Return of the Secaucus Seven (1979)

Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC.

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce MacDonald	...	Mike Donnelly
Maggie Renzi	...	Katie Sipriano
Adam LeFevre	...	J.T.
Maggie Cousineau	...	Frances Carlson
Gordon Clapp	...	Chip Hollister
Jean Passanante	...	Irene Rosenblue
Karen Trott	...	Maura Tolliver
Mark Arnott	...	Jeff Andrews
David Strathairn	...	Ron Desjardins
John Sayles	...	Howie
Marisa Smith	...	Carol
Amy Schewel	...	Lacey Summers
Carolyn Brooks	...	Meg
Eric Forsythe	...	Captain
Nancy Mette	...	Lee

Storyline

The Secaucus 7 of the film's title are seven friends who, during their college days, were arrested in New Jersey on their way to a protest in Washington. The film takes place ten years after all that, as the friends gather at the home of Mike and Katie, now schoolteachers in New Hampshire, bringing with them old problems and new: Maura has left Jeff and seeks consolation with his best friend, J.T.; J.T., arguably the least successful of the friends, finally gets the courage to move to Los Angeles to start a career as a songwriter; Irene brings her new boyfriend along, hoping he'll like and be liked by her friends and expecting them to challenge him for his more-conservative politics; and more. This is the film that inspired "The Big Chill."

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Plot Keywords:

friend | new hampshire | college | protest | reunion | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Det var dengang - i 60'erne

Filming Locations:

Jackson, New Hampshire, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Salsipuedes Productions, Anarchist's Convention Films, UCLA Film and Television Archive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of this film, John Sayles has said: "I wanted to direct, and the only way you get to direct in Hollywood is to have a film to show." Sayles made this film with the intention of using the movie as an "audition piece" so he could get further work in Hollywood.

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Goofs

Camera shadow on the ground during the basketball game when JT falls down.

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Quotes

Norman: Take all of you people to nail one buck?
Chip Hollister: It was just lying there with its feet tied together.
Norman: Must've been an easy shot, then.
[They laugh]
Norman: How many points?
Chip Hollister: I didn't count.
Norman: You're not from here, are you?
Chip Hollister: No. Just Mike.
Norman: Lucky sons of bitches. I been jacking deer in these woods all my life. Never stumbled across one that was gift-wrapped!
Officer: Norman!
[...]

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Connections

References Leave It to Beaver (1957)

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Soundtracks

"Bad Apple Blues"
Trad. / Arr.
© 1979 Sweet Melodies Publishing
Arranged by Cora Bennett
Performed by Cora Bennett (uncredited)

User Reviews

Groundbreaking

John Sayles made this film for only $60,000 and only one person in the film had any previous acting experience. It's just amazing how well this turned out. It's about a couple (Mike and Katie) who invite all their college friends to spending the weekend in a cabin in New Hampshire. They all spent their college years as radicals...and now they're all turning 30. We learn who they were and how they are now. No big catastrophes or changes are made with any of the characters--we just see how these former radicals are now dealing with life. Sounds boring but I found it absolutely fascinating. The acting is all natural and realistic--I found myself actually believing these people all have been friends for 10+ years! The dialogue was sharp and on target...but John Sayles has always been a master at writing great scripts.

I was in my first year of college when this came out. It was a HUGE hit in Boston (I believe it played at one independent cinema for over a year!) and I saw it again and again. Even though I was too young to really identify with the characters (their moaning about turning 30 struck me as silly) I was fascinated by their characters and situations. They do discuss issues that were relevant in 1980--that's probably what I found so interesting. Seeing it now (28 years later) it's dated (of course) but still fascinating. The references to late 70s issues, politicians and life style may confuse younger viewers. Also it was interesting to see that casual sex and drug taking is shown as being OK! I also liked the surprising and casual male nudity in a skinny dipping sequence. (None of the female actors get nude but it seems the guys had no problem). This was later remade (sort of) in Hollywood as "The Big Chill". "The Big Chill" is an excellent COMMERCIAL film...this is an excellent independent film. This made John Sayles and is also David Strathairn's first film! Absolutely fascinating motion picture. I wish Sayles had revisited these characters again in 1990 and 2000--by the end I was really wondering what happened to this people. A one of a kind and a groundbreaking independent film that was very profitable. A must see!