I can't remember when I first saw this film; it might have been when it first came out but I just don't know. In 1971 though, I was a college student at a liberal Northeastern university and the movie's sentiment would have resonated strongly. Today the entire concept of Jean Roberts' (Delores Taylor) idealistic pacifism comes across as very naïve, and it bothers me to think that there are actually people who believe that love and understanding will impact terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, ISIS, or any other terrorist organization. Back then they didn't exist of course, so the discussion here revolved around the hippie movement and the rednecks who didn't tolerate them. It was interesting to live through those times, maintaining a wary distance from growing my hair too long, while adopting a fairly libertarian live and let live attitude.
I'm shocked to see on the IMDb credits page for this film that it was made for less than a million dollars and grossed ninety eight million! I can believe both figures because the production values look like it was made on the cheap, with an assist from the National Student Film Corporation, while the film's word of mouth cult status made it a must see movie during the era. The one thing I remember from my first viewing that has stayed with me all these years was when Billy (Tom Laughlin) told old man Posner (Bert Freed) he was going to put a boot upside his head and there was nothing the bigot could do about it. That was just way cool to me in my younger days, but unlike the martial arts flicks of today where the good guy takes out a hundred guys in opposition, Billy got his butt kicked as well for his good hearted efforts. In that respect, the story did have it's realistic moments.
The thing that made me question Billy's mental status was when he entered the circle for the Blood Brother Snake Ceremony with the uptight rattlesnake. I thought then, and still believe today, that that was an extremely stupid thing to do, no matter how dedicated one might be to one's vision. By my count, that snake struck six times, but since you couldn't actually see it connect, the anticipated terror is left to the imagination of the viewer.
One wouldn't have known it back then, but there was a fairly well known actor who appeared in the story. I recognized Howard Hesseman as one of the drama coaches; he's credited as a character named Don Sturdy though I don't recall that name being mentioned while watching. As for just about everyone else, the players perform well below professional level, and that may have been some of the charm of the film's popularity in the Seventies. Today a lot of it comes across as dated, even goofy, but it does encapsulate a distinct feeling one had during the Vietnam era and the attendant counter culture that grew in response. I wouldn't try to deter anyone from watching "Billy Jack", but be aware that it's appeal will be directly related to your age and what you were doing during that tumultuous era. For younger viewers, you may wind up scratching your head.
I'm shocked to see on the IMDb credits page for this film that it was made for less than a million dollars and grossed ninety eight million! I can believe both figures because the production values look like it was made on the cheap, with an assist from the National Student Film Corporation, while the film's word of mouth cult status made it a must see movie during the era. The one thing I remember from my first viewing that has stayed with me all these years was when Billy (Tom Laughlin) told old man Posner (Bert Freed) he was going to put a boot upside his head and there was nothing the bigot could do about it. That was just way cool to me in my younger days, but unlike the martial arts flicks of today where the good guy takes out a hundred guys in opposition, Billy got his butt kicked as well for his good hearted efforts. In that respect, the story did have it's realistic moments.
The thing that made me question Billy's mental status was when he entered the circle for the Blood Brother Snake Ceremony with the uptight rattlesnake. I thought then, and still believe today, that that was an extremely stupid thing to do, no matter how dedicated one might be to one's vision. By my count, that snake struck six times, but since you couldn't actually see it connect, the anticipated terror is left to the imagination of the viewer.
One wouldn't have known it back then, but there was a fairly well known actor who appeared in the story. I recognized Howard Hesseman as one of the drama coaches; he's credited as a character named Don Sturdy though I don't recall that name being mentioned while watching. As for just about everyone else, the players perform well below professional level, and that may have been some of the charm of the film's popularity in the Seventies. Today a lot of it comes across as dated, even goofy, but it does encapsulate a distinct feeling one had during the Vietnam era and the attendant counter culture that grew in response. I wouldn't try to deter anyone from watching "Billy Jack", but be aware that it's appeal will be directly related to your age and what you were doing during that tumultuous era. For younger viewers, you may wind up scratching your head.