In the 1960s and 1970s thousands of hippies journeyed East to India in the search of enlightenment, free drugs or a ‘pure’ life. Indian peasants assumed that a severe drought in the West was the reason for their migration. India’s holy men saw it, more accurately, as a search for spirituality. Most moved back to their home countries after a few months or years; some stayed for good. They all shared a profound need for personal freedom, as well as a love of drugs and/or spirituality.

Robert from Holland, a gifted painter, lives with a wife and young children. Meera, a recluse, seeks enlightenment on her own, while Cesare, an Italian expatriate, strives for spiritual liberation through back-breaking yoga. Hanspeter, a man originally from Switzerland, runs a small farm in the Himalayas. Erica and Gillian, South African twins, sew hippie handicrafts by day and party tirelessly at night.

All, in the end, embraced this land of ancient traditions and transcendent pleasures as their own. Hippie Masala is a fascinating chronicle about aging flower children who, after fleeing Western civilization, found a new way of life in India.
 

Hippie Masala Product Information

Grade Level: AP Human Geography, AP World History, College and University
Subjects: Culture Studies, Sociology, Religion
Set: DVD Only
Copyright: © 2006 Fair & Ugly Productions. All rights reserved.
Total Running Time: 93 minutes
Educational Prices:

 
Educational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 

Educational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 

Note: Please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 800-562-3330 if you need further assistance.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 

Video Librarian Review
(Nov/Dec 2008 - Volume 23, Issue 6)

Hippie Masala

Rating: 3 Stars - Recommended

During the 1960s, the Beatles traveled to India in search of spiritual enlightenment, but like most other visitors eventually returned home. Some Westerners, however, chose to remain, Ulrich Grossenbacher’s documentary Hippie Masala focuses on four such individuals. One Italian man has devoted his life to the practice of yoga, and now lives a life of simplicity and prayer that makes him virtually indistinguishable from a native holy man. A Belgian woman also continues a meditative life, though she confesses to having difficulty finding mentors and also faces government fines as a result of living illegally in India for so many years. The other two subjects—one Dutch, the other Swiss—stayed in India not so much for spiritual reasons but because of their antipathy towards the Western lifestyle. Both men married native women, but while the Dutch painter with a young wife and several daughters appear to be generally content, the Swiss farmer is struggling to eke out a living, and both he and his wife complain about not being accepted by locals. Much of the entertainment Hippie Masala consists of charming reminiscences from the quirky quartet (as well as a pair of voluble South African twins who’ve also taken up residence in India), backed by footage of their day-to-day lives. Recommended. Aud; C, P. (F. Swietek)

The sub-continent of India has long held an attraction for westerners in search of enlightenment, spirituality, independence, adventure and freedom. During the 1960s and 1970s, tens of thousands of young people from Europe and the United States journeyed east to find a life different than the ones left behind. While most did not remain in India, some did. This film is a portrait of six now middle-aged hippies who chose to stay forever in India; blending east with west, in lives that are an interesting masala (or spicy mixture). Now rooted in their adopted homeland, Cesare from Italy is a practicing yogi, while Belgian Meera leads a solitary life as a recluse. Robert, from Holland, is a painter with an Indian wife and children. Farmer Hanspeter, originally from Switzerland, hunts and fishes while building a grand home near the Himalayas. South African twins Erica and Gillian are seamstress gypsies selling handicrafts and partying in Goa. Chapter selection titles give a good idea of the themes of the film: The Quiet Life; A Hippie Paradise; Happy Ending; Peace, Enlightenment and Parties; Difficult Choices; A Different Kind of Freedom. The story of how each of those profiled came to India and then decided to stay is both unique and fascinating, as is the recording of daily life for these expatriates.

Skillfully filmed and edited, the documentary by Swiss filmmaker Grossenbacher and anthropologist Luthi was an official selection at both the Woodstock Film Festival and the Miami International Film Festival in 2007. Short bonus features include two additional personal stories – titled An American’s Epiphany and A Moment of Truth.

Recommended for anyone interested in the sixties and seventies, with an emphasis on the hippie sub-culture.

-Educational Media Reviews Online

Award-winning filmmaker Pola Rappaport’s documentary excavates the origins of this culturally transformative theatre work. Interviews with co-creator James Rado, original cast members and producers as well as director Milos Forman are fused with abundant and rare archival footage. The result is a delectable deconstruction of a musical that defined an era, a generation and its politics. The DVD includes an additional hour of bonus material featuring extended interviews with the original creators and cast. Hair: Let the Sun Shine In is the definitive resource for theater and drama students.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Educational Prices:
 
Educational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 
 
Educational without Public Performance Rights: $129.00
 
 
 
 
Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!
 

Reviews

“Wonderful work!”
-Milos Forman, Director of the movie HAIR

Video Librarian Review
(Jan/Feb 2009 - Volume 24, Issue 1)

HAIR: Let the Sun Shine In

Rating: 3 Stars

In their persuasive documentary Hair: Let the Sun Shine In, Pola Rapaport and Wolfgang Held present the famed musical as more than just a popular stage production that spawned a soundtrack and a movie. As Ben Vereen states, “Hair is not a show, it’s a movement.” With its storyline revolving around the military draft, racial injustice, free love, drugs, and other topical concerns, Hair offered a no-holds-barred portrait of the late 1960s. Creator Jim Rado (who played the role of Claude) and Stephanie Ragni, widow of co-creator Gerome Ragni, briefly talk about the production’s origins, while other interviewees discuss the musical’s significance and their connection to the material. Czechoslovakian director Milos Forman, who would later direct the big screen adaptation, admits he didn’t understand much of the English dialogue initially, but “loved the tunes.” In addition to archival footage of both Hair and the era (Vietnam, Kent State, etc.), the documentary also features excerpts from Rado’s casting sessions for a 2007 revival. Other interviewees include U.S. producer Michael Butler, international producer Bertrand Castelli, composer Galt MacDermot, and performers Keith Carradine, Melba Moore, and Tim Curry. While Hair: Let the Sun Shine In is a celebration of this countercultural classic, the film doesn’t shy away from the dark side of the production’s history, such as the lives lost to drug addiction and AIDS, and a suspicious hotel fire (Hair received threats from a variety of organizations, from the Weathermen to the John Birch Society). DVD extras include casting workshop footage and extended interviews with Rado, Forman, and Vereen. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)