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Greetings (1968 film)

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Greetings
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrian De Palma
Written by
  • Charles Hirsch
  • Brian De Palma
Produced byCharles Hirsch
Starring
CinematographyRobert Fiore
Edited byBrian De Palma
Music by
Production
company
West End Films
Distributed bySigma III
Release date
  • December 15, 1968 (1968-12-15)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$39,000

Greetings is a 1968 American black comedy film co-written and directed by Brian De Palma. A satirical film about men avoiding the Vietnam War draft, it marked Robert De Niro's first major role.

It was the first American film to receive an X rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA),[1][2] although it was later given an R rating. However, contrary to some allegations, it was not the first film to receive an X-rating in the United States; the first film to hold an X-rating in the country was in fact French-British film The Girl on a Motorcycle (also known as Naked Under Leather).[3][4]

De Niro reprised the character of Jon Rubin in the 1970 film Hi, Mom!, also directed by De Palma. The film was entered into the 19th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won a Silver Bear award.[5]

Plot

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Greetings is an episodic film about three friends: Paul, a shy love-seeker, Lloyd, a vibrant conspiracy nut and Jon, a peeping tom and aspiring filmmaker. The film satirizes free love, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War and amateur filmmaking.

Cast

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  • Robert De Niro as Jon Rubin
  • Jonathan Warden as Paul Shaw
  • Gerrit Graham as Lloyd Clay
  • Richard Hamilton as pop artist
  • Megan McCormick as Marina
  • Bettina Kugel as Tina
  • Jack Cowley as fashion photographer
  • Jane Lee Salmons as model
  • Ashley Oliver as Bronx secretary
  • Melvin Morgulis as 'rat' vendor
  • Cynthia Peltz as divorcee
  • Peter Maloney as Earl Roberts
  • Ruth Alda as Linda (shoplifter)
  • Ted Lescault as bookstore manager
  • Mona Feit as mystic
  • M. Dobish as TV cameraman
  • Richard Landis as ex-G.I.
  • Carol Patton as blonde in park
  • Allen Garfield as smut peddler
  • Sara-Jo Edlin as nymphomaniac
  • Roz Kelly as photographer
  • Ray Tuttle as TV news correspondent
  • Tisa Chiang as Vietnamese girl

Reception

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Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote: "Some of it is amusing, as when one of the lads is coached in the technique of draft-dodging. Most of it is strained and unfunny, with some generous nudity for nudity's sake and a hip sprinkling of four-letter words."[6] Variety wrote that the film "has its sluggish sequences" but "[m]uch of the production has a freshness that is infectious."[7] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "the funniest film since The Producers—and stylistically its superior. It has the fresh and uninhibited wit of the best of the student films yet has the grace and control to sustain itself throughout its 88 minutes."[8] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars and wrote: "What holds the film together is not its plot (there isn't one) but its attitude, its general instinct for what is funny in our society."[9] Despite some allegations,[10] the film was not the first to receive an X-rating in the United States. A Variety article from October 1968 noted that French-British film The Girl on a Motorcycle, which would be released in the United States as Naked Under Leather, was in fact the first film receive an X-rating by the MPAA.[3]

Greetings holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on seventeen reviews.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bailey, Jason (2018-12-06). "A Brief History of the X Rating". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  2. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  3. ^ a b "'X' Marks Spot For Only 1 of 1st MPAA Group: W7 'Girl'". Daily Variety. October 22, 1968. p. 1.
  4. ^ "The Girl on a Motorcycle". Gene Siskel Film Center. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "Berlinale 1969: Prize Winners". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  6. ^ Thompson, Howard (December 16, 1968). "The Screen: 'Greetings' on 34th Street". The New York Times. p. 61. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  7. ^ "Film Reviews: Greetings". Variety. December 25, 1968. p. 18. ISSN 0042-2738.
  8. ^ Thomas, Kevin (May 21, 1969). "'Greetings' at the Granada". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 12. ISSN 0458-3035.
  9. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 30, 1969). "Greetings movie review & film summary (1969)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via RogerEbert.com.
  10. ^ Grinwald, Adam (June 11, 2023). "This Robert De Niro Comedy Was the First American Film To Be Rated X". Collider. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "Greetings | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
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