Introduction"Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues" is a 1972 movie based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton and Douglas Crichton, written under the pen name Michael Douglas. Directed by Paul Williams, this counterculture-era movie checks out the drug trade, as it follows the story of a cross-country drug deal that goes amusingly awry.
Plot OverviewThe story focuses on the misadventures of Peter, a Harvard Law trainee played by Robert F. Lyons, who coordinate with his sweetheart Susan, portrayed by Barbara Hershey, to run a successful marijuana smuggling operation. They see this endeavor as a quick way to earn money and battle the facility.
Peter enters into contact with Murphy, a wacky drug dealer played by John Lithgow in his movie debut, who links him with a supplier in Berkeley, California. Peter flies to California and successfully purchases forty bricks of cannabis intending to sell them in Boston. The movie brochures his efforts to carry the drugs back to the East Coast while evading police and various other hardships.
Throughout his journey, Peter uses a variety of humorous and often drastic procedures to keep the authorities at bay. Things take an unanticipated turn when he loses his illicit freight. The lost bag of weed becomes a central trope, causing a range of humorous and tense situations. During these trials, the movie represents the growing romance in between Peter and Susan as they venture to recover the missing cannabis and provide it to their expectant consumers.
Cast and CharactersIn "Dealing", Roberts Blossom looks like the Harvard teacher who inadvertently acquires the marijuana-laden travel suitcase, introducing an aspect of scholastic satire to the film. Ellen Barber, Charles Durning, and Joy Bang also contribute their talents to this quirky cinematic portrait of the '70s drug culture.
The film's cast brightens their characters with a blend of earnestness and irreverence, offering an authentic feel of the times. Lyons' representation of Peter is easygoing yet driven, embodying the counter-cultural ethos of the period. Hershey's Susan is both loving and complicit in the escapade, supplying psychological depth to a plot that might otherwise focus solely on the caper aspect.
Thematic ElementsThe film clarifies the alienation and rebellion emblematic of 1970s youth culture and does so with a lax viewpoint on substance abuse reflecting a time before the War on Drugs took center stage in American politics. As an artifact of its period, the film records the Zeitgeist: a mix of anti-establishment sentiment, the look for individual liberty, and the comical paradox of an apparently simple strategy going amusingly wrong.
It also deals with styles of love, dedication, and the lengths to which individuals will go to secure and support one another, set versus the backdrop of a society experiencing profound changes in values and lifestyles.
Cultural Impact and ReceptionWhile "Dealing" might not be the most popular or seriously well-known movie of its day, it supplies a pill view of a dynamic duration in American culture. The movie's comedic elements and engaging story added to its appeal, however it remains a niche piece reflective of a particular period in cinematic and cultural history.
The film's reception was blended, with some critics delighting in the humor and performances, while others found it an irregular portrayal of drug culture and the anti-establishity motions of the time. Nevertheless, "Dealing" sticks out for its effort to meld funny with commentary, providing a distinct look into the issues and attitudes of a bygone age.
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