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IMDbPro

The Pursuit of Happiness

  • 19711971
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
413
YOUR RATING
Barbara Hershey and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
CrimeDrama
A young college student is sent to prison as much for killing a pedestrian with his car as for not paying his parking tickets. When the opportunity presents itself he escapes and is subseque... Read allA young college student is sent to prison as much for killing a pedestrian with his car as for not paying his parking tickets. When the opportunity presents itself he escapes and is subsequently on the run with his girlfriend. But how long can this situation last?A young college student is sent to prison as much for killing a pedestrian with his car as for not paying his parking tickets. When the opportunity presents itself he escapes and is subsequently on the run with his girlfriend. But how long can this situation last?
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
413
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Robert Mulligan
  • Writers
    • Thomas Rogers(book)
    • Jon Boothe(screenplay)
    • George Sherman(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Michael Sarrazin
    • Barbara Hershey
    • Arthur Hill
  • Director
    • Robert Mulligan
  • Writers
    • Thomas Rogers(book)
    • Jon Boothe(screenplay)
    • George Sherman(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Michael Sarrazin
    • Barbara Hershey
    • Arthur Hill
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

    Barbara Hershey, E.G. Marshall, and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey, E.G. Marshall, and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey, E.G. Marshall, and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey, Robert Klein, and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)
    Barbara Hershey, Robert Klein, and Michael Sarrazin in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Sarrazin
    Michael Sarrazin
    • William Popper
    Barbara Hershey
    Barbara Hershey
    • Jane Kauffman
    Arthur Hill
    Arthur Hill
    • John Popper
    Ruth White
    Ruth White
    • Mrs. Popper
    E.G. Marshall
    E.G. Marshall
    • Daniel Lawrence
    Robert Klein
    Robert Klein
    • Melvin Lasher
    Sada Thompson
    Sada Thompson
    • Ruth Lawrence
    David Doyle
    David Doyle
    • James Moran
    Barnard Hughes
    Barnard Hughes
    • Judge Vogel
    Peter White
    Peter White
    • Terence Lawrence
    Tom Rosqui
    Tom Rosqui
    • District Attorney Keller
    William Devane
    William Devane
    • Pilot
    Gilbert Lewis
    Gilbert Lewis
    • Convict George Wilson
    Albert Henderson
    • Convict McCardle
    Ralph Waite
    Ralph Waite
    • Detective Cromie
    Joseph Attles
    • Holmes
    Beulah Garrick
    • Josephine
    Jack Somack
    • Judge Palumbo
    • Director
      • Robert Mulligan
    • Writers
      • Thomas Rogers(book)
      • Jon Boothe(screenplay)
      • George Sherman(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was Ruth White's final film before her death on December 3, 1969 at the age of fifty-five.
    • Quotes

      Daniel Lawrence: Your behavior from here on in will be as much on trial as the details of the accident.

    • Soundtracks
      The Pursuit of Happiness
      Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman

      Performed by Randy Newman

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Better than you'd probably expect
    A lot of the films about disaffected youth in America produced at the end of the 60s and the beginning of the 70s were very clichéd and cheaply made by people who really didn't know anything about the subject. They were often clumsily and quickly made to cash in on the period's 'youthquake'.

    This is not entirely the case here, though it does have its clumsy clichéd moments. By and large, this film was sensitively executed, about a Columbia student, from an old and wealthy New York family, who accidentally knocks down and kills a woman with his car on a very rainy night and where the tragedy leads him.

    Michael Sarrazin is good to look at, as his girlfriend played by Barbara Hershey and he turns in an honest and tender performance. The plot is quite thin but the sensitivity and reasonable depth of many of the various performances, notably by his gentle father (Arthur Hill) and bigoted grandmother (Ruth White), give it substance. It's definitely worth watching.
    helpful•3
    0
    • Shilpot7
    • Sep 24, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 25, 1971 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fünf Finger geben eine Faust
    • Filming locations
      • NYPD 45th Precinct Station House, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA(Interior and Exterior / Night - The police precinct where William Popper [Michael Sarrazin] is taken after he is arrested for accidentally killing the elderly female with his car on a rain soaked night.)
    • Production company
      • Talent Associates
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $52,386
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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