Simply Perfect

As Good As It Gets

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Insubordination set to music. Occasionally incisive but fatally overlong documentary follows Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland as they lead a merry group of "subversive radicals" to areas outside of military bases in the Pacific Rim during December 1971; their mission is to perform an anti-military vaudeville show for disgruntled American GIs, complete with skits and songs. Their amusing, bitter-tinged satirical protests aside, there is a genuine understanding here for the plight of soldiers caught in the web of Vietnam, conflicted over what they're ultimately fighting for. The film has been edited with canny precision in order to be both entertaining and enlightening, though it makes its points in the first hour and then runs an extra thirty minutes. The issues raised are heated (particularly the racial factor, as blacks felt they were unfairly being targeted by the military as easy prey), though the preaching on-stage has been kept to a relative minimum in order to give the soldiers a fun evening. Many of the young men and women who attended these shows (and those who participated) took a definite risk by being branded as communist sympathizers or undemocratic malcontents, making "FTA" an edgy, often uneasy experience in hindsight. ** from ****

In 1971,a troop of anti Vietnam war protesters,led by Jane Fonda & Donald Sutherland toured with an anti war review that they called 'F.T.A.',which could either mean free the Army (or even f**k the Army,depending). They traveled to military bases within the Pacific Rim,where they were welcomed by a then,rising tide of anti war activists in the Military. Hours of footage was filmed & assembled into the documentary film that was briefly released in 1972 as 'F.T.A.'. The week that the film was released by American International Films,Fonda made a controversial trip to South East Asia, and after one scant week,the film was pulled from distribution & was never heard from,again (rumour has it that the Nixon Administration had a lot to do with the film being yanked). Besides the afore mentioned Jane Fonda & Donald Sutherland (who just barely two years earlier acted in the penultimate anti war film,Robert Altman's 'M*A*S*H'),the performances also included the likes of folk singer,Holly Near,and even Peter Boyle (an unknown at the time who would gain fame a couple of years later in Mel Brooks''Young Frankenstein'). Besides the performance footage,we are also treated to interviews with members of the military who had their wits end of the senseless violence & destruction that was the American intervention in South East Asia,which in addition to Vietnam,also included Cambodia (some of the enlisted men would end up in the documentary film, 'Winter Soldiers'). All was not always rosy. We get to see a performance of F.T.A. being disrupted by a couple of pro war,right wing soldiers,voicing their disfavour of the whole production (they were peacefully shown the way out). Women's rights advocate,Francine Parker directs the film (she only directed one other project:an episode of 'Cagney & Lacey'). At times, the film's pacing starts to slack a bit,but doesn't manage to lessen the film's message at all. Well worth checking out if you're an advocate for peace,anti war activist,historical buff,or fancier of the documentary genre. Spoken (mostly)in English,and Okenowian,Tagalog & Japanese with English subtitles. Rated 'R' by the MPAA,this film has some outbursts of strong language & some disturbing images that the troupe got to see while visiting the Hiroshima/Nagasaki memorial sites,while on tour in Japan

I didn't realize until quite recently that I was lucky to have seen this movie backintheday--it supposedly only appeared in theaters for a week or so. Caught up as I was in the anti-war movement of the day, I remember being impressed with the soldiers' reception of the show's songs and skits, and surprised by their own anti-Vietnam war sentiments.Don't recall many details from the show, but as a 21-year-old 'hip-eye wieeerdo' I can remember revelling in the 'thumb-in-the-establishment's-eye' spirit and energy of the performances.Mostly I remember that Donald Sutherland gave a harrowing, incredibly impressive dramatic performance of the final paragraphs from "Johhny Got His Gun."

This is like those old CSO shows during world War II with Bob hope and the Andrews Sisters.Trade Europe for Viet Nam and bring in Fonda, Sutherland, and Boyle and there's the diff.While the social commentary between the acts was clearly against the war, no soldiers were catching heat for it. It was made clear that they deserved pity too. Despite Fonda's semi-traitorous politics, she never really was angry at the common men. It's the brass and the suits that catch it here.And it's amusing seeing Donald Sutherland combine his 'Hawkeye' character from M*A*S*H and "Oddball" from Kelly's Heroes and throw in a dash of Ed Sullivan. He still sounds like he's got a mouth full of grits.Rumors say that Peter Boyle's scenes were used against his will. But I'm not sure of the facts.Hearts & Minds with humor. Worth a look...IF you can find it.