Dear Brian De Palma,
Get to Know Your Rabbit was the last of your socially conscious Greetings era films. It is definitely one of your strangest films in the experimental 1966-72 period. A young marketing analyst quits his boring job to pursue a career as a tap dancing magician. He then helps his depressed boss start a self-help business which involves saving people who are fed up with their 9 to 5 jobs. When the self-help business turns into a rage, the boss rehires the young man and he finds himself back working in an office. A very strange plot indeed. In Greetings, you looked down upon the aimlessness of 60s youth which you saw as an escape from responsibilities. In GTKYR, you are critiquing the encroachment of capitalism into every sphere of life including the quest for individuality and personal freedom. Jordan Crittenden's script has some ingenious characterization like Katherine Ross's promiscuous woman who loves newspapermen and the bra salesman. Orson Welles makes a guest appearance as the tap dancing coach. The weird camera angles included many overhead shots. Split screens and slide-shows were also used to move the story forward very quickly. Despite many good ideas in this film, I did not like it beyond a certain level. I am surprised you cast the bland Tom Smothers in the lead role.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(5/10)
Get to Know Your Rabbit was the last of your socially conscious Greetings era films. It is definitely one of your strangest films in the experimental 1966-72 period. A young marketing analyst quits his boring job to pursue a career as a tap dancing magician. He then helps his depressed boss start a self-help business which involves saving people who are fed up with their 9 to 5 jobs. When the self-help business turns into a rage, the boss rehires the young man and he finds himself back working in an office. A very strange plot indeed. In Greetings, you looked down upon the aimlessness of 60s youth which you saw as an escape from responsibilities. In GTKYR, you are critiquing the encroachment of capitalism into every sphere of life including the quest for individuality and personal freedom. Jordan Crittenden's script has some ingenious characterization like Katherine Ross's promiscuous woman who loves newspapermen and the bra salesman. Orson Welles makes a guest appearance as the tap dancing coach. The weird camera angles included many overhead shots. Split screens and slide-shows were also used to move the story forward very quickly. Despite many good ideas in this film, I did not like it beyond a certain level. I am surprised you cast the bland Tom Smothers in the lead role.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(5/10)