University of Virginia Library

CINEMA

Billy Jack And Jesus Christ

By PAUL CHAPLIN

I thought the film I saw
yesterday was going to be
"The Story of Jesus Christ
According to Easy
Rider,"—after all, a film about
a cycle gang with the leader
going by the name "J.C." what
else could I think? To my
surprise, it was what I
anticipated, with a little of
"Billy Jack" thrown in for
extra measure.

The film was written,
produced, and directed by
William F. McGaha, and
features Bill McGaha in the
title role. (I was amused by
this humility; at least Tom
Laughlin used a pseudonym
for "Billy Jack", which,
incidentally is back at the
Paramount for an extended
return engagement.) In any
event, I have to admire this
attempt to have complete
control over a film; it's the
culmination of the auteur,
having reached final sainthood.

The plot concerns the
events which occur when J.C.
and his gang of followers, also
called disciples, arrive in his
home town of Mason,
Alabama. The similarities with

"Billy Jack" become
noticeable when the town
rednecks meet the visiting
bikers, an episode starting with
extensive rhetoric being tossed
around until violence erupts.
Like Billy Jack, J.C. thinks he
is a hero, with his visions and
his gospel preaching, and both
men think they can fight the
system single-handedly with
their fists, although they
preach pacifism.

As some of you will recall, I
didn't care for "Billy Jack",
for I felt the film's sentiments
were in the right vein, but the
pretentiousness of the story
and weak writing ruined the
film. "J.C." suffers from the
same problems, and escapes it
occasionally through the few
good performances, which also
helped "Billy Jack." The best
scenes in "J.C." are the quiet
conversations between J.C.
and his sister, played by
Joanna Moore. Her tone of
voice, a soft gravelly southern
drawl, smooths the scenes and
makes McGaha's performance
better than it is, and adds an
air of believability to the film.
Slim Pickins, in a very
one-sided performance, is
nevertheless quite funny as the
town sheriff.

Since the film is very similar
to "Billy Jack," it is tempting
to predict that it will do as well
financially. The violent ending,
however, may turn a lot of
people away from the film,
especially the final shot of
McGaha lying in a crucifixion
pose not unlike the one
Charlton Heston used in "The
Omega Man." The potential
allegory and ironies of
considering Jesus as a hippie
cycle-nut are unsuccessfully
developed earlier in the film,
and attempting to dramatically
end the film with a poignant
tableau is slapping the audience
in the face with an insult.

I preferred the western
shoot-out ending of "Billy
Jack" much more since it
related to the entire mood of
that film better than the
"crucifixion" does in "J.C."
There was Billy Jack, all set to
become the martyr, when Jean
(played by Delores Taylor)
gave one of the best speeches
in the film, as the rightness of
the pacifist: won out over the
hot-tempered man.

"Billy Jack" had an element
of improvisation in it that
made it fun to watch, despite
the bland direction, which is a
failing in both films. The
occasional lightheadedness of
"Billy Jack" is something Bill
McGaha should have added
into his film; it may have been
much better than it is, and
certainly not as heavy.

(Now at the Cinema)