Herbert's Hippopotamus: Marcuse and Revolution in Paradise. Paul Alexander Juutilainen's documentary is unabashedly on the side of 1960s student radical guru Herbert Marcuse, celebrating his-leftist critique of affluent America and focusing on then-Gov. Ronald Reagan's attempt to force the aging philosophy professor from his post at UC San Diego in the late '60s. The real villain of this' piece is not, however, Reagan and the American Legioneers (who merely look silly in old TV clips complaining about the red professor), but instead the university bureaucrat who ultimately succeeded in chasing Marcuse from his post by instituting mandatory retirement for all at age 70. In retirement himself today, he lies right to the camera about his act not being directed at the tenured embarrassment, but instead at old fogies everywhere. In a nutshell, Marcuse's argument about the repressive side of liberal humanist "tolerance" is proved. Better foes like Reagan than friends like that. (Gregg Rickman)
Sunday, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m., Oddfellows.
