The Strawberry Statement *** (1970, Bruce Davison, Kim Darby, Bud Cort) – Classic Movie Review 9426

Director Stuart Hagmann’s 1970 drama The Strawberry Statement is an interesting, extremely well-acted but uneasy and hesitant college confrontation youth movie with an excitingly staged violent clash between students and the authorities at the climax.

Kim Darby stars as the college girl Linda who radicalises nice, apolitical rowing team San Francisco college student Simon (Bruce Davison), ending up getting involved in the violent climactic confrontation with the police.

Soundtrack songs include John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s Give Peace a Chance.

The Strawberry Statement includes an appearance (as Dr Benton) from screen-writer Israel Horovitz, who scripts James Kunen’s novel based on Columbia University’s troubles in the late Sixties, while James Kunen appears as Chairman.

Though it was an odd project for the family and fantasy movie studio MGM at the time, it is now of considerable historical interest.

Also in the cast are Bud Cort, Murray MacLeod, Bob Balaban, David Dukes, James Coco and Bert Remsen.

Hagmann, the same writer Israel Horovitz and producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff followed it with a second youth statement, Believe in Me (1971).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9426

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