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Line 34: ==Historical context== As noted above, the film was shot at a time of great political upheaval in the United States. 1968 was a tumultuous year in the United States, and [[Haskell Wexler]]'s film reflects the conflicted nature of the country at the time. Issues of race, gender, war, and political violence ran rampant. The [[Tet Offensive]] was launched; [[Martin Luther King, Jr.\|Martin Luther King]] [[Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination\|was murdered]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee\|Memphis]] in April; race riots occurred in major cities all over the country. In June 1968, [[Robert F. Kennedy\|Robert Kennedy]] [[Robert F. Kennedy assassination\|was assassinated]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Distributors considered Wexler's film controversial; its receiving an [[X-rated#United States\|'X' rating]] delayed its release. In 1970 it was re-rated [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system\|R]]. Discussing this, Wexler said: "They also objected to the language and the nudity, things which ultimately meant the film received an 'X' rating. What no one had the nerve to say was that it was a political 'X'" (Cronin, 2001). Obviously, the film struck a nerve, as it was truly a product of the times in which it was made—there was no separating the political climate of the United States and the material in the film. Other films of the time which attempted, in a more mainstream way, to deal with the antiwar movement and activist demonstrations on college campuses include ''[[R. P. M.]]'', ''[[Getting Straight]]'', and [[The Strawberry Statement (film)\|The Strawberry Statement]]''. ==Critical response==