Eclipse Series 24: THE ACTUALITY DRAMAS OF ALLAN KING: KING, Allan: Come On Children (1972)
KING, Allan (Canada)
Come On Children [1972]
Eclipse Series 24
DVD
Come On Children [1972]
Eclipse Series 24
DVD
In the early 1970s, ten teenagers (five boys and five girls) leave behind parents, school, and all other authority figures to live on a farm for ten weeks. What emerges in front of Allan King's cameras are the fears, hopes, and alienation of a disillusioned generation. Come On Children is a swift, vivid rendering of the growing pains of a counterculture.
95 minutes
Color
Stereo
1:66:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2010
Director
Allan King was 42 when he directed Come on Children.
Other King films in the Collection:
Eclipse Series 24: Warrrendale (1967)
Eclipse Series 24: A Married Couple (1969)
Eclipse Series 24: Dying At Grace (2003)
Eclipse Series 24: Memory For Max, Claire, Ida And Company (2005)
The Film
Other King films in the Collection:
Eclipse Series 24: Warrrendale (1967)
Eclipse Series 24: A Married Couple (1969)
Eclipse Series 24: Dying At Grace (2003)
Eclipse Series 24: Memory For Max, Claire, Ida And Company (2005)
The Film
“Well, what are your plans?”
How many of us heard this loaded question from our parents when we were young, stupid teenagers? How were we to know what the future might hold when we were just blowin’ in the wind?
These ten teenagers — left alone in a farm house for ten weeks, no parents, no school, all the dope they could smoke (or shoot!) … and only those intrusive cameras capturing their newfound freedom — didn’t seem too interested in any future plans.
King’s documen- — oops I did it again — King’s actuality drama actually accomplishes its objective by showering the viewer in 95 minutes of pure observation. And better than most fiction films, we get to know these ten kids intimately.
Near the beginning of this adventure, John Hamilton — a very good musician, recently recovered from an addiction to speed — introduces them all with a Dylan-like song, as King shows us the kids with their superimposed name-credit:
“Well this is a story about a farm named Froo
Ten people from Toronto who didn’t have much to do
Come up here to make a movie and you’re watchin’ it right now
Gonna tell you all about it, gonna make it rhyme somehow
Most of us come up here just to have a good time
But they’re payin’ us plenty of money, so I guess that makes it fine
We haven’t had a chance to get to know each other well
But things are gonna work out and everything’ll be swell
We eat rollickin’ good suppers all of the time
Drink plenty of beer, we drink plenty of wine
We got some movie lights, they’re hot and really bright
You can almost get a sunburn at night
We do lots of dope and things like that
Except for Lesley [Henry] — she doesn’t like doin’ things like that
And we got us a cute little girl, her name’s Noreen [McCallum]
She’s got a nice bum, but she’s only 14, goin’ on 15
Got us a Kenny [Ken Gibbs]; comes from downtown
Hardly ever makes a sound
Except for two things. He only ever says two things
He says, “all right” or he says “I’ll pass”
Next, I’d like to introduce you to a girl named Jo Anne [Lye]
She plays a lot of cards, she’s horny as hell
She got nice boobs
Oh, we got us a Ricky [Richard McMullen]
He’s real big and tall
Likes shootin’ guns; someday, he might shoot us all
Al [Alan Dunikowski] and Jane [Harrison] are like sister and brother
Hardly ever see one without the other
Only difference is they didn’t share the same mother
Share the same sleeping bag though
Well, we got us a Sharon [Wall]
She’s gonna have a baby
Might be a boy might be a girl
Maybe, I don’t know
She helps out with the cookin’
She’s pretty good-lookin’
She brought us up Brandy who’s a pretty nice guy for a dog
Well, there’s Alex Zivojinovich. It’s a hard name to say
But that don’t matter ‘cause he plays good guitar anyway
He makes hamburger deluxe, pancakes supreme
Palachinkas and asparaguses with beans
Well, you’re about to meet 10 people now you never met before
So why don’t you sit back and relax and we’ll open up our door
We’re not sure what the film’s about; hasn’t been made too clear
But I hope the movie makes you feel that you wished that you were here
Like an Ozu film where nothing much happens, these non-actors simply fill the frame with their real 1972 selves. It’s a fascinating tableaux.
Near the end, some of the kids’ parents pay a visit. The kids clean the place up and hide all the dope. Still, mom and dad seemed shocked upon entering such an unsupervised commune. The actuality drama hits a high point, when Alex’s Serbian parents question him on what his plans might be?
Alex defensively talks about playing guitar with his band however he can — above or under a music store perhaps, if he has to contend with neighbors who might be upset by the sound. [Note that there is a shot in the film where we see that they have converted a room into a soundproof enclosure with hundreds of egg cartons!]
Earlier, as the kids sit on the floor, obviously high on LSD, Alex plays his electric guitar, mimicking Hendrix’s Woodstock performance of The Star-Spangled Banner. After his parents leave, he is commiserating with Sharon (who has had her baby), and playing an acoustic guitar, lightly touching the strings, producing harmonics. He knows what he’s doing.
He’ll become quite rich and famous in the future. I’m sure his parents are proud.
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