R.P.M.

R.P.M. is a 1970 American drama film that takes place at a fictional California university, Bannon College. The film was directed by Stanley Kramer and stars Anthony Quinn, Ann-Margret, and Gary Lockwood. The story revolves around the unrest and protest movement happening in the college campus.

The film opens with Bannon College faculty member Frank Korshak (Anthony Quinn) returning to his office after a sabbatical. He is met with protests from the student body, who have taken over the administration building. The students are led by student government leaders, including the militant George Hammond (Gary Lockwood) and the passionate Barbara Ann (Ann-Margret). The protests are a reaction to the new university president’s decision to raise tuition fees in order to fund the university’s expansion.

The students’ protests become more radical, leading to a situation that risks the safety of the administration building occupants and the students. Korshak, a liberal and sympathetic faculty member, is tasked by the university administration to negotiate with the protesters, and to convince them to leave peacefully.

What follows is a series of dramatic events as Korshak gets entangled with the student protesters, the university administration, and a group of outsider radicals who have joined the protest movement. Korshak realizes that there’s more to the protests than just tuition hike, and that the students are demanding radical changes in the university’s academic policies.

Throughout the movie, the director paints a vivid picture of the social and political mood of the early 70s- the Vietnam War, anti-war and anti-establishment movements, the counterculture, and the generational divide between the baby boomer college students and the older generation of college administrators.

R.P.M. also benefits from the strong performances of the leading actors- Quinn, Margret, and Lockwood. Anthony Quinn delivers a convincing portrayal of a middle-aged liberal struggling to find his place in the new era of university protests, and Ann-Margret shines as a smart and determined young student leader. Gary Lockwood, too, manages to capture the conflicting emotions and ideals of a student protester who is at once radical, naive, and misguided.

The film’s themes and message still hold relevance today. The conflicts between the older generation of liberal professors and the younger generation of radical students resonate with the ongoing debates on academic freedom, free speech, and cancel culture. The film’s commentary on the commodification of higher education, and the trade-off between quality education and profit-making, are also relevant in the current climate of student loan crisis and soaring tuition fees.

In conclusion, R.P.M. is a thought-provoking and gripping film that explores the conflicts and tensions of a fictional California university during a time of social and political upheaval. The film benefits from its strong performances, its bold commentary, and its relevance to contemporary issues.