The Young Animals

This was typical for the period, and is still true today. Caucasian bashing. This kind of "reverse discrimination" continues today. The picture began during the genesis of the Socialist "Hippie" movement, as an outgrowth of the "beatnik" to the "social justice" drumbeat of today's "politically correct" silencing of America's majority.

Demonize the dominant culture and make them all appear as hate-filled morons. It was said before "Chicanos good, Caucasians bad". This is not really new. I wouldn't watch it again. There is no point to this malarkey. I would just as soon watch an anti-American flag-burning rally. I became tired of it at age 13 and I am tired of it now.

Looking at the 60s fashions in The Young Animals made me quite jealous that I can no longer fit into that kind of clothing. Some semi- names take the lead in this youth oriented film about how some Chicano kids get organized under the charismatic leadership of transfer student Tom Nardini.

There's some real racism going on here. Some of the white kids led by David Macklin run roughshod over the Mexican kids and they are encouraged by a racist coach in Russ Bender.

Macklin's crew is into all kinds of bad deeds which include rape, practiced on Joanna Frank. Nardini practicing the principles of Gandhi and Martin Luther King gets recognition for the rights of the Chicano kids.

The players are sincere the direction is exploitative and a bit on the trashy side. Patty McCormack the big screen's former Bad Seed is one of the white kids who sympathizes and brings over allies. She kind of like what she sees in Nardini.

The Young Animals aka Born Wild is a look at the 60s some of the better aspects of that decade.

I'm surprised to come here and find the other reviewers almost all rating this higher than I did. Each fight is hilariously terrible. I think the stuff teens put on YouTube looks better staged. In one shot you could even tell the boy slugged was actually jumping back up on the car himself. I guess they couldn't find any stunt-men who looked like they were high school-age? 'Nice to see that A Martinez rose above his being in this. I do agree that the rock was o.k. How many flicks have soundtracks like this? VERY few. And any film with Patty McCormack is worth at least 5 stars so__, though I sure wish Patty had been it more. Yes, I am thankful that the oldies movies stations occasionally put films like this on for me who didn't see it back when it came out.

For the missing part from my 1968 heart. I do sure love watching two stars from Oscar winning movies stretching their talents in new film genres.

I saw this in 1968,l. Having parents that as long as I took my 4yo brother with me, could go to a movie every night. I became a connoisseur of AIP and Hammer movies.

There weren't ratings yet, watched Rosemary's Baby alone at 12 yo, Night of the Living Dead and at a midnight sneak with myself a 13 yo and my sisters (only girls in the joint) in a rowdy audience of airmen, flying or servicing the the B52s taking off heavy and landing light after doing their 8,000 mile round trip across the South Pacific.

If you haven't guessed, I'm 13yo, while living in Guam 🇬🇺 as an Air Force dependent. Nothing like watching an AIP teen movie to take your mind off the current news of the day.

Although American International Pictures (the drive-in specialists who put the ''ex'' in ''Exploitation) promoted this film in their usual, lurid way, (''They Run In Packs, And What They Do Makes Headlines!'') , it's actually a good, if simplistic look at White vs. Mexicans in a California High School. Tom Nardini (''Cat Ballou'') is the new Latino kid on the block who tries, peacefully, to combat the prejudice faced by the Mexican students, from both the white kids as well as some of the faculty. When he becomes involved with a sympathetic ''Gringo'' girl, (Patty McCormack), her bigoted ex-boyfriend (David Macklin) and his gang vow revenge. And revenge he gets, in some pretty tense scenes which are uncomfortable to watch, even today. As a hot-headed student at odds with Nardini's approach to their problems, Zooey Hall is impressive. His girlfriend is played by the lovely Joanna Frank (''The Savage Seven'') and though her part is relatively small, she is just as effective. In fact, all of the acting is convincing here,( including an early appearance by a young A Martinez) and if the resolution seems a bit far-fetched, the film's heart is in the right place. At the last minute, the title was switched to ''Born Wild'', which really doesn't do it justice either, but, under any name, it's a good example of a ''Teen Flick'' with an actual message, something most were lacking. The photography, by Ken Peach is excellent, belying the film's low budget. The editing is jumpy in places, but nothing seems to have been removed which would spoil the continuity. (It's noticeable mostly in the abbreviated performances of the two rock bands ''The American Revolution'' and ''Orphan Egg'', both of whom were under contract to AIP at the time). Good Les Baxter score, too. It's worth seeing at least once.