Greetings (1968 film) explained

Greetings
Director:Brian De Palma
Producer:Charles Hirsch
Cinematography:Robert Fiore
Editing:Brian De Palma
Studio:West End Films
Distributor:Sigma III
Runtime:88 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
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 marked Robert De Niro's first major role.

It was 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

Greetings is an episodic film about three friends: Paul, a shy love-seeker, Lloyd, a vibrant conspiracy nut and Jon, a peeping tom and aspiring filmmaker. The film satirizes free love, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War and amateur filmmaking.

Reception

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."[6] Variety wrote that the film "has its sluggish sequences" but "[m]uch of the production has a freshness that is infectious."[7] 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."[8] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars 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."[9] Despite some allegations,[10] the film was not the first to receive an X-rating in the United States. A Variety article from October 1968 noted that French-British film The Girl on a Motorcycle, which would be released in the United States as Naked Under Leather, was in fact the first film receive an X-rating by the MPAA.

Greetings holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on seventeen reviews.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bailey . Jason . 2018-12-06 . A Brief History of the X Rating . 2023-08-08 . Vulture . en-us.
  2. Web site: AFICatalog . 2023-08-08 . catalog.afi.com.
  3. October 22, 1968 . 'X' Marks Spot For Only 1 of 1st MPAA Group: W7 'Girl' . 1 . Daily Variety.
  4. News: The Girl on a Motorcycle. Gene Siskel Film Center. August 18, 2024.
  5. Web site: Berlinale 1969: Prize Winners . . March 6, 2010.
  6. News: Thompson . Howard . Howard Thompson (film critic) . December 16, 1968 . The Screen: 'Greetings' on 34th Street . . 61 . August 1, 2019.
  7. Film Reviews: Greetings . . December 25, 1968 . 18 . 0042-2738.
  8. News: Thomas . Kevin . Kevin Thomas (film critic) . May 21, 1969 . 'Greetings' at the Granada . . Part IV, p. 12 . 0458-3035.
  9. Web site: Ebert . Roger . Roger Ebert . Greetings movie review & film summary (1969) . . July 30, 1969 . March 23, 2022 . RogerEbert.com.
  10. News: This Robert De Niro Comedy Was the First American Film To Be Rated X. Adam. Grinwald. Collider. June 11, 2023. August 18, 2024.
  11. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1008942-greetings