Now, you may be thinking that after reading my reviews of Getting Straight and Zabriskie Point, that we here at the Shattered Lens are encouraging you to overthrow the United States.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  To quote Michael Scott, nobody here is subversive.  Everyone is thoroughly versive.  (Michael Scott said that once, didn’t he?)

Anyway, just in case anyone is having any dangerous thoughts, here’s a 30-minute short film from 1972.  In Brink of Disaster, Johnny, a college students who sympathizes with the n0-goodniks of the world, breaks into the library so that he cans study late at night and protect it from rampaging campus radicals.

(Wait?  What?  That makes no sense but, then again, it was 1972…)

Anyway, as Johnny attempts to smoke and study, the ghost of his great-great-great-great grandfather, John Smith, materializes out of thin air and tells him everything that’s wrong with his generation.  Johnny attempts to argue but he’s no match for his wiser ancestor.

“Don’t compare to the founding fathers to that riff raff!” John Smith exclaims at one point, “We want to worship God and they want to deny God!”

You tell him, John Smith!

Anyway, you know me.  Whether I agree or disagree with the message, there’s nothing that I love more than an old school propaganda film.  So, watch and enjoy Brink of Disaster and think twice before you try to overthrow the establishment because you might end up getting haunted by a condescending ghost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHUgmVWWYaE