GRASS
SYNOPSIS:
Ron Mann's Grass takes us through a history of marijuana laws and beliefs in 20th century America. Beginning with the initial laws at the turn of the
century, designed to provoke prejudice against the Mexicans, the film takes us through various administrations and law enforcement bodies as the cost of beating the 'scourge' becomes astronomical. Historical footage shows anti-drug campaigners such as Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, and even Elvis
Presley. One man dominates, Harry J. Anslinger, as the war against the weed becomes both his power base and source of income. Moderates such as Jimmy Carter and New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia have little impact.
"Lazily made and preaching to the converted (that may be most of us, according to
Woody H's information), Grass is an okay-while-you're-watching-it novelty item but hardly
tells us anything we didn't already know. It's always fun watching clips from hysterical
anti-drug movies like Reefer Madness and those ludicrous educational films aimed at
scaring the addle-brained youth of bygone eras but that's where it starts and stops.
Director Ron Mann has done a fine job finding these prime cuts which, if they'd been
edited tightly, would make a zippy television hour. Here the clips are allowed to run far
too long, making the 80-odd minutes drag noticeably at times. It's interesting enough to
be informed of the strong arm tactics employed by Federal marijuana enforcer Harry J
Anslinger in the war on the so-called demon weed and you might even feel nostalgic when
Jimmy Carter pops up with cautious support for the drug's decriminalisation. Without any
contemporary analysis (apart from Harrelson's enthusiastic pro-grass commentary) it
doesn't add up to much more than an amusing clip reel. This is a lightweight, escapist
documentary which pot heads will enthusiastically endorse and while it may lack substance
it's a lot more entertaining than being straight while you're with people who've been
smoking the stuff."
Richard Kuipers
"In some Islamic states women are stoned when they commit adultery; unlike the
West, where women commit adultery when they get stoned. Or so the old chestnut goes. Here
we take a satirical peep at USA officials who, over the past century, have sought to Weed
out stone-heads and incidental inhalers with fanatical zeal; their fervour fuelled by
nothing but Wowserism. If you’re looking for a balanced, scientific, up-to-date
examination of the harmlessness or otherwise of marijuana, forget it. This doco is as
slanted in its pro-pot propaganda, as the campaigns it satirises have been in their
promulgation of pot-paranoia. But there is a ring of truth to its exposure of the
narrow-minded attitudes that have cost American tax-payers billions in a fight that is as
futile as Prohibition. Dividing the last century into chronological segments, a plethora
of archival footage is unveiled of hypocritical hysteria promoters, who, as they descant
upon the evils of the wacky weed, are, themselves, inevitably chain-smoking or under the
obvious influence of something considerably stronger than chamomile tea. From Harry J.
Aslinger, first director of the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics, to US presidents Nixon,
Ford and Reagan, the irony of the footage is the most entertaining aspect to this
sometimes meandering, occasionally hilarious dope doco. Alas no dope on whether Bill C.
actually inhaled, but Reagan explaining how marijuana militates against memory is a doozy,
while Aslinger constantly comes across as a genuine Crack-Pot. Intersecting each
chronological segment are the psychedelic graphics of Paul Madrives, which set the
prevailing mood. Woody ‘Pro-hemp’ Harrelson narrates with appropriate
languidness, and there’s a vibrant soundtrack of Reefer-related rhythms. Unlike users
of the eponymous herb, Grass never reaches any great heights, but it is consistently
amusing, if not particularly informative, docutainment."
Brad Green
"What a hotch potch of a documentary Grass is. The historical footage sourced and
chosen by director Ron Mann (Comic Book Confidential, Poetry in Motion) is both impressive
and negligent. The footage itself is great but so often it is not ordered, not dated, and,
most frustratingly of all, not followed up. We see horror stories of good people sent to
jail throughout the century. How difficult would it have been to find these people and get
their version of the consequences to their lives? This leads to the root of the problem
with the film. It simply does not engage. Lots of statistics. Fine. Lots of whacky
graphics. OK. Plenty of funny footage from terror campaigns and films such as Reefer
Madness. Yeah, but is it anything we haven't seen before? Woody Harrelson's narration
provides a bit of a smirk as he is known widely as a hemp campaigner. Sure. But it all
seems so outdated. Perhaps it lacks relevance to an Australian audience of the 21st
century where marijuana really doesn't seem to be all that big a deal. As an historical
document it's possible to be impressed by the mega dollars racked up in the fight against
the drug. But if this is the intention, then it needs to be a much more rigourous piece of
work. We must know who is talking, when, and why. Too many questions are left unanswered
and we are left feeling that this is as much a piece of propaganda as anything that Grass
criticises. And that's from a pro-marijuana viewpoint."
Lee Gough
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 0
Unfavourable: 1
Mixed: 2
TRAILER




GRASS (M15+)
(US)
NARRATOR: Woody Harrelson
PRODUCER: Ron Mann
DIRECTOR: Ron Mann
SCRIPT: Solomon Vesta
EDITOR: Robert Kennedy
ART DIRECTION: Paul Mavrides
MUSIC: Guido Luciani
GRAPHICS CO-ORDINATOR: Maury Whyte
RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Niche Pictures
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: November 2, 2000
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