The Young Animals

There is a website out there somewhere that specializes in the 4 word film review. This movie easily fits into that category (see summary above). It is a typical stereotypical film that religiously follows every imaginable cliché.

The characters are supposed to be high school students, but the lead actor Tony (good chicano) was 33 at the time of the film, and most of the other actors appear to be in their early to mid twenties.

Making a long story short, the good chicano eventually gets the better of the bad gringos, and walks away with a good gringo girl (Patty McCormick), which really burns the bad gringos. The plot is predictable and irrelevant, but if you must watch the film you can get a good history lesson on 60's fashion and cars.

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.

This is one of the best of the very energetic, engrossing and entertaining AIP teen flicks of the 60's. It is well photographed, has great music and some really inventive violence. The cast is excellent including David Macklin as a handsome but horrible mexican hating psychopath.

This film was made on location at Tucson High School in Tucson Arizona. I was in this film as an extra playing a high school student. I have a copy on a CD. I don't remember CHER being in it but will watch it again to be sure. What is depicted in the movie was nothing like real life at THS. What a joke watching it now. But it was cool being in a movie on the big screen at the local drive-in.

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.