Vanishing Point (1971)

During the 1970s, car delivery driver Kowalski delivers hot rods in record time but always runs into trouble with the highway cops.

Director:

Richard C. Sarafian

Writers:

Guillermo Cabrera Infante (screenplay) (as Guillermo Cain), Malcolm Hart (from a story outline by)

Stars:

Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Charlotte Rampling

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barry Newman	...	Kowalski
Cleavon Little	...	Super Soul
Charlotte Rampling	...	Hitch-Hiker (scenes deleted)
Dean Jagger	...	Prospector
Victoria Medlin	...	Vera Thornton
Paul Koslo	...	Deputy Charlie Scott
Robert Donner	...	Deputy Collins (as Bob Donner)
Timothy Scott	...	Angel
Gilda Texter	...	Nude Rider
Anthony James	...	First Male Hitchhiker
Arthur Malet	...	Second Male Hitchhiker
Karl Swenson	...	Sandy McKeese - Clerk at Delivery Agency
Severn Darden	...	J. Hovah
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends	...	J. Hovah's Singers
Lee Weaver	...	Jake

Storyline

Kowalski works for a car delivery service. He takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to take from Colorado to San Francisco, California. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours. After a few run-ins with motorcycle cops and highway patrol they start a chase to bring him into custody. Along the way, Kowalski is guided by Supersoul - a blind DJ with a police radio scanner. Throw in lots of chase scenes, gay hitchhikers, a naked woman riding a motorbike, lots of Mopar and you've got a great cult hit from the early 70's.

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Plot Keywords:

on the run | driver | pursuit | blind man | existentialism | 

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Taglines:

Tighten your seat belt. You never had a trip like this before.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sensuality/nudity and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1997, the British rock band Primal Scream released their 'Vanishing Point' album, which features several dialogues sampled directly from the movie and was reportedly conceived as "an alternate soundtrack to the movie".

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Goofs

In the opening sequence, when the Challenger makes the bootleg turn in front of the bulldozers, you can see that the driver is apparently wearing a curly wig (to match Barry Newman's hair) over a helmet, making his head look ridiculously oversized.

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Quotes

Charlie: [after listening to Super Soul's broadcast] Did you hear that?
Collins: Yeah.
Charlie: Where the hell he get so much information?
Collins: Same place as you do, Charley.
Charlie: You mean from our own frequency?
Collins: That's right.
Charlie: How long's he been at it?
Collins: Year 'n a half, maybe two.
Charlie: Hell, that's against the law!
Collins: So's carryin' a transistor on duty.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The Fox logo is shown without the fanfare making it one of the first times this has happened.

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Alternate Versions

When first released in Brazil, the movie had some scenes cut, reducing the running time to 99 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Rich Hall's Continental Drifters (2011)

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Soundtracks

Got It Together
Composed by Mike Settle
Sung by Bobby Doyle

User Reviews

A great '70s movie

This is the essential 1970s anti-hero movie. It is not supposed to make sense and I have often wondered if it were not meant to be someone's psychedelic dream. Nudity when nudity would not seem to fit; bad cops; beaten people out of sync with plot line. Sounds like a trip. The cast is excellent and this is one of Cleavon Little's last main roles as well as the last main role for the early love interest. John Amos is so underplayed he is almost unrecognizable, I'd love to see his commentary on the movie. And one guy is so ripping off James Dean (though as a racist) that it is unintentionally funny. I'd recommend it as an addition to any American tape library. A true cult classic.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vanishing Point

Filming Locations:

Page, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,585,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,442,673

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,442,673

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cupid Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1