Alcohol is Dynamite (1967) User Reviews

Not good enough to show kids and not funny enough for a laugh.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 25 January 2010]

Despite the copyright year being 1967, the actors in this film appear to have hair and clothes from about 1961--plus the cars are obviously older. At first I suspected that this film was NOT the 1967 film but both were listed as being made by Sid Davis Productions. Why this is the case, I am unsure but I suspect the year listed is wrong.

The film consists of black & white film that is narrated as you see the story of Jim's life. He goes from experimenting with alcohol to driving drunk to living on Skid Row.

Overall, not too bad for an older educational film, but it's square narration probably made quite a few in the target audience giggle. Not bad enough for laugh and not good enough to show to kids.

'Alcohol Is Dynamite' (1958)

[mfnmbvp · 5/10 · 8 May 2012]

The Internet Archive lists this film as being from 1958, which as the other user stated, seems more correct than the IMDb's listing from 1967. This short propaganda film really has little to offer that modern audiences aren't already aware of, but when this film was shown in the classroom it was probably more useful and more needed at that time. However, it most likely just made those who saw it more curious to try alcohol (if they already hadn't) as most all high school kids will drink at some point or another.

The film isn't laughable like so many other propaganda films from this era that I have seen, just informative really. I thought it was quite dull, but also interesting nonetheless. It's clear that the target audience for this film didn't heed the advice it gives us very well, though. If you are interested in watching this, I would look to the Internet Archive where you can stream or download it, although I would recommend streaming the film, as the downloadable versions are either glitchy or have crap quality.

ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE -----5/10.

A Bit Too Much Preaching

[Theo Robertson · 5/10 · 28 July 2013]

A group of youths stand outside a liqueur store and being underage they stop a middle aged passer-by to ask if he'll go in to the store for them to buy alcohol . The middle aged man then tells them a true life story on the dangers of alcohol

America has a very strange relationship with alcohol . It's one of the very few non Muslim countries to have had a blanket ban on alcohol in the 1920s which was an absolute disaster being impossible to effectively enforce and prohibition gave birth to organised crime . Even today we hear almost amusing stories of Europeans aged in their late 20s visiting America , going in to a bar and having to go back to their hotel to get their passport because the bar tender refuses to serve them thinking they're too young . By a bitter irony it's probably easier for teenagers to buy illegal drugs in America than it is to buy alcoholic drinks

This public information film aims to inform the youth of America on the dangers of alcohol and while its heart may be in the right place it becomes so over done as to be ironic . In many ways it's similar to REEFER MADNESS . Having a moral tale to tell it's not enough for the protagonists to have a drink and merely wake up with a sore head and a feeling of morbid embarrassment - they have to wake up and find their entire lives ruined forever . Of course this has happened to some people where hey find themselves facing a murder charge where a binge drinking goes wrong . We all know someone who has ruined their life through alcohol abuse but ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE is a bit to exaggerated to take seriously and isn't helped by the constant melodramatic music playing on the soundtrack

Teenagers and Alcohol

[Michael_Elliott · 30 June 2015]

Alcohol is Dynamite (1967)

** (out of 4)

Another decent educational picture from Sid Davis. This one here takes a look at teenagers who think they are cool by drinking alcohol yet they really don't know what they're doing to their bodies or the dangers they are putting themselves into. We get several stories of how teenagers think they're cool if they drink and the disastrous results that can come from it. Several sources, including the IMDb, lists this as being from 1967 but I highly doubt it as it looks to be from the previous decade. Either way, this is another slightly entertaining film from Davis as he at least know how to make a technically impressive film. That is, a technically impressive educational film. One really shouldn't come to something like this expecting the work of a Spielberg or Scorsese. For the most part this here is entertaining enough, although it's certainly doubtful its message would work on teenagers of today and it's not campy enough to really entertain those just looking for a good laugh.