Halls of Anger is a 1970 American drama film directed by Paul Bogart, and starring Calvin Lockhart, Janet MacLachlan, Jeff Bridges (in his first credited role) and James A. Watson Jr.
Contents
Plot
A predominantly black high school is integrated by white students and trouble follows.
Cast
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 (credited as Paris Earle)
Ta-Tanisha as Claudine
Helen Kleeb as Rita Monahan
Barry Brown as Winger
• Stunts by Stunt Coordinator Ernie Robinson
Background
The film was mostly filmed at Virgil Middle School in Los Angeles.
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.
The film production's behind-the-scenes tension was the subject of an article written by Budd Schulberg in the 21 August 1970 issue of LIFE.
Reception
Critical response
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."
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."