Keep Off The Grass

Format:	Short
Year:	1970
Country:	USA
Language:	English
Genre:	Documentary, Drama, Cult
IMDB:	IMDB Page
Rating:	10.0 Rate
Collection:	Seen It Wishlist
Community:	1 Has Seen, 1 Wishlist


Director	Ib Melchior
Producer	Sid Davis

Images

Number: 2243794

THUMBNAIL
Uploaded By: Twistin
Description: title screen

Number: 2243797

Uploaded By: Twistin
Description: get it? the *grass*?

Comments and Reviews


Twistin 5th May 2020



Twistin 5th May 2020		Rated 10/10 So many great lines in this late-model Sid Davis propaganda piece about evil marijuana. Oh, but this isn't the usual Sid Davis fare, as it was shot in 1969 in the miracle of color, as well as getting hip to much groovier slang than past SD hits. As the father-son lecture unfolds with dad preparing to detail the scourge of pot, he first pours himself a stiff one, then ignites a cigarette. "It's easy for you to stand there with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in another and tell us not to blow pot." So father grabs an encyclopedia from the shelf and rationally explains some of the dangers, like "the marijuana user generally experiences an uncontrollable feeling of hilarity, quite without reason". That's a great argument. It must be true; in that Reefer Madness film, the piano player bursts into sporadic fits of laughter only seconds after having a puff without even inhaling. And anyway, pleasure and feelings of happiness are, for the most part, overrated, so why encourage such emotions? The laundry list of potential dangers, of course, also exists for alcohol, so the main charge is that smoking grass will get you high. Which is the reason -- the only reason -- anyone smokes the stuff. The fact that prolonged use may make you lose your ambition could also be said of relationships. "Every time you blow a marijuana cigarette," Tom's father adds, "you take a chance on blowing your future." We also attend a garden pot party by the pool with a bunch of glaze-eyed teens that look like extras from the set of Billy Jack. Some reckless driving while under the influence takes us to an outasite head shop, then to an artist's pad who is toking weed until his brother-in-law gets busted after buying some grass. Tom is, incidentally, impressed with how the law officers never lose their cool and are always helpful. Later, while waiting at the police station, a friendly policeman notices Tom's interest in a display about the dangers of marijuana. NARRATOR: (Tom) is out after information..."What are the facts?" he asks. Easily, with friendly informality, the officer speaks to Tom. No lecturing, no sermonizing..." And on and on and on he goes. But before you nod off, you hear him address the parallel with alcohol: NARRATOR: Maybe there is a similarity between the social drinker and the pot smoker -- yet it's not quite the same! The daily drink may not be the best thing in the world, but a man who takes a drink after his day is done has worked. He has achieved. He has coped. And he wants to relax. Not so, the teenage user. He deliberately seeks to tune-out, cop-out. He uses his grass as a mental crutch because he fears to stand on his own. He may never learn to cope with the inevitable, everyday problems of living. He may well become one of the 'left-behind generation'...And legalizing the use of marijuana is NOT the answer! We're also told of an unnamed nation that legalized marijuana, only to reverse the decision a few years later and impose the death penalty for mere possession. What?!? Interestingly, Tom leaves with a friend and they go to a far-out pot party even more explicit than what you may have seen on Dragnet. After seeing this fascinating docu-thriller, it struck me how really with-it the establishment were...especially parents and officers of the law. The potheads seemed like a real drag. Until the facts are all in, I'm personally going to Keep Off the Grass. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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