"They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong."
Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), Dally (Matt Dillon), Johnny (Ralph Macchio), Sodapop (Rob Lowe), Two-bit (Emilio Estevez), Darry (Patrick Swayze) and Steve (Tom Cruise) are greasers in mid '60s Oklahoma. Coming from the wrong side of the tracks brands them as good-for-nothing, trouble making youngsters - an essentially unearned reputation. Aside from the infamous Dallas Winston, the boys aren't into half as much mischief as their stereotype grants them, getting up to the usual but virtually harmless teen antics.
But one night at the drive-in sees the beginning of a change for the greaser boys, with Dally, Ponyboy and Johnny running into a couple of socs, Marcia (Michelle Meyrink) and Sherri 'Cherry' Valance (Diane Lane). The obnoxious Dally decides to have a go at sweet-talking Cherry, who responds by throwing a drink in his face. Eventually the bad boy of the bunch splits, leaving the less threatening Pony and Johnny talking to the two girls. They're soon joined by the comedian of the greaser lads - Two-bit, sporting sideburns, a mickey mouse shirt and leather jacket. All is going great until leaving the drive-in, when Marcia and Cherry's boyfriends pull up looking for a fight. Narrowly escaping a scuffle, both gangs leave. None of them can foresee the events to follow.
Returning home to find his parents at each others throats, Johnny decides to go over to 'the lot', accompanied by Pony, where they share a tear jerking heart-to-heart, Johnny confiding in his best friend that he feels like committing suicide. They fall asleep, waking up at 2am, Ponyboy rushing home to find his older brother Darry furious. Having lost their parents in a car accident, the oldest of the Curtis brothers, Darry, is responsible for his younger siblings; Soda and Pony, who run the risk of being put into a boys home. In rage, Darry pushes Pony to the floor, only making things worse when Pony bolts back over to Johnny at the lot. The situation gets sticky when the boys are greeted by Marcia and Cherry's boyfriends, ringleaders of their soc gang, who proceed to teach the greasers a lesson. Kicking Johnny to the ground, they drag Ponyboy to a nearby fountain, laughing as they immerse him underwater.
Waking up on the ground to see Johnny clutching a bloodied pocket knife, Ponyboy gags, spotting Cherry's boyfriend in a pool of blood. "I killed him", repeats a trembling Johnny. Needing advice, they race over to find Dally, who throws them a gun and fifty bucks, instructing them to jump the freight train and lay low for a week or so in "an abandoned church on Jay Mountain". Taking his advice, they trek up to Windrixville, disguising themselves to avoid identification.
The act can't go on forever, and when Dally comes up to meet the guys, disaster strikes. A fire breaks out in the church while the guys drive off for a bite to eat, and when they return, the entire place is ablaze. Worst of all, the building is full of children. Playing the heroes, Johnny and Ponyboy hurry inside to rescue the helpless kids, putting their own lives in danger. The superhero deed leads to tragedy when the burning roof caves in on a defenseless Johnny, putting him in hospital with severe injuries.
The tragic incident doesn't stop the impending rumble between the greasers and socs, and there is plenty more bad luck yet to come.
VERDICT: ★★★★
The Outsiders, based on S.E. Hinton's novel of the same name, is without a doubt, a fantastic movie. The huge list of future stars whose careers really took off after the film should be an enormous indication of the greatness of the flick!
The theatrical version was stripped of many key scenes for fear of an almost two hour movie being overlong. Finally in 2005, the movie was re-released, with over 20 minutes of extra scenes that might never have seen the light of day. The original score written by Carmine Coppola was replaced by classic '60s hits, changing the atmosphere of the film completely. The moody, intense original score gave the film an almost thriller-like feel, whereas the more contemporary '60s tunes managed to lighten the mood in the appropriate places, but still keep hold of the serious tone where needed. If watching the movie for the first time, i'd wholeheartedly recommend the Complete Novel edition, as it is more faithful to S.E. Hinton's book, and paints a more rounded picture of the story.
An amazingly well-done movie that you should see at least once in your lifetime! Everyone at some time in their lives has been familiar with gang or 'clique' rivalry/tension, and it is pretty shocking to think of the extremes that teenagers can go to. Demonstrating the scarring stereotypical views of both kids and adults, The Outsiders hits the nail on the head in many places, and the thought of it ever being remade makes me shudder.
IMAGES/VIDEOS: [movie clip]
SOUNDTRACK:
1. Stay Gold - Bill Hughes
2. Fate Theme (Dallas Tragic Music)
3. Country Theme/Brothers Theme
4. Cherry Says Goodbye/Ponyboy and Brothers
5. Dallas Death Scene
6. Fire in the Deserted Church
7. Sunrise/Stay Gold
8. Flight and the Fight in the Park
9. Bob is Dead
10. Train to Deserted Church/Passing Time
11. Go to Rumble Rumble (Gang Fistfight)
12. The Outside In - Bill Hughes
But one night at the drive-in sees the beginning of a change for the greaser boys, with Dally, Ponyboy and Johnny running into a couple of socs, Marcia (Michelle Meyrink) and Sherri 'Cherry' Valance (Diane Lane). The obnoxious Dally decides to have a go at sweet-talking Cherry, who responds by throwing a drink in his face. Eventually the bad boy of the bunch splits, leaving the less threatening Pony and Johnny talking to the two girls. They're soon joined by the comedian of the greaser lads - Two-bit, sporting sideburns, a mickey mouse shirt and leather jacket. All is going great until leaving the drive-in, when Marcia and Cherry's boyfriends pull up looking for a fight. Narrowly escaping a scuffle, both gangs leave. None of them can foresee the events to follow.
Returning home to find his parents at each others throats, Johnny decides to go over to 'the lot', accompanied by Pony, where they share a tear jerking heart-to-heart, Johnny confiding in his best friend that he feels like committing suicide. They fall asleep, waking up at 2am, Ponyboy rushing home to find his older brother Darry furious. Having lost their parents in a car accident, the oldest of the Curtis brothers, Darry, is responsible for his younger siblings; Soda and Pony, who run the risk of being put into a boys home. In rage, Darry pushes Pony to the floor, only making things worse when Pony bolts back over to Johnny at the lot. The situation gets sticky when the boys are greeted by Marcia and Cherry's boyfriends, ringleaders of their soc gang, who proceed to teach the greasers a lesson. Kicking Johnny to the ground, they drag Ponyboy to a nearby fountain, laughing as they immerse him underwater.
Waking up on the ground to see Johnny clutching a bloodied pocket knife, Ponyboy gags, spotting Cherry's boyfriend in a pool of blood. "I killed him", repeats a trembling Johnny. Needing advice, they race over to find Dally, who throws them a gun and fifty bucks, instructing them to jump the freight train and lay low for a week or so in "an abandoned church on Jay Mountain". Taking his advice, they trek up to Windrixville, disguising themselves to avoid identification.
The act can't go on forever, and when Dally comes up to meet the guys, disaster strikes. A fire breaks out in the church while the guys drive off for a bite to eat, and when they return, the entire place is ablaze. Worst of all, the building is full of children. Playing the heroes, Johnny and Ponyboy hurry inside to rescue the helpless kids, putting their own lives in danger. The superhero deed leads to tragedy when the burning roof caves in on a defenseless Johnny, putting him in hospital with severe injuries.
The tragic incident doesn't stop the impending rumble between the greasers and socs, and there is plenty more bad luck yet to come.
VERDICT: ★★★★
The Outsiders, based on S.E. Hinton's novel of the same name, is without a doubt, a fantastic movie. The huge list of future stars whose careers really took off after the film should be an enormous indication of the greatness of the flick!
The theatrical version was stripped of many key scenes for fear of an almost two hour movie being overlong. Finally in 2005, the movie was re-released, with over 20 minutes of extra scenes that might never have seen the light of day. The original score written by Carmine Coppola was replaced by classic '60s hits, changing the atmosphere of the film completely. The moody, intense original score gave the film an almost thriller-like feel, whereas the more contemporary '60s tunes managed to lighten the mood in the appropriate places, but still keep hold of the serious tone where needed. If watching the movie for the first time, i'd wholeheartedly recommend the Complete Novel edition, as it is more faithful to S.E. Hinton's book, and paints a more rounded picture of the story.
An amazingly well-done movie that you should see at least once in your lifetime! Everyone at some time in their lives has been familiar with gang or 'clique' rivalry/tension, and it is pretty shocking to think of the extremes that teenagers can go to. Demonstrating the scarring stereotypical views of both kids and adults, The Outsiders hits the nail on the head in many places, and the thought of it ever being remade makes me shudder.
IMAGES/VIDEOS: [movie clip]
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SOUNDTRACK:
The original soundtrack comprising of Carmine Coppola's score is another sought after soundtrack that sells for big bucks. As yet, a soundtrack to the Complete Novel has not been made available, and it is likely that it never will be. So for now, we'll have to put up with the fan-made unofficial soundtracks that are making the rounds on various soundtrack blogs. Then again, it isn't overly difficult to track these songs down from other sources.
1. Stay Gold - Bill Hughes
2. Fate Theme (Dallas Tragic Music)
3. Country Theme/Brothers Theme
4. Cherry Says Goodbye/Ponyboy and Brothers
5. Dallas Death Scene
6. Fire in the Deserted Church
7. Sunrise/Stay Gold
8. Flight and the Fight in the Park
9. Bob is Dead
10. Train to Deserted Church/Passing Time
11. Go to Rumble Rumble (Gang Fistfight)
12. The Outside In - Bill Hughes
Complete Novel:
1. Stay Gold - Stevie Wonder
2. Gloria - Van Morrison
3. Loveless Motel - R.C. Bannon
4. Jack Daniels, If You Please - David Allan Coe
5. Outer Limits - The Marketts
6. Real Wild Child - Jerry Lee Lewis
7. Blue Moon - Elvis Presley
8. Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Elvis Presley
9. Mystery Train - Elvis Presley
10. We're Gonna Move - Elvis Presley
11. Lend Me Your Comb - Carl Perkins
12. Milky White Way - Elvis Presley
13. When It Rains It Really Pours - Elvis Presley
14. Teen Beat - Sandy Nelson
2. Gloria - Van Morrison
3. Loveless Motel - R.C. Bannon
4. Jack Daniels, If You Please - David Allan Coe
5. Outer Limits - The Marketts
6. Real Wild Child - Jerry Lee Lewis
7. Blue Moon - Elvis Presley
8. Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Elvis Presley
9. Mystery Train - Elvis Presley
10. We're Gonna Move - Elvis Presley
11. Lend Me Your Comb - Carl Perkins
12. Milky White Way - Elvis Presley
13. When It Rains It Really Pours - Elvis Presley
14. Teen Beat - Sandy Nelson
You've gotta adore the unreleased soundtrack in all its '60s glory. Any Elvis haters had better leave the building!
