Halls of Anger

1970 film by Paul Bogart

Halls of Anger

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Paul Bogart
Written by| John Herman Shaner
Al Ramrus
Produced by| Herbert Hirschman
Walter Mirisch
Starring| Calvin Lockhart
Janet MacLachlan
James A. Watson Jr.
Jeff Bridges
Cinematography| Burnett Guffey
Edited by| Bud Molin
Music by| Dave Grusin

Production
company

The Mirisch Corporation

Distributed by| United Artists

Release date

* April 29, 1970 (1970-04-29) (United States)

Running time

| 96 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $1.6 million[1]

Halls of Anger is a 1970 American drama film directed by Paul Bogart, and starring Calvin Lockhart, Janet MacLachlan, Jeff Bridges and James A. Watson Jr.[2]

## Plot[edit]

A predominantly black high school is integrated by white students and trouble follows.

## Cast[edit]

* Calvin Lockhart as Quincy Davis
* Janet MacLachlan as Lorraine Nash
* Jeff Bridges as Doug
* James A. Watson Jr. as J.T. Watson
* DeWayne Jessie as Lerone Johnson
* Ed Asner as Ernie McKay
* John McLiam as Boyd Wilkerson
* Rob Reiner as "Leaky" Couloris
* Patricia Stich as Sherry Vaughn
* Gary Tigerman as Buchavitch
* Paris Earl as Carter (as Paris Earle)
* Ta-Tanisha as Claudine
* Helen Kleeb as Rita Monahan
* Barry Brown as Winger
* Ernie Robinson (Stunt coordinator) Stunts

## Background[edit]

The film was mostly filmed at Virgil Middle School in Los Angeles.[3]

The film draws some comparisons to a contemporary television program, Room 222: A new, black teacher joins a southern California high school; an attractive, sympathetic black female member of staff shows romantic interest; a militant black student is frequently involved in situations; issues of racism and integration are featured. The film and television show even share actors (Ta-Tanisha, Helen Kleeb, Rob Reiner). However, while Room 222 is a comedy-drama, much milder in tone, Halls of Anger is purposefully aggressive, using deliberately controversial language and some forceful violence to highlight the very real and dangerous potential of unresolved racial conflict.

## Reception[edit]

### Critical response[edit]

Roger Greenspun, the film critic for The New York Times, gave the film a mixed review, and wrote, "The picture initially portends sensationalism, with the racial scales reversed and the well-behaved white youngsters harassed and tormented by the black students. What steadies the whole thing is the excellent performance of Calvin Lockhart, as a sane, realistic Negro teacher who more or less holds together the teeming school and the picture itself...But the picture's urgent plea for racial sanity in the classroom is almost methodically blunted by the use of standard-seeming types. The few faculty whites are oafs or hard-heads. There is the pretty Negro teacher, nicely played by Janet MacLachlan, who supports and comforts Lockhart. As the fieriest black student and the spunkiest white newcomer, James A. Watson Jr. and Jeff Bridges do well in characterizations that rate more exploration."[4]

Film critic Monica Sullivan praised the acting of Jeff Bridges, if not the film, "The young Bridges stands out in the cast, because his focus on his role is like a laser beam. He pours 100% of his energy into making his character believable and it is. The making of Halls Of Anger might be a more riveting experience than the film itself."[5]

## See also[edit]

* List of American films of 1970
* List of hood films

## References[edit]

1. ^ Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 192
2. ^ Halls of Anger at the American Film Institute Catalog.
3. ^ IMDb Locations on IMDb Database.
4. ^ Greenspun, Roger. The New York Times, film review, April 30, 1970. m Last accessed: March 8, 2010.
5. ^ Sullivan, Monica. Movie Magazine International, film review, October 16, 2002. Last accessed: March 8, 2010.

## External links[edit]

* Halls of Anger at the American Film Institute Catalog
* Halls of Anger at IMDb
* Halls of Anger at AllMovie
* Halls of Anger at the TCM Movie Database
* Halls of Anger film clip on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Paul Bogart

* Pinocchio (1957)
* Hansel and Gretel (1958)
* Ten Little Indians (1959)
* The Citadel (1960)
* Ages of Man (1960)
* The Three Sisters (1966)
* Evening Primrose (1966)
* An Enemy of the People (1966)
* The Trap of Solid Gold (1967)
* The Final War of Olly Winter (1967)
* Hal Holbrook: Mark Twain Tonight! (1967)
* Carousel (1967)
* Johnny Belinda (1967)
* Kiss Me Kate (1968)
* Marlowe (1969)
* Halls of Anger (1970)
* In Search of America (1971)
* Skin Game (1971)
* Look Homeward, Angel (1972)
* Cancel My Reservation (1972)
* The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972)
* Class of '44 (1973)
* The Thanksgiving Treasure (1973)
* Double Solitaire (1974)
* The Country Girl (1974)
* Tell Me Where It Hurts (1974)
* Mr. Ricco (1975)
* Winner Take All (1975)
* The Easter Promise (1975)
* The Owl and the Pussycat (1975)
* The War Widow (1976)
* You Can't Take It with You (1979)
* Fun and Games (1980)
* Oh, God! You Devil (1984)
* The Canterville Ghost (1986)
* Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder (1987)
* Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
* Broadway Bound (1992)
* The Last Mile (1992)
* The Gift of Love (1994)
* The Heidi Chronicles (1995)

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