Getting Straight

Can a former student activist join the "other side" without falling prey to compromise? That's the question Harry Bailey (ELLIOTT GOULD) faces in this absorbing, highly amusing film. Bailey has returned to his alma mater where he was once deeply involved in the causes of student activism; but now he's back at the University working for his master's degree so that he can become a teacher. Harry does his best to avoid the issues underlying the student unrest despite the fact that his girlfriend, Jan (CANDICE BERGEN), is a leader in the movement. When the campus demonstrations heat up and there are violent clashes with the police, martial law is established. Harry finds he can no longer compromise his feelings and stages a dramatic confrontation during his oral examination. © Columbia Pictures