Greetings (1968)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Charles Hirsch (written by) and
Brian De Palma (written by)

Release Date:

28 January 1970 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An offbeat, episodic film about three friends, Paul, a shy love-seeker, Lloyd, a vibrant conspiracy nut...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Kennedy Assassination | Sexuality | Statue Of Liberty | Anti Establishment

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jonathan Warden	...	Paul Shaw
Robert De Niro	...	Jon Rubin
Gerrit Graham	...	Lloyd Clay
Richard Hamilton	...	Pop Artist
Megan McCormick	...	Marina
Tina Hirsch	...	Tina (as Bettina Kugel)
Jack Cowley	...	Fashion Photographer
Jane Lee Salmons	...	Model
Ashley Oliver	...	Bronx Secretary
Melvin Morgulis	...	'Rat' Vendor
Cynthia Peltz	...	Divorcee
Peter Maloney	...	Earl Roberts
Rutanya Alda	...	Linda (Shoplifter) (as Ruth Alda)
Ted Lescault	...	Bookstore Manager
Mona Feit	...	Mystic

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:X (original rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bookmasters Book Store, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

West End Films

Trivia:

Robert De Niro's first motion picture.

Quotes:

Jon Rubin: Like the fisherman who keeps a list of areas where fishing is especially good, the peeper has in mind a number of particularly livley places to which he returns....hmmm

Movie Connections:

References A Dandy in Aspic (1968)

Soundtrack:

Greetings!

Very Dated, but Fun, Satire

This film doesn't really have any storyline to speak of. Basically it is an episodic comedy-drama, set in New York in the late 60s, revolving around three friends as they try to avoid being drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam, while experiencing various elements of the late 1960s counterculture.

The film uses a a style very reminiscent of the French "Nouvelle Vague" films, such as hand-held cameras, on-screen captions commenting on the action and speeded-up film.

The film is probably most well-known today for marking an early appearance by Robert De Niro (here aged 24) as voyeuristic amateur film-maker Jon Rubin, and for being an early film from director Brian De Palma.

The film is, luckily, worth watching for much more than this though. It is an interesting snapshot of it's times and, although very dated, it is often quite funny. The main problem is that the film hasn't aged very well and there's no structure to it, many episodes by far outstay their welcome.