HI MOM (DVD/1970/ENG-MONO/16X9/WS/FS) DVD

Hi, Mom!
Brian De Palma takes on late 1960s media culture in his followup to Greetings (1968). Seeking a place in New York life one way or another, Vietnam vet John Rubin (Robert De Niro) moves into a Greenwich Village dive, with hopes of becoming a director for porn king Joe Banner (Allen Garfield). Rubin sells Banner on his idea to make "Peep Art" by filming the racy action in the building windows across from his apartment. He plans to seduce talky window denizen Judy (Jennifer Salt) to get the film he wants; but when that plan fails, John trades his camera for a TV and joins a radical theater troupe for their performance piece, "Be Black Baby." Inspired by the radicals, John decides to make his own violent political statement -- or does he just want to be on TV? Mixing long passages of the TV-framed "Be Black Baby" with John's misadventures in Manhattan, the film sends up political extremism, liberal guilt, and the Chicago 1968 protestors' mantra that "the whole world is watching," as it all becomes one big staged performance for the cameras. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Cast Robert De Niro as John Rubin Charles Durnham as Superintendent Abraham Goren as Pervert in Theater Lara Parker as Jeannie Mitchell Jennifer Salt as Judy Bishop Nelson Peltz as Playboy Hector Valentin Lino Jr. as N.I.T. Journal Revolutionary Carole Leverett as N.I.T. Journal Revolutionary Ruth Bocour as N.I.T. Journal Arthur Bierman as N.I.T. Journal at Newsstand Buddy Butler as "Be Black, Baby" Troupe Joe Fields as Audience Member Gene Elman as Audience Member Peter Maloney as Pharmacist Floyd L. Peterson as Newscaster Winnicove Jeffrey Lesser as s

Crew Peter Bocour - Art Director Brian De Palma - Director Paul Hirsch - Editor Eric Katz - Composer (Music Score) John Andreoni - Songwriter Eric Katz - Songwriter Robert Elfstrom - Cinematographer Charles Hirsch - Producer Brian De Palma - Screenwriter

Hi, Mom!
Lurking beneath the humor of director Brian De Palma's irreverent breakthrough comedy is the politically charged suggestion that, in an already hyped-up environment, Vietnam vets may not be so easily re-assimilated to the home front. The main character of Rubin is something of a precursor to star Robert De Niro's ultra-violent, ultra-alienated Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976). Independently produced, and shot for very little money on location in the Village, the film has a loose narrative structure and apt downtown details that give it a keen feel for the counterculture milieu on which it comments. More a cult favorite than a mainstream success, the film spotlights De Palma's visual smarts and interest in media voyeurism, and De Niro's off-kilter Rubin, retrospectively making Hi, Mom! a clever forerunner of the subsequent '70s work of both men. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Original theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 87 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Side A: WS 1. Main Title / The Rental [:09] 2. The Birth of Peep Art [5:16] 3. Creative Montage [6:02] 4. The ABCs of Dating [5:40] 5. True/False Confessions [4:01] 6. "Be Black, Baby" [6:44] 7. Poorly Timed Seduction [10:23] 8. Unplanned Protection [5:28] 9. Playing Cop With a Mop [4:25] 10. "The Black Experience" [3:24] 11. Identity Theft [4:09] 12. Things Get Violent [4:46] 13. The Finale Gets a Rave [5:37] 14. "The Urban Guerrilla" [3:48] 15. Blowing Up the Myth [6:11] 16. End Credits [5:15] Side #2 -- Side B: P&S 1. Main Title / The Rental [:09] 2. The Birth of Peep Art [5:16] 3. Creative Montage [6:02] 4. The ABCs of Dating [5:40] 5. True/False Confessions [4:01] 6. "Be Black, Baby" [6:44] 7. Poorly Timed Seduction [10:23] 8. Unplanned Protection [5:28] 9. Playing Cop With a Mop [4:25] 10. "The Black Experience" [3:24] 11. Identity Theft [4:09] 12. Things Get Violent [4:46] 13. The Finale Gets a Rave [5:37] 14. "The Urban Guerrilla" [3:48] 15. Blowing Up the Myth [6:11] 16. End Credits [5:15]