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Reefer Madness
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List Price: $7.98
Our Price: $7.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Motion Picture Ventures
Starring: Dorothy Short, Kenneth Craig, Lillian Miles, Dave O'Brien, Thelma White
Directed By: Louis J. Gasnier
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: O'BRIEN/SHORT
EAN: 9786305066798
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 6305066795
Label: Motion Picture Ventures
Manufacturer: Motion Picture Ventures
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Motion Picture Ventures
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 1998-07-07
Running Time: 70
Studio: Motion Picture Ventures
Theatrical Release Date: 1936
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Editorial Reviews:
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Designed as a propaganda film against marijuana, exaggerated scenes of possible effects of the drug are shown, climaxing in the bludgeoning death of the drug dealer.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: O'BRIEN/SHORT
Title: REEFER MADNESS
Street Release Date: 08/25/1998
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICS
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: good stuff
Comment: movie came fast and in great condition no problems what so ever
-hollywood
Customer Rating:
Summary: Entertaining propaganda
Comment: Smoking marijuana will either kill you, drive you insane, turn you into a murderer, drive you to suicide, or at the very least, result in you having a very scary hairstyle. That is the message put forward by "Reefer Madness", an anti-marijuana propaganda movie from the 1930's. The film is heavy-handed to the point of being laughable and you will likely either find it boring, like my mother did (she kept on asking me when it was going to end, even though the running time is only 66 minutes), or so bad that it's funny, as I did.
The plot itself isn't all that bad. It's about a group of nice, clean-cut, high school students who fall in with a bad crowd and includes all sorts of exciting things like hit and run accidents and a court trial. I can see why this film was remade (as "Reefer Madness - the Musical"). However, at the same time I can also see why it was remade as a comedy.
Watch this film with a group of friends and rip it to shreds. After all, that's how this film because a cult classic.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reefer disappointment
Comment: The service was great and it was probably my fault for lack of attention to detail among the plethora of DVDs, but I was distressed to discover that this old film has been colorized. It mounts but does not please. I can't even bring myself to look at it. I have a Beta version of the original and may just have to get it converted after all. Buying it seemed cheaper but since it does me no good. . . Color? Blasphemy. Reason for purchase: Years ago, when BetaMovie first came out, one of my sons participated in the making of "Beer Madness" (in BW of course) and I needed to have a matched set that I could keep when I throw out all the old Beta stuff. Back to the drawing board.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Oh, the misery.
Comment: Reefer Madness (Louis J. Gasnier, 1936)
For some reason, this weekend, there was a treasure trove of old movies I've always wanted to see scattered across our television. I started Sunday night's Depression-era extravaganza with Reefer Madness. Now, I'm fond of saying of bad movies--those with a certain élan, anyway--that they're probably better watched through a haze of smoke that can only be generated by certain controlled substances referenced in the title of this film. This is the exact opposite; while I know it's grown to be a cult favorite among some of my, shall we say, more indulgent friends, I can't imagine a movie being any more of a buzz-kill than Reefer Madness.
It's amazing how much influence Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will had already had a year later; compared to earlier propaganda films, at least, Reefer Madness is a triumph of subtlety and decorum. That said, it would probably have been pulled off a whole lot better (and, ultimately, been a whole lot more dangerous) had the people who put this film together decided to exercise the merest standards in casting for this movie. In a film in which my main outrage should be directed to the absolute idiocy of the "scientific studies" on which the movie's script is supposedly based, I can't find it in myself to get past the quality of these actors. The first scene where we meet Bill Harper (Kenneth Craig) and his girlfriend Mary (Dorothy Short) is so painfully acted that I almost choked. On my water. Uhhhh, yeah, water, that's it.
It only gets worse from there. Honestly, it really is one of those movies so bad you have to see it to believe it. A lot of people seem to think that it's bad enough to tip over the line into that sort of cheesy brilliance one associates with Night of the Lepus, but it didn't catch me that way. Well, at least I can say I've seen it now. *
Customer Rating:
Summary: You've fallen and you can't get up...but somehow you're still higher than a bunch of third graders on Ritalin...
Comment: Reefer Madness remains a cult favorite to this day. Originally produced to scare parents into keeping their children away from the scourge of marijuana, the film faded into obscurity after a brief while. It was rediscovered during the 1960s when, of course, all types of experimentation and drug use spiked up much higher than ever before. People then found the film to be amusing--and they are right. Reefer Madness was produced with good intentions but quite frankly it's a hoot to watch and sometimes you just can't help but laugh.
This generous DVD offers us both the restored black and white version released in 1936 as well as a colorized version. You can also choose to listen to a commentary during the movie or you can simply watch it straight through on your own. Mike Nelson of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" does a great job with his running commentary. Either way, the film's scare tactics prove to be too lame for today's much more street wise people. If you want to scare kids away from drugs, Reefer Madness won't do the trick. The kids will probably be smart enough to just laugh at all the melodramatic scenes replete with over-the-top campy performances.
Reefer Madness tries its best to tell the story of the dangers of marijuana by showing us a few months in the lives of several high school students. In just this brief period of time they go from being the All-American Boys And Girls Club to being the horrific monsters who actually share intimacy before any wedding plans are announced--and they dance as if they're truly enjoying themselves! Of course, there's the obvious byproduct of playing the piano too fast, which in and of itself must be stamped out. The only truly serious scene in the movie--when someone gets bumped off--is probably the only time you'll experience a sense of sadness at the situation. Reefer Madness also points the finger at organized crime for distributing the drug.
Reefer Madness is best seen in its historical context as an outdated form of scare tactics meant to keep kids away from drugs; and it truly was produced with the best of intentions. However, with the passage of time and with new social mores and norms, the film plot becomes campy and hard to completely believe. The truth is most people laugh at it; and frankly it is pretty humorous, too.
The added short film entitled "Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook" by Evan Keliher is hysterical. Take a close look at that cat's eyes as the cat eats the leaves of the marijuana plant--man, is that cat stoned!
I highly recommend this DVD for fans of cult classic movies and people who want to take a look at how drug abuse was tackled in this country during the 1930s. The movie vacillates between true drama and mostly melodrama; so keep this in mind if you're looking for a truly dramatic flick.
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