Medium Cool
Medium Cool is a 1969 American drama film written and directed by Haskell Wexler and starring Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, Marianna Hill and Harold Blankenship. It takes place in Chicago in the summer of 1968. It was notable for Wexler's use of cinéma vérité-style documentary filmmaking techniques, as well as for combining fictional and non-fictional content.
| Medium Cool | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Haskell Wexler |
| Written by | Haskell Wexler |
| Produced by | Tully Friedman Haskell Wexler Jerrold Wexler |
| Starring | Robert Forster Verna Bloom Peter Bonerz Marianna Hill Harold Blankenship |
| Cinematography | Haskell Wexler |
| Edited by | Verna Fields |
| Music by | Mike Bloomfield |
Production company | H & J Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
| Box office | $5.5 million (rentals) |
The movie was met with widespread acclaim from numerous critics, including Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel of Siskel & Ebert, both calling the movie a "well-crafted masterpiece." The movie was also named one of the greatest movies of 1969, as well as one of the most influential movies in the New Hollywood movement. Robert Forster was also met with universal acclaim for his performance.
In 2003, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".