LSD: Insight or Insanity?

LSD: Insight or Insanity (1967) was a short film that condemned the use of LSD and "acid". What's makes this short different than the others was the vocal narration from has been actor Sal Mineo. After appearing in some high prolific productions, Mr. Mineo has all but disappeared from the spotlight. But he not only provides a narration for this film, but he gives the viewers an added bonus. He performs the vocals of the song that plays during the end credits. What's even funnier is the fact that he comes off sounding like a curmudgeon. Talking down to the people in the movie and the youth in general. I would be bitter too if I went from REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE to narrating an anti-drug short. Sal would have one last shot in the big leagues when he played in ESCAPE FROM PLANET OF THE APES.

Recommended fro comic relief.

Of course, when you think of drug-abuse depictions in films, the "standard" is Reefer Madness. And in some scenes, this educational film comes close to being another RM, first with its wild depictions in the early scenes of how some 1967 kids looked and dressed, and later in its over-the-top acting of people in the midst of "trips." What saves this film from RM territory is, first, the cutting, no-nonsense narration by Sal Mineo (he should have done more voice-over work like this), and second, the relentlessly flat, monotone "performances" of the physicians and "experts" who appear in the movie. (One poor guy keeps pausing in weird spots during his speech, as if he keeps losing his place! Hmmm....) Near the end of the closing credits, the screen shows this title: "Except for the physicians, all participants are actors. "NO KIDDING!" I shouted.