The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart

This movie is undeservedly obscure and it's title alone should warrant a re-discovery.It's undeniably dated and the directing is self-consciously arty at times but it is a fascinating reflection of a certain time and place (univesity life in the late 1960's). This is a youth movie that offers more insight into a cultural movement (or lack thereof) than any of the generic Freddie Prince Jr., type crap that Hollywood is cranking out at a weekly rate these days. All the performers in this film are great, though Don Johnson's the only one I've heard of. This is the kind of counterculture film that fits in perfectly with the likes of Hi Mom!, Greetings, Getting Straight, The Strawberry Statement, R.P.M., End of the Road, Rabbit Run and Joanna: the kind of films that, while not always great, at least documented their times in an interesting and unique way.

I saw this movie in 1970 in Philadelphia when it was first released as the second part of a double feature, following Fellini Satyricon. The comment I made when I left the theater (I had graduated from high school only a few days earlier) was, "They co-opted the revolution." If that sentence makes sense to you then you'll understand my reaction. If it doesn't, I can't explain.

Peace! David

This is an interesting movie with an early Don Johnson, pre-dating A Boy And His Dog by a couple of years. He is a drop-out schoolkid/junky who lives on his own, but is mad about a girl at his college. He chases her/gets her/goes mad on drugs and then drops out. A great fun movie. Stanley Sweetheart is an excellent character with lots of quotable lines for you and your friends. He makes his own (hilarious) movies. Most recommended when bored late at night

Freak-out anything-goes flick from 1970, does a great job of capturing east-coast hippie scene. Some of the scenes from this movie must have been very shocking to the few who saw it upon its initial release, as it pulls no punches in its depiction of nudity and sex and sex and nudity. More or less, this movie seems to have been made to reflect the emerging sexual openness and promiscuity of the time. Not much of a story line, but entertaining to watch, i would recommend it for those looking for a fix of late '60's/early '70's underground culture. A definite drug movie. Do not watch while operating heavy machinery...

A lot of big name actors have started their careers in some risque material (Sylvester Stallone, Ellen Burnstyn, Shannon Elizabeth), but I was surprised to see Don Johnson's name. I thought The Harrad Experiment (1973) was the furthest he got, but this one is more adult than that one. Don is Stanley Sweethart, a Columbia student, and the movie is about his lovelife in the "Free Love era" of the 60's. When not making love to the various women he charms or two-times, he makes a career of filming Russ Meyeresque epics. The acting is a hell of a lot better than an Andy Warhol production; Don still had that distinctive voice coming out of his mouth even then, but there are some pointless scenes. Yes, there's a lot of skin, Don included, but at the time, he didn't know he'd make it big. A curiosity piece, probably impossible to rent on video, but it should be shown on Canadian T.V. on occasion.