Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

recommended

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

"LSD: Insight or Insanity?" is an American 19-minute short film from 1967, so this one has its 50th anniversary this year. Written and directed by Max Miller and narrated by 2-time Oscar nominee Sal Mineo, the title already makes clear what this one is about: LSD. And like many other drug-themed documentary films from that time, it makes the right statement, but the execution in detail is nothing to be proud of because the film goes so shamelessly over the top and the actors are so painfully bad that it simply is not even close to a successful execution. Quite a pity as the subject definitely deserved a lot better here. The scientists sometimes manage to elevate the material, like with the comments on how the drug (ab)users think they are more creative, but it is just in their mind. This was maybe the moment when the film was at its best as it also focused on the potentially positive aspects of LSD. But it hit rock-bottom on so many other occasions, like the screaming girl or the Russian Roulette scene at the very end that there is simply no way for me to recommend it. I think there is also a half-hour version of this one out here, but two thirds of that is really enough. I give it a thumbs-down. Watch something else instead.

This eighteen minute classroom scare film explores the subject of the potentially dangerous and unpredictable drug LSD. Various stodgy experts explain how LSD is made and point out the hazards of using it while avid LSD users talk about why they enjoy taking it (one of them describes LSD as "like a vitamin for the brain"). While users claim it sparks creativity, the experts counter this claim by noting that nobody showed any significant change in their creative abilities in a survey they did on this principle. Naturally, we get the inevitable trippy visuals complete with snazzy dissolves, queasy zoom-ins, and nifty freeze frames. Better still, folks under the influence of acid are shown jumping off of cliffs and running in front of speeding cars. And boy does this doc totally soak up the 1960's thanks to the groovy hairstyles and far-out fashions on display. To further add to the considerable kitschy entertainment value, a slow-motion rumble, kids playing chicken, and pot smoking are all tossed in for good measure. Sal Mineo's enthusiastic narration serves as the yummy icing on an already tasty camp cake. A real hoot.

Of course, when you think of drug-abuse depictions in films, the "standard" is Reefer Madness. And in some scenes, this educational film comes close to being another RM, first with its wild depictions in the early scenes of how some 1967 kids looked and dressed, and later in its over-the-top acting of people in the midst of "trips." What saves this film from RM territory is, first, the cutting, no-nonsense narration by Sal Mineo (he should have done more voice-over work like this), and second, the relentlessly flat, monotone "performances" of the physicians and "experts" who appear in the movie. (One poor guy keeps pausing in weird spots during his speech, as if he keeps losing his place! Hmmm....) Near the end of the closing credits, the screen shows this title: "Except for the physicians, all participants are actors. "NO KIDDING!" I shouted.

LSD: Insight or Insanity (1967) was a short film that condemned the use of LSD and "acid". What's makes this short different than the others was the vocal narration from has been actor Sal Mineo. After appearing in some high prolific productions, Mr. Mineo has all but disappeared from the spotlight. But he not only provides a narration for this film, but he gives the viewers an added bonus. He performs the vocals of the song that plays during the end credits. What's even funnier is the fact that he comes off sounding like a curmudgeon. Talking down to the people in the movie and the youth in general. I would be bitter too if I went from REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE to narrating an anti-drug short. Sal would have one last shot in the big leagues when he played in ESCAPE FROM PLANET OF THE APES.Recommended fro comic relief.