The Strawberry Statement (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Strawberry Statement


image_size = 150px
caption =
director = Stuart Hagmann
producer = Robert Chartoff
Irwin Winkler
writer = James S. Kunen (novel)
Israel Horovitz
narrator =
starring = Bruce Davison
Kim Darby
Bud Cort
Andrew Parks
Kristin Van Buren
Kristina Holland
music = Ian Freebairn-Smith
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Neil Young
cinematography = Ralph Woolsey
editing =
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
released = 1970
runtime = 109 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:47263
imdb_id = 0066415

"The Strawberry Statement" is a 1970 cult film about the counterculture and student revolts of the 1960s, loosely based on the non-fiction book by James Simon Kunen about the Columbia University protests of 1968.

Cast

* Bruce Davison: Simon
* Kim Darby: Linda
* Bud Cort: Elliott
* Murray MacLeod: George
* Tom Foral: The coach
* Bob Balaban: Elliott

Premise

The film details the life of one student during the Columbia University protests of 1968. The original book's author, James Simon Kunen, has a cameo appearance in the film. Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air" and numerous other rock songs are used on the soundtrack.

Plot

Columbia's student Simon (Bruce Davison) is indifferent to the Columbia University protests of 1968 around him, until walking in on a naked woman (Kristina Holland) in his dormitory roommate's bed. While she quickly runs over to the toilets to dress, Simon protests to his roommate that their time should only be devoted to studying, so they can get good jobs and lots of money.

Coming back clothed, the woman refuses setting another date with the roommate because she'd be busy protesting. She explains about Columbia's plan to construct a gymnasium in Harlem-owned Morningside Park thus causing a racial segregation with the local African American population. She tells him that she and others plan to take over Hamilton Hall.

Simon later experiences love at first sight with a stranger female student (Kim Darby) and uses his photographer position in the college's journal to photograph her. Following her into Hamilton Hall, he joins the takeover just by being there, She approaches him while he boringly fools around in the toilets. She says her name is Linda and asks him to rob a food store with her so the striking students could eat.

In a later student protest, Simon is arrested. He then tells Linda he is not a radical like her. He dislikes to "blow the college building" after doing his best to be accepted in there. Linda later claims she can't see someone who he is not likewise dedicated to the movement. Nevertheless, she announces temporarily leaving college to decide for sure.

In the showers, the rightist jock George beats up Simon, who decides to take advantage and fake it as an injury by police brutality. Gaining fame, his friend tells him "a white version of page 43" of Simon's National Geographic looks for him.

Alone in a filing room, a large breasted redhead (Kristin Van Buren) with a tight sweater smiles at Simon. Seeing his injured lip, she puts his hands on her large right breast and asks if it feels better now. She then takes off her sweater telling Simon "did you know Lenin loved women with big breasts?" After quick flashes of her large breasts, Simon confirms liking them, but asks her if she saw The Graduate. Replying no, she takes him between some filing cabinets and takes off his belt. To her surprise, Simon does not want people to see whatever it is she plans to do to with him. When asking her if she at least locked the door, she confirms unconvincingly and immediately opens up some filing cabinets to hide them. Simon is worried, but she promises him no one will know. She then says she'll give him something a "hero" like him deserves, ducks down and gives him an off-screen blowjob, zooming up on Che Guevara's famous poster staring in the air in its implacability expression.

After Linda returns, she announces deciding to be with Simon. They spend the rest of that day together - and implicitly the night. The following day, they make out on Morningside Park's ground, when a group of African Americans approach them. The anti-racism Caucasian rebels fear for their lives. One African American drops Simon's camera to the ground and stomps on it, but the group then simply leaves. A furious Simon meets the strikers, saying those they help are no different than the cops and the establishment and why helping those who disrespect him and even threaten him?

Simon re-thinks his comparison, though, after visiting none other than George the - now leftist - jock in the hospital. George's leg is in cast after rightist jocks beat him up while cops watched. Simon goes to personally warn the dean's secretary to call off the gymnasium or risk a war. A group of African American students then show up, proving Simon's previous generalization wrong.

Eventually, a SWAT team crashes Hamilton Hall's takeover in seconds with tear gas. With the strikers all lying choking, the SWAT members pull out African Americans from the crowd and beat them up with police clubs. When the others protest, they get the same treatment.

With Linda being carried away kicking and screaming, Simon takes all by himself on a whole group of cops and segments of his happier times in college flash before the viewers' eyes.

Awards

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Jury Prize, Cannes
years=1970
tied with "Magasiskola"
before="Z"
after="Love" tied with
"Joe Hill"In 1970, the film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm)

In 1971, Bruce Davison was nominated for his performance for the "Golden Laurel Male Star of Tomorrow".

Trivia

The movie is referred to in the song "Ichigo Hakusho o mō Ichido" (Strawberry Statement One More Time) by Japanese musician Yumi Matsutōya, a hit for the group Banban in the mid-70s. The song is a nostalgic look back at a love relationship during the Japanese student movement.

ee also

* Columbia University protests of 1968

External links

*imdb title|id=0066415|title=The Strawberry Statement
*amg title|id=1:47263|title=The Strawberry Statement