Sundance makes overblown claims for 'Hair' in solid documentary 'Let the Sunshine In'
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/07/27/2009-07-27_sundance_makes_overblown_claims_for_hair_in_solid_documentary_let_the_sunshine_i.html By David Hinckley DAILY NEWS TV CRITIC Monday, July 27th 2009 HAIR: LET THE SUNSHINE IN Monday night at 9, Sundance Sundance serves up a solid, well-paced documentary Monday night on one of the two most overrated cultural "moments" of the 1960s. In fact, if it weren't for Woodstock, the musical "Hair" would be No. 1. Now, "Hair" has been revived, and we're about to all gush warmly over the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Trust me, kids, the '60s were more fun, more complicated, more significant and much more interesting than either of these two overrated events suggest. But they both offer easy nostalgia, so they'll probably both be with us for a while, and anyhow, this documentary - this is its U.S. television premiere - focuses mostly on the culture and the world in which "Hair" emerged. On that score, it does pretty well, noting how the anti-war and civil rights movements were at critical junctures around the time "Hair" premiered in 1967. It doesn't acknowledge specifically that the anti-war movement was still reviled by much of the country then, or that the civil rights movement was in the middle of its great splintering. It does note that both were integral parts of the concept and message in "Hair," which did, in fact, have its sentiments in the right place. Through extensive interviews with co-creator James Rado, early stars like Ben Vereen and Melba Moore, director Tom O'Horgan and others, this documentary paints "Hair" as a response to its times, which it was. It also paints "Hair" as hip and profound cutting-edge political theater, which is more arguable. In contrast to what was happening inside the actual anti-war and civil rights movements, plus the women's rights movement, "Hair," even at the time, was pretty lightweight. A quick look at who recorded "Hair" songs, passing popsters like the Cowsills and Oliver, puts much of the music in its proper place. On the other hand, it's also true that no Broadway producer was going to mount a show with legitimate anti-war songs like Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" or "Chimes of Freedom," so this kind of lite pop, built on gossamer phrases like "the mind's true liberation," was about as radical as any mainstream production was going to get in 1967. The documentary shifts periodically to protests 40 years later against the Iraq War, making a good case for a connection between two generations of anti-war protests and a less compelling case for "Hair" as a link between them. But, whatever the political merit and power of "Hair," it obviously carved a theatrical niche and reached an audience. If this documentary occasionally overstates its profundity, hey, we never reached the Age of Aquarius, either. . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
