“A genuine, powerful and even stirring expression of the antipathy engendered by war… and scarred the psyches of those who lived through it.”
– J. Hoberman, The New York Times
“Sounding out a once-elusive call of defiance for all to hear… [Fonda] and her comrades loved the country that they devoted their energies and risked their reputations to better it, their criticisms the ultimate act of patriotism.” – Charles Bramesco, The Guardian
“Holds up as a terrifically funny movie. Nixon might be long dead, but if you want to sock it to him regardless, be sure to check this out.” – Dan Schindel, Hyperallergic
In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War, Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and fellow performers mounted the F.T.A musical comedy tour across Southeast Asia as a response to
Bob Hope‘s
USO tour. They redubbed the original Army recruitment slogan “Fun, Travel, Adventure” to “Free The Army or F*** The Army”. After the Army tried to limit the troops’ access to performances, it became known as “The Show the Pentagon Couldn’t Stop!”
Fonda and Sutherland’s co-stars included writer/actor Michael Alaimo, singers and activists Holly Near, Rita Martinson, Len Chandler, and comedian Paul Mooney. Despite being highly controversial, the show was a huge success amongst enlisted men and women, many of of whom appear in the film expressing their disillusionment with war, imperialism and racism.
F.T.A. has now been fully restored in 4K by IndieCollect and is preceded by a new video introduction by Jane Fonda, which provides historical context and explains the impetus that sparked the creation of the F.T.A. troupe.
1972 / U.S./ In English / 97 min
