Off the Wall

An overlooked 70's underground gem; a mock documentary following the life of the 'last of the hippies' as he tries to survive in pre-silicon valley mountain view, california. Written and directed by Rick King who later co wrote "Point Break". Suffers from a lack of music track as film tried for "Dogma" like purity as raw footage. An historical must as truthful recording of the time.

I saw "Off The Wall" back in the 70's. I enjoyed the movie a lot. I wondered after the movie if it was actually a documentary and what happened in it actually happened. All well and good. Some time later, maybe a couple of years went by and I was apple picking in Washington State staying at a camp in one orchard. There was another picker there and he seemed very familiar to me. I was talking to him one day and I asked him what he did other than picking apples and he replied he was an actor. I asked him what movies he was in and he replied he starred in a obscure movie called "Off The Wall". He was Harvey who played the leading man. I then had a close to an out of body experience. All of a sudden I thought I was in that movie at that moment, the movie was still in progress. A very strange experience. That's it, that is my review.

I saw this movie in my film school days and still remember it as one of the best films I saw that decade (70s)....and I saw many many very good films. I have hoped to see it again, but it never reappeared, not even on video. The Cinema Verite style of the film's plot - where the post 60s hippie subject of a documentary, hijacks the camera as he robs turns this film into something very special. This is one of several films I saw I my film school days that I saw once, when it made its rep house circuit, and then disappeared forever....that I wish would be resurrected on video or DVD. The other films are "The Night of the Counting of the Years" and "Rubber Gun" (which was the other film I saw on the double bill with Off the Wall).