I'm not convinced the additional music and footage make the film all that much better, but there's no denying the film is now more than ever like Hinton's book....
Anyway, today the most notable thing about the movie version of the book is the fact that it stars just about every youthful heartthrob imaginable before he or she became really famous. Matt Dillon plays the hard, big-city kid, Dallas Winston, the kind of role Dillon would repeat many times over. Ralph Macchio, a year away from becoming the "Karate Kid," plays the young man accused of murder, Johnny Cade. Patrick Swayze, with "Dirty Dancing," "Road House," and "Ghost" years ahead of him, flexes his muscles as Ponyboy's older brother, Darrel. Rob Lowe, in his first big-screen appearance, is Pony's next-older brother, the one he idolizes, Sodapop. Emilio Estevez is the cutup, Two-Bit Matthews, a role perfectly suited to Estevez's own free spirit. Tom Cruise has a bit part as a family friend, Steve Randle; and Diane Lane is the romantic interest, Cherry Valance. Ironically, about the only actor in the film who did not go on to mega stardom is the star, C. Thomas Howell, who is nevertheless still doing well in late-night action flicks.
In addition, the movie features Tom Waits as the tough-guy Buck Merrill. It is kind of a kick watching all these people together in one film, even if the film itself is somewhat less than riveting. The additions Coppola made in the new "Complete Novel" version of "The Outsiders" should satisfy those viewers and readers who insisted that the movie be more like the book. Now, if only the book had been a great piece of literature, we might have had a great motion picture instead of merely an adequate one.
Video:
Warner Brothers previously offered both a standard and a widescreen rendering of the film on flip sides of a single DVD. This time out we get only the widescreen, but the studio engineers have remastered it to better effect. The image dimensions again approximate the movie's 2.35:1 original aspect ratio. However, whereas the picture quality in the first edition was slightly faded, covered over with a dull sheen and some small degree of grain, the new transfer is done at a much higher bit rate, producing deeper colors and sharper definition. The overall picture is perhaps a tad dark, but that is probably how the original print looked.
Audio:
In the former edition, the Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack was as unremarkable as its earlier video reproduction, but that has changed as well in this new version. In Dolby Digital 5.1, the sound is now a touch clearer and cleaner, rear-channel ambiance is enhanced, and the dynamic range appears more open. Voices continue to come through well, which is still the most important matter, and the background is just as free of noise as before.
Extras:
Disc one of this two-disc special edition contains the newly remastered film; the new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; thirty-two scene selections but no chapter insert; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles. In addition, the disc contains two new introductions and audio commentaries, the first by director Coppola and the second by five greasers and a soc: Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Diane Lane. Of the two, it was Coppola's commentary that I found the most revealing, although I rather imagine it will be the stars that many people will want to hear. Coppola seems entirely honest about his remarks, humble and insightful about the film and the filmmaking, and highly informative. The stars seem equally reflective, providing a wealth of personal anecdotes about their experiences. These are both remarkably able commentaries, among the best of their kind, and, frankly, they were more interesting to me than the movie.
Disc two contains the usual odds and ends related to the film, much of it featuring the actors themselves. First up is a twenty-six minute documentary, "Staying Gold: A Look Back at The Outsiders," that features reminiscences by the director and stars about their experiences with the theatrical release, as well as information related to the new, restored version. That is followed by a seven-minute featurette, "S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa," wherein the author takes us on a tour of some of the actual locations for the book and the movie, like the drive-in movie, the school, the Curtis house, etc. It also includes the following statement: "'The Outsiders' has sold over ten million copies in North America and it is ranked second only to 'Charlotte's Web' in total sales of books for young people." Amazing.
Next up is a featurette called "The Casting of The Outsiders," thirteen minutes, that includes screen tests and auditions, with the actors today looking back on their roles and with others that didn't make the cut. After that, we find about seven minutes' worth of "Readings," wherein a number of cast members today read selections from the book describing their characters. Then, the extras conclude with an "NBC News Today" Segment, "The Outsiders Started by Student Petition"; six additional scenes; and an original widescreen theatrical trailer.
The two discs are housed in a slim-line keep case, further enclosed in a cardboard slipcover.
Parting Jots:
In Coppola's second S.E. Hinton project, "Rumble Fish" (also 1983), he took greater artistic license with the subject matter and produced a more ambitious and more successful motion picture, going so far as to photograph most of it in black-and-white. Still, it's "The Outsiders" that kids will remember most, thanks mainly to its now all-star cast. Although the filmmaking is modest and largely straightforward, it does help readers of the book get a good visual impression of the story's time, setting, characters, and events, especially now with the added footage. The movie satisfies in minor ways.
Moreover, Warner Bros.' special-edition "Complete Novel" improves upon the first DVD release in every department: The movie is a better, more complete rendering of the book; the disc transfer has better audiovisual qualities and a better soundtrack; and the set includes far more and better extras. I don't usually approve of double dips, but with this new edition, I'd have to make an exception.
In addition, the movie features Tom Waits as the tough-guy Buck Merrill. It is kind of a kick watching all these people together in one film, even if the film itself is somewhat less than riveting. The additions Coppola made in the new "Complete Novel" version of "The Outsiders" should satisfy those viewers and readers who insisted that the movie be more like the book. Now, if only the book had been a great piece of literature, we might have had a great motion picture instead of merely an adequate one.
Video:
Warner Brothers previously offered both a standard and a widescreen rendering of the film on flip sides of a single DVD. This time out we get only the widescreen, but the studio engineers have remastered it to better effect. The image dimensions again approximate the movie's 2.35:1 original aspect ratio. However, whereas the picture quality in the first edition was slightly faded, covered over with a dull sheen and some small degree of grain, the new transfer is done at a much higher bit rate, producing deeper colors and sharper definition. The overall picture is perhaps a tad dark, but that is probably how the original print looked.
Audio:
In the former edition, the Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack was as unremarkable as its earlier video reproduction, but that has changed as well in this new version. In Dolby Digital 5.1, the sound is now a touch clearer and cleaner, rear-channel ambiance is enhanced, and the dynamic range appears more open. Voices continue to come through well, which is still the most important matter, and the background is just as free of noise as before.
Extras:
Disc one of this two-disc special edition contains the newly remastered film; the new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; thirty-two scene selections but no chapter insert; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles. In addition, the disc contains two new introductions and audio commentaries, the first by director Coppola and the second by five greasers and a soc: Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Diane Lane. Of the two, it was Coppola's commentary that I found the most revealing, although I rather imagine it will be the stars that many people will want to hear. Coppola seems entirely honest about his remarks, humble and insightful about the film and the filmmaking, and highly informative. The stars seem equally reflective, providing a wealth of personal anecdotes about their experiences. These are both remarkably able commentaries, among the best of their kind, and, frankly, they were more interesting to me than the movie.
Disc two contains the usual odds and ends related to the film, much of it featuring the actors themselves. First up is a twenty-six minute documentary, "Staying Gold: A Look Back at The Outsiders," that features reminiscences by the director and stars about their experiences with the theatrical release, as well as information related to the new, restored version. That is followed by a seven-minute featurette, "S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa," wherein the author takes us on a tour of some of the actual locations for the book and the movie, like the drive-in movie, the school, the Curtis house, etc. It also includes the following statement: "'The Outsiders' has sold over ten million copies in North America and it is ranked second only to 'Charlotte's Web' in total sales of books for young people." Amazing.
Next up is a featurette called "The Casting of The Outsiders," thirteen minutes, that includes screen tests and auditions, with the actors today looking back on their roles and with others that didn't make the cut. After that, we find about seven minutes' worth of "Readings," wherein a number of cast members today read selections from the book describing their characters. Then, the extras conclude with an "NBC News Today" Segment, "The Outsiders Started by Student Petition"; six additional scenes; and an original widescreen theatrical trailer.
The two discs are housed in a slim-line keep case, further enclosed in a cardboard slipcover.
Parting Jots:
In Coppola's second S.E. Hinton project, "Rumble Fish" (also 1983), he took greater artistic license with the subject matter and produced a more ambitious and more successful motion picture, going so far as to photograph most of it in black-and-white. Still, it's "The Outsiders" that kids will remember most, thanks mainly to its now all-star cast. Although the filmmaking is modest and largely straightforward, it does help readers of the book get a good visual impression of the story's time, setting, characters, and events, especially now with the added footage. The movie satisfies in minor ways.
Moreover, Warner Bros.' special-edition "Complete Novel" improves upon the first DVD release in every department: The movie is a better, more complete rendering of the book; the disc transfer has better audiovisual qualities and a better soundtrack; and the set includes far more and better extras. I don't usually approve of double dips, but with this new edition, I'd have to make an exception.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]16885[/release]