The trial of billy jack was filmed on location in arizona, new mexico and the iconic monument valley on the arizonautah border, familiar from a number of john ford westerns. Similar films to watch if you like the trial of billy jack. The movie billy jack and the trial of billy jack brought back to me the history, and learning that took place in the 1970s. Although commercially successful, it was panned by critics. According to the laughlin site, the 1974 film broke a. Laughlins legend rests on his creation of billy jack, a halfcherokee.
Tom laughlin, the actor, writer, director and producer who created the billy jack movie series of the 1970s, a lowbudget fusion of counterculture piety and martialarts violence that struck. The trial of billy jack 1974 financial information. The trial of billy jack 1974 movies, tv, celebs, and more. Billy jacks love for an entire race of people persecuted by society for decades. The film starred tom laughlin who also directed, reprising his role as billy jack, and costarred rodney harvey and delores taylor. The trial of billy jack is a moody, paranoid meditation on the bloodshed and division at kent state, but its just as concerned with the massacre at my lai, which similarly finds a fictional analogue within the film. A song from the trial of billy jack, golden lady, written for her and performed by lynn baker, became her trademark. An overview of other films like the trial of billy jack. These are photos of two locations used in shooting the trial of billy jack in tucson, arizona. The born losers, billy jack, the trial of billy jack, and billy jack goes to washington. As well as the action taken by some of the national guardsmen and navajo tribesmen. Tom laughlin already had the basic outline of the script for.
On the weekend of october 4th and 5th, 2008, i finally after over 45 years. A contrite aip returned to distribute a sequel, the trial of billy jack 1974, but the deal was queered by arguments and lawsuits from both sides. Directed by laughlin, it has a running time of nearly three hours. Billy jack is a 1971 actiondrama independent film, the second of four films centering on a.
The utopian existence of the school is characterized by everything ranging from yoga sports to muckracking journalism. The third in the series also brought in a lot of jack at the box office. The trial of billy jack the town takes its revenge on the man who dared to stand up to them, forcing billy jack to take on bigots, politicians, and the national guard. Deborah hill, of victoria, speaks about being recruited after singing in her college choir to be a part of the trial of billy jack when it was filmed in arizona. The trial of billy jack 1974 billy jack goes to washington 1977. Tom laughlin, whose production and marketing of billy jack set a standard for. Delores taylor, star of billy jack movies of the 1970s. Born losers has a couple of fight scenes worth watching but unfortunately, tom laughlins script left a little to be desired. The strange, preachy, profitable saga of billy jack the. The billy jack character was actually introduced in the 1967 film the born losers. Taylor, who had only a small role in the original film, assumed a costarring position in the 1971 sequel, billy jack, for which she earned a golden globe nomination as new star of the year. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Elmer bernstein original music from the film the trial.
Moviechat forums the trial of billy jack 1974 discussion why was delores taylor ever cast in anyt. Trial of billy jack snapshots billy jack rights, llc. That meant that when a film was finished, it could roll on as many screens as. Some of the scenes at the school, for example, with real kids experimenting with psychodrama, are interesting. Print damage is noticeable, but never too noticeable. Delores taylor and tom laughlin in a scene from the film the trial of billy jack.
The trial of billy jack is one of the most indulgent films that i have ever seen. After billy jack undergoes a vision quest, the governor and the police plot to permanently put an end to their liberal shenanigans, leaving it up to billy jack to save the day. Students are threatened and abused and the native americans in the neighboring village are taunted and mistreated. Yep, the courthouse square had a scene from this cult 70s movie. Filming began in prescott, arizona, in the fall of 1969, but the movie was not completed until 1971. How does a tiny independent film made on a shoestring, bounced through three studios aip, fox, and warner bros. The return of billy jack is the unfinished fifth and final film in the billy jack movie series. It is the sequel to the 1971 film, billy jack, and the third film overall in the. Billy jack sacrificed himself so those who he loves could live in peace. Delores taylor, whose empathy for native americans informed the 1971 surprise actionfilm hit billy jack, which she wrote and starred in with her husband, tom laughlin, died on friday in. Financial analysis of the trial of billy jack 1974 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Even as laughlin struggled to find a firm foothold in the film industry, his. It is the sequel to the 1971 film, billy jack, and the third film overall in the series.
Victoria native remembers time in film the trial of billy. Buyers of the previous 2005 complete release wont need to doubledip here. The movie is narrated by jean through a series of flashbacks. The complete billy jack collection the born losers, billy. The trial of billy jack the trial of billy jack looks pretty similar to billy jack, in that it shows some good quality imagery, although it does look like its from a rather crusty older master. The trial of billy jack 1974 a halfindian footfighting vietnam veteran tom laughlin defends his girlfriends delores taylor school against the establishment.
Three of the movies were big hits 1967s the born losers, 1971s billy jack and 1974s the trial of billy jack. Image entertainment has released the complete billy jack collection, a collection of the four official billy jack films. Through the eradefining billy jack character, director tom laughlin pushed the. The trial of billy jack is a 1974 action film starring delores taylor and tom laughlin. Where was inspector lynley episode in the guise of death filmed. If you watch closely youll see thumb butte in some of the shots, and that ice cream parlor is still there. Where was the freedom school from trial of billy jack. Ive not seen it in years and found it on a bargain dvd the other night. It is the sequel to the 1971 film, billy jack, and the third film overall in the series directed by laughlin, it has a running time of nearly three hours. Delores taylor and tom laughlin in the 1971 film billy jack. After billy jack belatedly became a boxoffice smash two years after its original release and the born losers, the biker film in which tom laughlin created the billy jack character, had enjoyed a highly successful rerelease, tom laughlin brought everyones favorite martial arts hero turned native american mystic back to the screen for a third goround in the trial of billy jack.
Billy jack is released and things heat up for the school. I would later see the trial of billy jack somewhere near the very end of 1974. After billy jack in sentenced to four years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of the first film, the freedom school expands and flourishes under the guidance of jean roberts. The first is the furniture repossession scene that takes place in a mall parking lot. The trial of billy jack 1974 directed by tom laughlin. With tom laughlin, delores taylor, victor izay, teresa kelly. And i have to admit, the ending where we see the unarmed students of the freedom school, including jean brutally shot down by the national guard is a horrifically disturbing scene that makes its point. As a very young boy, i saw the film billy jack during the summer of 1971. In fact, the also deadly serious billy jack 1971 made zillions at the box officenot because it was a good film though it wasnt quite as bad as the trial of billy jack but because it was a perfect film for the times. Hiking various trails in the vicinity of lynx lake, which was the site of the billy jack corvette scene. I have never watched a billy jack movie in my life, but see they are airing now, so i started. The born losers, 1971s billy jack and 1974s the trial of billy jack. The themes of equality and justice stand out through. After billy jack in sentenced to four years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of the first film.
The trial of billy jack 1974 tom laughlin synopsis. What was the first film to debut on over 1500 screens simultaneously. A 1974 promotional poster for the film the trial of billy jack. Well, it wasnt some specious fish story, thats for sure. Lynx lake is in the prescott national forest, just east of prescott, where many billy. The trial of billy jack takes place entirely in flashback, with jean in a hospital bed following the shooting at the freedom. This episode in the saga of billy jack has a place in movie history as the first film to be launched in. Laughlin will probably be remembered most for the film billy jack, which he wrote, directed, and costarred in. There are a lot of things in billy jack that are seriously conceived and very wellhandled. Though its definitely dated, the trial of billy jack today plays like a diatribe. The utopian existence of the school is characterized by everything ranging from yoga sports to. Billy jack is a 1971 actiondrama independent film, the second of four films centering on a character of the same name which began with the movie the born.
The trial of billy jack is a 1974 action drama, about a halfbreed vietnam war veteran billy jack tom laughlin, who goes on trial for the events that took place in the previous film. He made the films, billy jack the mysterious and mystical native american vietnam veteran protector of a very progressive freedom school, based in the southwestern united states, the trial of billy jack the explosively powerful sequel to billy jack, the master gunfighter a standout, highly unusual western, filmed with exquisitely. I just got the trial of billy jack from netflix the other dayfor cold, nefarious reasons far to horrifying to contemplateand i was wondering. The trial of billy jack 1974 follows on directly from the events of the last film, with billy jack in prison and the students at the freedom school rebuilding and angering the locals once again with their efforts to bring truth to power. The film was produced from december 1985 to early 1986 in new york city with some scenes filmed in central park, with additional scenes filmed in toronto. While the matter of whether or not this is great filmmaking may be up for debate, there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most accurate records on film of what is was to be a hippie or a freak in the early 70s. The trial of billy jack is a 1974 film starring delores taylor and tom laughlin. Billy jack is a 1971 actiondrama independent film, the second of four films centering on a character of the same name which began with the movie the born losers 1967, played by tom laughlin, who directed and cowrote the script. The trial of billy jack is a violent, sometimesexplosive, antiestablishment sequel to billy jack 1971. You just have to wonder what really went on in the laughlan household prior to the 3 later movies being filmed with plain jane delores. Selfdistributed, the trial of billy jack was one of the highest grossing films of 1974. Tom laughlin, the titular character billy jack, as well as the director of the billy jack films, is the hippieantiestablishmentfree thinking equivalent of h.
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