The rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, only heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other.The rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, only heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other.The rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, only heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other.
- Kathleen Rowell(screenplay)
- S.E. Hinton(novel)
- Stars
- Greaser in Concession Stand
- (as Tom Hillman)
- Little Girl
- (as Domino)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the poster for the film, the Greasers are shown laughing as Johnny is smirking. This was a candid shot, taken during the photo session in which the actors were supposed to look tough at the camera. What happened was that a crew member was approaching the food table off-camera, and a stagehand said, "Hey, that's for the talent." When Leif Garrett went to the table Ralph Macchio says, "Hey, Leif, that's for the talent." This comment cracked up the cast, and the photo was used.
- GoofsDallas falling out of the chair at the Drive-in (at 07:18 in 91 m.) was an accident and was not rehearsed. Ponyboy looks at the camera expecting Francis Ford Coppola to say cut, but they kept the shot instead.
- Quotes
Ponyboy: Nature's first green is gold / Her hardest hue to hold / Her early leaf's a flower / But only so an hour / Then leaf subsides to leaf / So Eden sank to grief / So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay.
Johnny: Where did you learn that? That's what I meant.
Ponyboy: Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant by it.
- Crazy creditsClosing dedication: This film is dedicated to the people who first suggested that it be made... Librarian Jo Ellen Misakian and the students of the Lone Star School in Fresno, California.
- Alternate versionsThe 2005 special edition contains a re-edited cut of the film, a new soundtrack and 22 minutes of additional footage, including:
- an extended opening scene where Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs when walking home from a Paul Newman movie. The principle Greasers are also introduced. Later, Ponyboy and Sodapop talk to each other in their bedroom.
- a scene where Ponyboy asks some farmers how to reach Jay Mountain. He claims that he's playing "army" and "needs to report to base."
- an alternate scene in the church where Ponyboy imagines that both Sodapop and Darry are present.
- a short scene where Ponyboy splashes some water on his face outside the church while Johnny is out buying supplies.
- a scene in the church where Ponyboy and Johnny become emotional over the events of the past 24 hours.
- extended reading of "Gone With the Wind" in the church.
- a short scene where Ponyboy finds Tim sitting on his couch in the morning.
- a small extension to Ponyboy and Two-Bit at the hospital where a doctor allows them access to Johnny's room after being denied entrance by a nurse.
- a short scene where Two-Bit and Ponyboy encounter Johnny's mother at the hospital.
- Following the death of Dally, Darry lashes out at the cops while Ponyboy faints. Later, we see Sodapop and Darry caring for him in bed while Ponyboy asks if someone is sick, not realizing that he is.
- A courtroom scene where Cherry, Randy, and Ponyboy all make statements. In the end, Ponyboy is acquitted and left in the custody of Darry.
- A scene where Ponyboy runs into Cherry at school, but she walks away from him. Ponyboy's teacher also informs him that he is flunking, but allows him to write a paper on a personal experience in order to raise his grade.
- A dinner scene where Sodapop becomes angry that he's always stuck in the middle between Ponyboy and Darry's tug of war and runs away. When they eventually catch him, they agree to stop fighting all the time.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Tom Cruise: The Star Next Door (1990)
- SoundtracksStay Gold
Sung by Stevie Wonder
Music by Carmine Coppola
Lyrics by Stevie Wonder
Courtesy of Motown Record Corporation
Recording Engineer: Gary Olazabal
Assistant Recording Engineer: Bob Harlan
Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade are two teenagers who are members of the "greaser" gang. Their rivals are the "socs". One night, Ponyboy and Johnny fall asleep in a vacant lot. When they wake up, it is still dark, and they are clueless as to what time it is. Ponyboy goes home, where his eldest brother, Darry (who has looked after his two younger brothers, Ponyboy and Sodapop, since their parents' tragic death), has been worrying about his absence. Darry ends up hitting Ponyboy, and although he then says he didn't mean it, Ponyboy runs away. Pony wakes up Johnny, who is still in the lot, and they go to the park. Unfortunately, they are attacked by a group of Socs, who nearly drown Ponyboy, but Johnny comes to the rescue by killing one of them, and causing the others to run off! To try and avoid arrest, the two leave town, after getting directions from fellow greaser Dallas "Dally" Winston, who tells them to go to an abandoned church in Windrixville. What does the future hold for these two?!
One problem with this movie is that some scenes seem a bit rushed, such as the scene where Darry hits Ponyboy and he runs away. Also, the acting isn't that great, at least not from C. Thomas Howell (who plays Ponyboy) and Ralph Macchio (who plays Johnny). Mainly for those two reasons, some parts of the film are not as gripping as they should be. Fortunately, this adaptation of "The Outsiders" also has its merits. It's a faithful adaptation (it probably helped that S.E. Hinton was a consultant), despite not including certain parts of the book, which some would be disappointed by. It also includes at least some of the tension and poignancy from the book, and gets more gripping towards the end.
Overall, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathleen Rowell did a good job bringing S.E. Hinton's highly acclaimed story to the motion picture format. Far from a perfect job, but a good one nonetheless. For those who have been blown away by the book, I wouldn't expect this movie to be all you could possibly hope for, or else you could easily end up sorely disappointed. However, if you watch the film with moderate expectations, it will probably have a better chance of pleasing you, at least to a certain extent.
- Beta_Gallinger
- Sep 23, 2007
Details
Box office
- 1 hour 31 minutes
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