''1969'' is a 1988 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by

Ernest Thompson Ernest Thompson (born Richard Ernest Thompson; November 6, 1949) is an American writer, actor, and director. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for '' On Golden Pond'', an adaptation of his own play of the same name. Early l ...

and starring

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

, Kiefer Sutherland and

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

. The original music score is composed by

Michael Small Michael Small (May 30, 1939 – November 24, 2003) was an American film score composer known for his scores to the movies '' Klute'', '' The Parallax View'', '' Marathon Man'', and ''The Star Chamber''. Personal life Small was born in New York ...

. The film deals with the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

and the resulting social tensions between those who support and oppose the war in small-town America.

Plot

Two boys, Ralph (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Scott (Kieffer Sunderland), hitchhike home from college, arriving on Easter morning and shout their greetings across the glen to their families during a lakeside Easter Sunrise service, much to the amusement of Ralph's younger sister, Beth (

), and mother, Ev, and embarrassment of Scott's mother, Jessie, and father, Cliff. Later that day, they drive Scott's older brother, Alden, who is shipping off to Vietnam, to the bus depot; Alden and Scott fight when Scott accuses the Marine of being afraid to go to Vietnam. Their father arrives, wondering what is going on. A few weeks later, Scott and Ralph again return home from college to attend Beth's high school graduation, where they learn that Ralph has flunked out of college (thus making him eligible to be drafted). The boys decide to spend the summer on the road, living out of their van, experiencing all the freedom that the counterculture has to offer. Eventually, they arrive back at their hometown in the middle of its summer festival, where they learn that Alden has disappeared and is considered MIA. Ralph and Scott hatch a plan to steal their files from the local draft board office, but they are caught, and Ralph is arrested. Scott is now determined to avoid Ralph's fate, planning to head to Canada to avoid the draft. Scott invites Beth to travel with him on his trip, and to stay away until the end of the war. Admitting their attraction to each other, they make love in the van. Later, they decide to visit Ralph in jail to tell him they are leaving. Ralph reveals in a very sarcastic tone that he actually wants to go to Vietnam. When he learns that his friend and his sister have had sexual relations, he disowns Scott and ignores Beth. Scott and Beth get to the Canada–US border and are about to cross but have a change of heart and head back to Maryland. When they get home, they learn of Alden's death in the line of duty. Scott leads a huge march downtown in the midst of the funeral, where Ralph is released from jail and the friends are reunited. The film ends with a narration by Scott, announcing that his family and friends later join hundreds of thousands of other Americans towards Washington, D.C. to protest the Vietnam War.

Cast

as Ralph Carr * Kiefer Sutherland as Scott Denny * Bruce Dern as Cliff Denny *

Mariette Hartley Mary Loretta Hartley (born June 21, 1940) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for work with Bill Bixby on ''The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series), The Incredible Hulk'' (1978) and ''Goodnight, Beantown'' (1983–1984), ...

as Jessie Denny *

as Beth Carr *

Joanna Cassidy Joanna Cassidy (born Joanna Virginia Caskey, August 2, 1945 Brady, James"In Step With: Joanna Cassidy" ''Miami Herald'', November 25, 1990. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Born: Aug.2, 1944, in Camden, N.J.") is an American actress. ...

as Ev Carr

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 55% based on reviews from 11 critics. Rita Kempley of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote, "

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

''1969'', the directorial debut of Ernest Thompson, is an aimless drama, its purpose and promise lost in a thicket of false endings and a fog of nostalgia".

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' described how "Mr. Dern, unusually laconic here, is unexpectedly moving as the character who seems most confused by changing times. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said, "Affecting memories and good intentions don't always add up to good screen stories, and such is the case in ''1969'', one of the murkiest reflections on the Vietnam War era yet, notwithstanding good performances all around and bright packaging of Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Downey Jr. in the leads."

Box office

The film was a disappointment at the box office, grossing only $5,979,011 against a $7 million budget.

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack consists of original period rock. However, it also includes a notable re-recording of

The Youngbloods The Youngbloods were an American rock band consisting of Jesse Colin Young (vocals, bass, guitar), Jerry Corbitt (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Lowell "Banana" Levinger (guitar and electric piano), and Joe Bauer (drums). Despite recei ...

' classic hit " Get Together", performed as a solo by the Youngbloods' lead singer

Jesse Colin Young Perry Miller (born November 22, 1941), known professionally as Jesse Colin Young, is an American singer and songwriter. He was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s group the Youngbloods. After their dissolution in 1972, Young embarked ...

, as well as a new cover, by

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

, of the 1967 Burt Bacharach/

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

song "The Windows of the World."

References

External links

* * * * {{AFI film, 58991, 1969
Sample frames from the cinematographer of 1969
1988 films 1988 drama films 1988 independent films 1988 directorial debut films 1980s coming-of-age drama films 1980s war drama films American coming-of-age drama films American independent films American war drama films Atlantic Entertainment Group films 1980s English-language films Films set in 1969 Films shot in South Carolina Films scored by Michael Small Films about the United States Marine Corps Vietnam War films Films directed by Ernest Thompson 1980s American films