenes of the police ending the protest the film is a superb example of the kinds of misunderstandings and social superiority that leads to violence, not only from those who feel like they are not being heard but, by those required to maintain order.
Greenwich Village Sunday
Greenwich Village Sunday
Produced: 1960s
Length: 13 Minutes
In this flick, a young hipster female explores Greenwich Village one Sunday and takes in the counterculture sites and sounds from some of the most unique clusters of people in the scene.
Brink Of Disaster
Brink Of Disaster
Produced: 1972
Length: 22 Minutes
Brink of Disaster is a bombastic lambasting of any alternative American behavior and opinions that differ from conservative values. The specific target is 1960s student activism. During the opening credits, the film captures footage of actual riots, marches, and protests, including the march on the Pentagon and the protests at Lafayette Park. Juxtaposing these images with footage of the Berlin Wall and the invasion of Hungary, the narrator comments that protesters have been duped by the Commies into thinking that America needs to change. Using some startlingly revisionist history, the film moves into a fantasy walk through when characters are visited by Great Americans from the past like Ben Franklin. (There are some nice shots of Jerry Rubin and H. Rap Brown). These wise sages tell stories about America and what the country is really all about. Incredible for its vitriol and outrage, Brink of Disaster remains one of the most telling films produced by conservative America in response to the cultural revolution.
Coffee House Rendezvous
Coffee House Rendezvous
Produced: 1969
Length: 25 Minutes
Coffee houses are not just a spot for beatniks to pour out bad poetry, counter subvert people, and sing drug inspired songs; they are a place for kids to hang out in a safe, controlled environment. Church groups, social organizations, and just average teens used the coffee house as a means to get kids off the streets and into a place of mutual ideals and moral ethics. It was a way of providing entertainment and safety for groups not interested in the drug culture springing up at the time. A unique idea for the sixties, this was evidence that coffee houses could be for more people than just beatniks and with a little enterprising and enjoyable music this concept quickly caught on in places all over the United States. An honest account from kids who enjoy the scene this movie is a authentic piece of 60s societal history.
Drug Abuse: The Chemical Tomb
Drug Abuse: The Chemical Tomb
Produced: 1969
Length: 18 Minutes
Drug Abuse: The Chemical Tomb is a groovy 1960s anti drug film that vocalizes the concern over increased drug use among teenagers. The film stresses that, contrary to popular thought, drug abuse is not an individual decision, but a choice that affects society by preventing social change in America. This is a markedly different approach than most of the contemporary anti-drug material at the time. Dr. Boroughs explains how drug dependency limits ones potential, hindering their growth and contribution to society – a marked contrast to the perception of most involved in the 1960s counterculture. Hilariously, the Drug Abuse: The Chemical Tomb ends up demonstrating drug usage in great detail, making more of a retro-instructional film than an effective method of discouragement. The film is notable for its unusual message that seeks to undermine the progressive ideals of the counterculture and unusual tackling of teenage drug abuse.
