The Activist (1969 film)

The Activist is a 1969 American drama film directed by Art Napoleon and written by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon. It depicts the conflicts of a college student who, after appearing on television news decrying the Vietnam War, is torn between engaging in further anti-war protests and settling for conventional happiness with his new girlfriend. The film stars Michael Smith, who had been an actual member of the Oakland Seven, an anti-war group involved in the planning of the 1967 Stop the Draft Week. Co-star Lesley Taplin also alternated between community activism and acting at the time of production.

The Activist
Theatrical release poster
Directed byArt Napoleon
Written byArt Napoleon
Jo Napoleon
Produced byArt Napoleon
Jo Napoleon
StarringMichael Smith
Lesley Taplin
Tom Maier
Brian Murphy
Edited byMichael Kahn
Gilbert D. Marchant
Production
company
Jana Films
Distributed byUniversal
(as Regional Film Distributors)
Release date
  • December 10, 1969 (1969-12-10)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Also starring in the film are Tom Maier and Brian Murphy. Also, the parents of filmmaker Michael Ritchie, Benbow Ritchie and Patricia Ritchie, briefly appear as a suburban couple upset by the lead character when he appears in their neighborhood.

The film received an X rating due to a graphic (for the time) love scene between Smith and Taplin. It was released on December 10, 1969, by Universal Pictures' shadow company Regional Film Distributors, a division created to handle films either receiving an X rating or deemed to esoteric for the studio to be associated with.[1][2][3]

Cast
  • Michael Smith as Mike Corbett
  • Lesley Taplin (billed as Lesley Gilbrun) as Lee James
  • Tom Maier as Prof. Peter Williams
  • Brian Murphy as Member of Steering Committee

References
  1. "The Activist (1969) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  2. Dan Pavlides. "The Activist (1969) - Art Napoleon". AllMovie. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  3. "The Activist". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2017-11-14.


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