Search - Sex Drugs & Democracy on DVD

A MUST SEE

CineGraphic Studios | Frederick, MD USA | 08/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't tell you how badly I wanted to move to Holland after watching this gem!

I've bought 7 copies to give as presents in the past year.

You really wonder if the USA is the "land of the free".

(Holland looks better every day!)



Well made, informal, great editing....love it!



Reefer Madness is one of the cleanest transfers I've seen on DVD.



Hemp for Victory has to be seen to believed. This classic propaganda short begs farmers to start growing dope!

Our navy needed rope for all of the new ships.

Soundtrack bonus CD is tops!"

A different world

Saradele | Denver, CO | 01/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary offers a vivid portrait of the Netherlands' permissive social landscape. Interviewing prostitutes, judges, political leaders, coffeehouse owners, and regular Dutch citizens, filmmaker Jonathan Blank makes the case that decriminalizing "soft" drugs and prostitution can advance the public good by freeing government to spend more time on education, prevention, and public health efforts. Blank ties the film together by presenting excerpts from the Dutch constitution, which frames individual liberties very differently than does the U.S. Constitution. These excerpts make clear why the Dutch government does not have the authority to legislate morality. The only flaw in the documentary is that it cheerleads for its political message and fails to document any negatives to the Dutch social arrangement. It must also be said that this documentary is not for the close-minded or easily offended; be prepared for graphic nudity during the section on pornography and live sex shows. The bonus features on the DVD are excellent. Far more amusing than the actual documentary is the black and white film "Reefer Madness," an unintentionally hilarious cautionary tale about how marijuana is sure to transform good citizens into maniacal, murderous thugs. There's also "Hemp for Victory," a short produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture during World War II to convince farmers that it was their patriotic duty to convert a portion of their land to hemp production. These two features alone are worth the price of the DVD."

Dutch Democracy

J.W.K | Nagano, Japan | 08/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The people that appear in SEX, DRUGS AND DEMOCRACY dress and act in a distinctly 90s manner, yet the overall message of the film remains just as vitally important today as when it was released in 1994: namely, that the Dutch have a lot to teach the world about tolerance, equality and democracy. Indeed, by comparison, the United States, which touts itself as a shining beacon of liberty and democracy, resembles a police state under harsh draconian laws."