A Small Circle of Friends (1980)

Released in 1980, "A Small Circle of Friends" is a drama about three friends at Harvard & Radcliffe College during the turbulent years 1967-1971. The protagonists are played by Brad Davis, Karen Allen and Jameson Parker. John Friedrich and Shelley Long are on hand as peripheral students. This is a good realistic drama about life at college during the late 60s & early 70s in America. The movie showcases the political and social craziness of those times and how it changed the students, for better or worse. It's akin to 2000's underrated "The 70s" but maybe a notch better. There are several highlights and even glimpses of greatness, like "The Star-Spangled Banner" being sung by an African-America cook from the university while sitting at a bar, a few curvy cuties, a pre-Cheers Shelley Long, a hilarious stage sequence, the absurd Vietnam draft lottery, and an unexpectedly shocking climax. There are also a couple of great songs from the era, like the Stones' "Street Fighting Man," but there should've been more instead of overdoing the sappy "Theme for the Masses." I should warn that there's one element in the last act that's just gross, but it happened then and now. As solid as "A Small Circle of Friends" is, it's thoroughly obscure; somehow it fell through the cracks when it was released. The film runs 113 minutes and was shot entirely in Massachusetts (Cambridge, Bridgewater & Groton). It was directed by Rob Cohen and written by Ezra Sacks. GRADE: B+

This film follows the lives of three friends (Davis, Allen, and Parker) as they attend Harvard in the 1960's. They meet, bond, fall in and out of love, and challenge the system during the time of social upheaval and student unrest. Their friendship is complicated when a love triangle develops, and it takes a senseless tragedy to bring them crashing back down to earth.Like many films set in this era, most key events, from LBJ refusing to seek a second term to the rise of the far left terrorist groups, are seen through the eyes of the main characters. But unlike films like 'Forrest Gump,' the historical references feel more organic to the film, and not just points on a timeline.The three leads are very good as well. Through the various ups and downs in their friendships and the world around them, Brad Davis, Karen Allen and Jameson Parker manage to communicate the changes their characters go through over the two decades this film spans. Even though some of the film borders on melodrama, there are enough interesting sections of the film that keep it from becoming trite.But what I liked most about this film was that it doesn't romanticize the counter-culture. It shows the flaws in the idealism and that not everyone who was against the war was an enlightened peace loving flower child. But it also shows the good things. Like the sense of community, protest through art, and an embracing of love over violence. 'A Small Circle of Friends' manages to show that the hippies were individuals making their own choices and dealing with the consequences, and not some giant smelly organism that shared a collective consciousness.

This film, and the principal people involved with it, have long held a special place in my life as I was an extra during the riot scene at "Harvard"(nee Bridgewater State College). While I don't have a truly memorable role in the finished film(although many close friends of mine do and were featured on two of the lobby cards from the film), I am part of the cluster of people on the main building's upper balcony(a most unsafe act as that creaky and once condemned balcony held about 15 of us at one point). Shooting went from 6 PM until 6 AM on a very rainy evening. All the rioters, with the exception of the principal actors, were student extras who raided their older sibling's closet to get the historical costumes. Real Boston MDC riot police were used, some of whom had been at the riots in the 60's. First take was particularly chaotic and bloody as students fought with the police who, acting upon instinct, violently did the same. Being part of the student press covering the event(with a story which, based on our notes, was picked up by AP), I got the opportunity to meet and greet the stars shortly before nationwide opening of the film. Filmed opened on a Wednesday and closed the following Tuesday. A great financial disappointment which truly hurt a burgeoning career for Cohen. Other brief notes: there are two familiar Steinman thematics running throughout the film. The first did become TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART while the second became a #1 hit for Air Supply, MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL. The reason that the film ended up at BSC did have to do with Harvard's exam schedule. As it turned out, this was the final scene in the film to be shot, leading studio execs to frantically find a suitable location in order to stay on shooting schedule and budget. Also, the "paddy wagon" seen rocking during the sequence(and featured prominently on one of the lobby cards) was actually rolled over onto it's roof during the first take. The student riding the vehicle is William Hoffman. Truly looking forward to seeing the DVD(first time the film, long out of print on VHS, will be in widescreen) and hearing Cohen's commentary on the while experience.

A brilliantly realized movie, with a lovingly detailed script by Ezra Sacks, about three Boston college students and their changing relationships during the turbulent anti-Vietnam protests of the 1960's. Brad Davis as Leo, the wild man, Jameson Parker as Nick, his straight-arrow buddy and the lovely Karen Allen as the Radcliffe artist they both love. One of the few American movies that succeeds in handling a menage a trois without being tasteless. Both funny and heartbreaking, this is a lovingly realized tale about a tragic period in American history and the toll it took on the student population. Shamefully underrated at the time of its release, this is a superior movie, with quality contributions from all sides, that deserves a much greater recognition than it has received. First time director Rob Cohen does a terrific job, drawing from his own experiences at Harvard during this turbulent anti-war period. A haunting musical score from Jim Steinman that echoes with familiarity from his later works. Anyone purchasing the DVD should listen to Cohen's audio commentary to appreciate just how greatly he was involved in the creation of this movie and to understand the battles that the students of the 60's had to wage against an oppressive and unheeding government. Plaudits to everyone involved in this worthy endeavor. This is a history lesson every student of today should be obligated to watch.