Review: Gah! So close. Seriously. So close. A decade under the Influence was almost… ALMOST… the first educational film to ever receive straight 5 out of 5’s. Alas, the film succumbed to what I feared it would: bashing current cinema for not being nearly as ‘shocking’ and ‘creative’ as the great works of the 1970s. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, because there are too many things Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese’s film does right to knock it before singing its praises. This is, after all, an educational documentary doing everything in its power to pretend it is something else. The film is funny, creative, passionate and thoroughly entertaining in every respect. It even attempts to mock film snobs by stating in the final credits “to those wondering why we didn’t talk about ____ film, we apologize”. Let me tell you, it takes real, gutsy genius to ask film snobs to mock themselves. It is evidence of how both directors make a concerted effort to engage in a wonderful film discussion with both movie gurus and newbies. I can truly admit that if I ever become a film professor, I will demand everyone of my students watch this documentary. Beyond the obvious knowledge you will glean from A Decade Under the Influence, it consistently finds ways to excite you. I’ll be honest, 20 minutes in and I had pen and paper in hand jotting down every movie mentioned and every director interviewed- even films I’ve seen became new and fresh. By the time this three hour whirlwind ended I had delved so deep into 70s filmmaking that I nearly opened another NetFlix account just to accommodate. For those who just realized the runtime, yes, it is three hours long. It is certainly no quick romp, but the film is broken up into three 1-hour segments (convenient for TV) and is so entertaining you won’t realize how fast time flies by. Of course, if you have kids, this isn’t for them. Drugs and nudity are a plenty thanks to the film clips unveiled. Unfortunately, there is one major problem that I mentioned above: the 1970s breakout artists can’t help but bash current cinema. I’ll buy everyone’s critiques except Julie Christie’s, who goes out of her way to bash everything about today as humanly possible. It gets to the point where you realize she doesn’t know anything except how to try and be ‘retro-cool’. Making matters worse, she becomes the go to interview, so you are forced to hear her blather on more than prominant directors (ironically, they actually try to appreciate the newest generation of cinema). New millennium film bashing aside, this is a great documentary. Whether you are into this era of filmmaking, you know nothing about life before 1995, or you just want a good break from reality, A Decade Under the Influence is truly magical and definitely leaves you wanting to explore a past era. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 4- if I were a film teacher, I’d make my students watch this, great introduction into that era of filmmaking Entertainment: 4- it’s fun, it’s witty, and it’s totally well paced Technical: 5- even with another director forced to helm this 3-hour behemoth, the technical merits are nearly flawless Overall: 4- it would be an even more endearing film if only Julie Christie were in it less
 
Format: DVD Year: 2003 Running Time: 180 Min Distributor: IFC Films Producer: Jerry Kupfer, Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese Director: Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese Date Reviewed: 2-4-2008 Story: This documentary, which premiered at Sundance in January 2003, explores American cinema in the 1970s, a decade often described as the best years in film. What results is an ode to the art form, one that pays homage to the "auteurs" that emerged from that distinctive time period, such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Director-writer Ted Demme passed away in the middle of the project; Richard LaGravenese stepped in to finish it (NetFlix).