"Often mocked and rarely understood, the movement in communal living that
blossomed with Flower Power in the '60s gets its most honest appraisal yet
on film with Jonathan Berman's Commune. Rather than taking
on the phenomenon, Berman delves into the genesis and day-to-day reality
of the Black Bear Ranch commune, one of the most radical and durable of
such communities spread around the U.S." (Variety) The film provides
a breezy, informal history of the ranch, begun in 1968 in a remote forest
in northern California and still in existence today. A wealth of old photographs
and home movies, combined with recent interviews with the founders and other
residents, creates an intriguing collage of reminiscences from several dozen
of the "hippies and political idealists who 'moved there to get away from
America,' as one original member puts it". (NY Times) "Amid the
dozens of documentaries made about various aspects of '60s society and culture,
Commune stands out for its ambiguity, honesty and sheer human clarity."
(Salon.com) Beta SP video projection.
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at firstrunfeatures.com
2006, color, 1 hour 18 minutes, USA