Customer Reviews

Mondo Mod / The Hippie Revolt

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You can have your Martin Scorcese talking for hours about how he shot "GoodFellas", I'll take the priceless commentary from aging hipsters Johnny Legend and Eric Caidin about their glory days during the thrilling psychedelic Sixties. Hell, I'd rather listen to them talk over the film rather than listen to the stilted disc jockey voice-overs on these films any day. These guys lived the hellish hedonism of the Sunset Strip, so happily captured in "Mondo Mod" and survived the dreary bookish spiritualism of Spam Francisco in "The Hippie Revolt". Every anecdote is a gem. Crank up the commentary and enjoy!

First of all, I want to thank Something Weird Video for releasing these two documentaries on one DVD. I've been looking for a copy of Mondo Mod ever since I saw a clip of it in the documentary "Grass" last year.
I feel "Mondo Mod" and " The Hippie Revolt" are two films that have captured what was going on in the mid-1960's. Both of these films give the viewer the feel, the sights, and the sounds of what it was like to be a teenager in the '60s. These two films are only a year apart and it looks like twenty years have past because of the way things changed. The sound and picture are great, considering that these two films were lost and forgotten.
The commentary, by Johnny Legend & Eric Caidin, gives the viewer more information about the counterculture. There are times when I don't know which audio track to listen to because both are interesting.
The bonus features are fantastic. It's great to see a video company go to such great lengths to make this DVD a complete package. The alternate footage from "Mondo Mod," the Trippy Trailers, the "Acid Head" Short subjects, and the exploitation art are great additions to what types of films that were also released during the 1960's and early '70s. The only annoying thing about the bonus features is the "SWV" logo on the lower right hand corner of the screen. This really ruins the video of the bonus features.
I feel anyone that was around during the time these films were released will enjoy this DVD. I was only five years old when these films were released and I enjoy them very much. I think that anyone that is interested in the 1960's and wonder what the counterculture was all about will love this DVD as much as I do. This is one DVD that I watch a lot and I never get tired of watching it.

Interspersed among the delightfully corny staged segments is some genuine, candid documentary footage of the era's youth culture. I expected cheesy hippie-sploitation, which is what most of the DVD is, yet to my surprise, some segments are valuable documentation that would be hard to find anywhere else.

Most notable is the footage of protests on Sunset Strip, and street scenes in the Haight. Also, terrific scenes of beaches (either Hawaii or California, I forget) before they were packed with giant hotels.

There are a few segments where it's hard to tell whether they're staged or not, such as scenes of outdoor festivities, presumably in San Francisco. Even those are obviously, and without the slightest doubt, from around 1967-8. The above review is entirely wrong in saying they are recent re-creations. (look up the movies elsewhere if you don't believe me.)

My opinion is that virtually all the outdoor festival scenes are real, and that only the very ridiculous party and interview scenes are staged.

An incredible journey during the psychedelic years in Southern California; I highly recommend this DVD.

Very lame . Mr Jones trying to capitalize on "what he don't know what it is " don't expect much

I was expecting some fun, but cheesy movies from the "hippie-era" but instead was delivered two movies that looked like they were shot within the last decade, on a [very limited budget]. There looks to be some authentic footage from the period interspersed, but otherwise these are pretty weak facsimiles of the real thing. DO NOT buy this if you are looking for the real deal.