When I Was Young

1969

Written and directed by Ernest Thompson

At the USA Copley Theater

NINETEEN Sixty-Nine seems an idealized and fictonalized vision of writer/director Ernest Thompson's experiences of the late '60s (see accompanying interview). Despite 1969's true-to-life nature, the first-time director relies on the same sentimentality he employed in writing On Golden Pond.

The film features Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Downey Jr--best friends in real life--as Scott and Ralph, two old friends at the crossroads of their friendship. Both characters are based on Thompson and his friends in the late '60s. In addition, Winona Ryder (of Beetlejuice) plays Ralph's idealistic, intelligent younger sister, who enters a romance with Scott.

1969 proves a difficult year for these teenagers and their families, both of which have enough problems without the additional shadow of the Vietnam War. The movie pits the passions of the '60s love and drug culture against the conventions of small-town America, the obligatory collegiate life of demonstration against the rigid demands of a fearful but patriotic older generation. Within the families, though, Scott must deal with a stern, unfeeling father (Bruce Dern) and a disenchanted, prayerful mother (Mariette Hartley), while Ralph must deal with his own widowed mother (Joanna Cassidy).

In the emotional scenes of parent/child ideological conflicts or best friends' attempts to understand and love one another, both Thompson and the cast achieve their best. The film features many moments of exemplary and memorable acting, particularly from Downey and Sutherland.

The '60s soundtrack is an asset. Not only are the songs great, but they are appropriate in the context of the scenes for which they provide a backdrop. Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" plays during scenes of revolution on the Georgetown campus. "When I Was Young" by the Animals works well behind the opening montage of '60s news clips. Standards such as "Aquarius," "Get Together," "Time of the Season" and "Can't Find My Way Home" are other strong points of 1969's soundtrack.

THERE is a lot of good music, several moving scenes and some truly intriguing characters in this film, but there is also an unbelievable romantic element which seems to be Thompson's idealization as he looks back on his college years. Thompson relies on an episodic structure which, though it does have great moments, doesn't hold the film together well. His trademark of using little moments to wrench the heart is not cohesive. This incoherence, particularly toward the end of the film, pushes over-romanticized events beyond the realm of believability.

Perhaps Thompson has attempted too much in directing the film. A more experienced director might have been able to glue the beautifully written vignettes together a bit better. And with more objectivity, another director might not have been forced to salvage a romantic ending with a voice overdub intended to lend credibility.

In the final analysis, 1969 is not a great film. It is not a bad film, but it simply does not achieve the proportions of other '60s time piece films (notably Hair). While the screenplay illustrates Thompson's talent, his direction reduces what might have been a noteworthy film to mediocrity. College students may accept Thompson's version of the Woodstock era, since we weren't there, but it's hard not to think that he isn't just looking back through rose-colored glasses at the good old days when he was trying to avoid the draft and having a great time doing it.