Jackson Bragman, Staff Writer
In Milos Forman’s 1979 adaptation of ‘Hair’– based on the counterculture rock musical of the same name that debuted on Broadway a dozen years prior– Edward Berger (Trent Williams) has got his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. He’s got his heart and his soul. And he’s got, perhaps most importantly of all: his hair. And because he’s got his hair, he’s got life.
“Hair” is set in the late 1960s, amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Claude (John Savage) is a 20-something Oklahoman farmboy who’s been drafted to fight overseas. He takes a bus to New York City, where he’s to report ahead of basic training, and meets a group of anti-war hippies led by the eccentric Berger, who’s accompanied by Hud (Dorsey Wright), Woof (Donnie Dacus) and Jeannie (Annie Golden).
It’s through his interactions with the hippies that Claude is introduced to previously unconsidered concepts of originality and freedom. He’s a Midwestern country bumpkin who finds himself spellbound by the Age of Aquarius unfolding before his eyes.
Woof makes a compelling case for his long hair acting as a statement of rebellion in the film’s title song. To shave one’s locs is to step into uniformity. The army’s goal is to strip you of any uniqueness you might have, starting atop the head. For Woof and the rest of the pack, their hair is their life force.
In “I Got Life,” Berger speaks about everything he’s “got.” Aside from his many functional limbs and organs, he’s got freedom… brother. Despite his laid-back demeanor, much of what drives Berger’s actions is his desire to keep that freedom.
Claude also meets Sheila (Beverly D’Angelo)—a debutante from a wealthy family, that Claude and his new pals crash the soirée of—and falls in love at first sight. Sheila finds herself drawn to Claude, but doesn’t want to admit it, knowing he’s war-bound.
During his 36 hours in the city, Claude begins to question the status quo. Maybe he’s not meant to go off the war and die for a cause he doesn’t believe in, as “good American boys” ought to do. Maybe he should protect his ears, eyes, nose, mouth, heart, soul, tits, ass and hair with everything he’s got.
Alas, reality eventually grabs hold of Claude and he reports for duty. He’s sent to basic training on a military base in Nevada, along with thousands of others, where he walks, talks and dresses just as the other soldiers. There is certainly no hair hanging below anyone’s shoulders.
It’s through this commentary that Forman’s presence is felt. Much like the communist Czechoslovakia he began his filmmaking career in, uniformity and submission to authority are non-negotiables.
The film sees Berger–who steals an Army officer’s uniform to sneak onto the military base in order to swap places with Claude so he can enjoy a picnic with his friends for a few hours–make the ultimate sacrifice. He cuts his hair.
In the stage musical, it’s Claude who’s forced to cut his hair and who’s sent off to die in Vietnam. It’s in Forman’s adaptation, however, that Berger–who’s shipped off while Claude is out for lunch–is the one to face his own mortality. He’s “got” his hair no more. And that’s not nothing.
Jackson Bragman ‘27 is a journalism and cinema double major from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.