''Cowards'' is a 1970 American drama film written and directed by

Simon Nuchtern Simon Nuchtern (born 1936) is a Belgian-born American filmmaker who is based in New York. He has directed, written, and produced a number of low-budget and independent films since the 1960s. His films include '' Cowards'' (1970), a drama wh ...

about the then-topical issue of draft evasion in the Vietnam War. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1970. Following the commercial failure of ''Cowards'', the film was re-edited with newly-shot erotic scenes featuring unrelated actors, and was reissued under the title ''Love-In '72'' so that it could be remarketed as a

sexploitation film A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sex ...

. Nuchtern's name was removed from the credits of the recut version; the direction of ''Love-In '72'' was credited to Sidney Knight and Karl Hansen, and the writing to Jay Robins.

Plot

A young man must decide whether to flee the U.S. draft and move to Canada, or stay or go fight for his country in Vietnam.

Cast

* John Ross as Phillip Haller * Susan Sparling as Joan Boyd * Will Patent as Peter Yates * Tom Murphy as Howard Yates *

Philip Baker Hall Philip Baker Hall (September 10, 1931 – June 12, 2022) was an American character actor. Hall is known for his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, including '' Hard Eight'' (1996), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) and ''Magnolia'' (1999). He als ...

as Father Reis * Alexander Gellman as Gregory Haller *

Spalding Gray Spalding Gray (June 5, 1941 – January 11, 2004) was an American actor, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and performance artist. He is best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and ...

as Radical at party Additional cast in ''Love-In '72'' version: * Linda Southern as Sunny * Daniel Nugent as Steve

Reception

Reviews of ''Cowards'' were mixed to negative. Roger Greenspun of '' The New York Times'' said he "liked" ''Cowards'' despite it being "one of the squarest, most unashamedly flat‐footed films of the year," and praised the performances of John Ross and Susan Sparling. The ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' said that "at best, the drama is talky and labored." '' TV Guide'' dismissed it as "inept" and "a film best forgotten." Reviewing the DVD release of the ''Love-In '72'' cut for

Something Weird Video Something Weird Video is an American film distributor company based in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in exploitation B to Z films, particularly the works of Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, David F. Friedman and Herschell Gordon Lewis. Ins ...

Frank Henenlotter Frank Henenlotter (born August 29, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter and film historian. He is known primarily for directing horror comedies, especially '' Basket Case'' (1982), ''Brain Damage'' (1988), and ''Frankenhooker'' (199 ...

wrote "Eagle-eyed viewers will enjoy spotting two now-mainstream actors in small, incendiary roles:

plays the priest who preaches the gospel of civil disobedience, while monologuist Spalding Grey is alternately funny and scary as a psycho terrorist babbling at a party."

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1970 films American drama films American sexploitation films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films