Milos Forman’s 1979 musical stars John Savage, Treat Williams and Beverly D’Angelo as youngsters on a journey of self-discovery in 1960s America, as the Vietnam War rages on
The film, loosely based on the 1968 Broadway musical Hair: An American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, centres on two men, Claude (John Savage, The Deer Hunter), a naïve young man from America’s ‘Bible Belt’ and Berger (Treat Williams), the leader of a hippie tribe in New York. Drafted into the army and soon to ship out to Vietnam, Claude spends his last time as a civilian with Berger, learning for the first time about race and class issues in 60s America. He soon meets and falls for Sheila, a rich debutante with a rebellious soul. Welcome to the Age of Aquarius.
Hairmarked Milos Forman’s return to directing after winning an Oscar for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975 and was nominated for two Golden Globes in 1980.
Released as part of the BFI’s blockbuster season Musicals! The Greatest Show on Film which runs October to December 2019.
Extras
Aquarius (1966, 8 mins): psychedelic animation
San Francisco (1968, 15 mins): kaleidoscopic city imagery soundtracked with a rare version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Interstellar Overdrive’
Indian Pop Instrumental (c1970, 3 mins): mysterious sitar groovefest
Discomania (1979, 25 mins): Disco-dance champtions, glitterballs, lurex, sequins, skates and more
Nicholas Ray in Conversation (1969, audio, 56 mins): the legendary filmmaker interviewed in London
Original trailer
Image gallery
***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Ellen Cheshire, new interview with the film's screenwriter Michael Weller and an essay on director Miloš Forman by Kieron McCormack
