Movie Love AKA Venus Neptune: Billy Jack

billy_jack_2.jpgBilly Jack is an interesting movie. Here’s a little known bit about it: Quentin Tarantino was introducing the movie at a festival…

dumdistraction writes:

“Tarantino got on-stage and began to chuckle at the concept of pacifist hippie movies where everything is solved by violence. He really digs this movie, though, going as far as to call it one of the “best modern day westerns.” QT is quarter-Cherokee, and he says that the scene in this movie were Billy Jack describes the Indian religion was the first time he (QT) really got a sense of what their belief system was all about. He says its easy to dismiss their belief in the god of water, god of dirt, god of fire, etc, as being juvenile (as least how its portrayed in the media), but that when you hear Billy Jack talk about it, it sounds really profound.

The other really great thing that QT pointed out about this movie is that the female lead in this movie, Delores Taylor, is also Tom Laughlin’s wife in real life. Laughlin wrote and directed this film (and the other Billy Jack movies) and QT sees them as a really beautiful love letter between a man and his wife. Tarantino was really serious at this point in the introduction, telling us to watch the way Laughlin looks at Taylor in this movie, and pointing out that he went as far as to give her top billing in the Billy Jack sequels. “It honestly breaks my fucking heart.” Great way to prime us for the movie.”

Now the soldier sent me this movie a couple years ago after watching it 30-40 times. He had to… really he did. He had to watch it that many times and if you’ve read here long enough then you know he sent me some boxes over the years. Remember how I wouldn’t open them – had to let them cool? Well this movie was in one of them – he was making a statement… a profound statement when he sent it.

Someone gave him the movie (he’d never heard if it) thinking he was akin to Billy Jack  in the movie, where they were the sheriff who basically tries to keep Billy out of trouble he seems to get in. Little did they know there was a “Jean” in the soldier’s life… this is the woman, Tarantino mentions. They are still married by the way – The movie was made in 1971.

Anyhow, if you watch the movie you have to transcend what would be considered cheesy in this era and if you can do that, the movie is sublime. He didn’t watch it 40 times because it was not sublime, right? No, there is something new to see every time you watch it and it most definitely portrays the soldier and I… our natures and the nature of our relationship up to and including the final scene which is uh… well fuck it. Watch the movie if you want to know. I’ll tell you this, I have never had a finer gift in my life and meantime….

Billy Jack in action

11 thoughts on “Movie Love AKA Venus Neptune: Billy Jack”

  1. It’s probably because I grew up in the era that I did (70’s) and because I had the parents that I did (total hippies)…but I always liked Billy Jack…something about it resonates with me. I’m glad I’m not the only one (for years, I thought I was!! lol)….

  2. Ha! Oh man.

    This is really getting to be fun now.

    I first saw Billy Jack when I was 15, and by the time I was 17, me, and half my friends had watched it dozens of times. We somehow understood the subplot, or the hidden plot, or maybe the film just awakened in us a reminder of how much plain old fun we could have by swallowing LSD, drinking booze, and fighting “rednecks.”

    Fun, funny stuff. I haven’t thought of this movie in years.

    Perfect timing. Really. Thanks for the trip…

    But back to John Hiatt: “…these days the only bar I ever see, has got lettuce and tomatos…”

    Ah! Reality. (How come I’d still like to kick a couple of those old hometown redneck’s asses? 🙂

    Peace

  3. What I like best about John Hiatt is he is short. And on one of his early album covers he’s standing next to a fishing pole that towers over him accentuating his height. Now THAT is a man.

  4. I like how much fun he has. (Looks and sounds like he’s having fun to me.)

    Funny lyrics.

    It’s really hard to write something funny about serious stuff. At least it’s hard for me.

    Even his sad songs don’t make me so sad.

    Well, maybe they do. But, there’s always some twisty phrasing that kinda makes me smile or at least not cry.

    He’s short? I never noticed that.

  5. “Since his penis came between us”

    He’s got another one on Youtube from a foriegn documentary called, “A crazy girl is hard to find.”

    Yeah, he’s happy. I like “Angel” a lot, teach not to lose your love.

    “Drive South” was my first introduction when it first came out. I like all his driving songs.

    “Have a little faith in me” is the biggest tearjerker my opinion. Gah.

  6. I wish I’d been a lot more careful with love.

    Holy Cow! How’d that happen?

    You don’t want to be saying that to the mirror in the morning…

    And your lover is gone, gone, gone…

    Anyway, “favorite” Hiatt? “Your Dad Did”

    “…Well the day was long now, supper’s on
    The thrill is gone
    But something’s taking place
    Yeah the food is cold and your wife feels old
    But all hands fold
    As the two year old says grace
    She says help the starving children to get well
    But let my brother’s hamster burn in hell
    You love your wife and kids
    Just like your dad did”

  7. “Your Dad Did”.. I remember the first time I heard it, 1991 or 92…and I thought right then and there, this man was born to be a lover.

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