Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writers:

Carole Eastman (screenplay)
Carole Eastman (story)
(more)

Release Date:

12 September 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He Rode The Fast Lane On The Road To Nowhere.

Plot:

A drop-out from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil-rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.

Plot Keywords:

Pianist | Friend | Bowling | Truck | Small Town

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Robert Eroica Dupea
Karen Black	...	Rayette Dipesto
Billy Green Bush	...	Elton (as Billy 'Green' Bush)
Fannie Flagg	...	Stoney
Sally Struthers	...	Betty (as Sally Ann Struthers)
Marlena MacGuire	...	Twinky (as Marlena Macguire)
Richard Stahl	...	Recording Engineer
Lois Smith	...	Partita Dupea
Helena Kallianiotes	...	Palm Apodaca
Toni Basil	...	Terry Grouse
Lorna Thayer	...	Waitress
Susan Anspach	...	Catherine Van Oost
Ralph Waite	...	Carl Fidelio Dupea
William Challee	...	Nicholas Dupea
John P. Ryan	...	Spicer (as John Ryan)
Irene Dailey	...	Samia Glavia
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clay Greenbush	...	Baby (uncredited)

Directed by
Bob Rafelson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Carole Eastman		screenplay (as Adrien Joyce)
Carole Eastman		story (as Adrien Joyce)
Bob Rafelson		story

Produced by
Bob Rafelson	....	producer
Bert Schneider	....	executive producer
Harold Schneider	....	associate producer
Richard Wechsler	....	producer

Cinematography by
László Kovács		(director of photography) (as Laszlo Kovacs)

Film Editing by
Christopher Holmes
Gerald Shepard

Casting by
Fred Roos

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sheldon Schrager	....	assistant director
Bill Green	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Toby Carr Rafelson	....	interior designer (as Toby Rafelson)
Walter Starkey	....	prop master

Sound Department
Charles T. Knight	....	sound mixer (as Charles Knight)
James Nelson	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richmond L. Aguilar	....	gaffer (as Richard Aguilar)
Bill Curtis	....	best boy
Howard Hagadorn	....	dolly grip
George Hill	....	key grip
Bernie Abramson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Ronald Vidor	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bucky Rous	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Peter Denenberg	....	assistant editor (as Pete Denenberg)
Harold Hazen	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Pearl Kaufman	....	musician: piano

Transportation Department
Alfred Schultz	....	transportation captain (as Al Schultz)

Other crew
Kent Remington	....	location representative
Marilyn Schlossberg	....	production coordinator
Terry Terrill	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• BBS Productions
• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Raybert Productions

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia Film (1970) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nordisk Film (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Edit-Rite  sound effects
• Producers' Sound Service  re-recording (as Producer's Sound Service Inc.)
• Audio Tran  sound

Also Known As:

"Mi vida es mi vida" - Argentina, Peru, Spain
"Cinq pièces faciles" - Canada (French title), France
"Öt könnyű darab" - Hungary
"Cada Um Vive Como Quer" - Brazil
"Cinque pezzi facili" - Italy
"Destinos Opostos" - Portugal
"Ein Mann sucht sich selbst" - West Germany
"Five Easy Pieces" - Denmark
"Five Easy Pieces" - France (dubbed version)
"Pente efkola kommatia" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Pet lakih komada" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Piec latwych utworów" - Poland
"Rajut kuviot" - Finland

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:11 | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R | UK:15 | UK:AA (original rating)

Filming Locations:

19th & L Street, Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

BBS Productions

Trivia:

The traffic jam on the freeway was shot on a new and unopened section of Interstate 5 near Bakersfield, Ca.

Goofs:

Continuity: Bobby's arm position changes when he is sitting on the couch as Katherine asks him to play the piano.

Quotes:

Palm Apodaca:You know, I read where they, uh, invented this car that runs on, ummm... that runs on, ummm... when you boil water?
Terry:Steam.
Palm Apodaca:Right, steam. A car that you could ride around in and not cause a stink. But do you know they will not even let us have it? Can you believe it? Why? Man! He likes to create a stink! I mean, I've seen filth that you wouldn't believe. Ugh! What a stink! I don't even want to talk about it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Stand by your Man

Definitely one of the great American films.

This movie is most famous for a scene in which Jack Nicholson tells a waitress to hold the chicken salad between her knees so he can get some plain wheat toast, but, in a movie as good as this, that very famous scene may be its least memorable one. After that scene, I hadn't heard anything about what this film was really about, and its depth and power took me completely by surprise. It's a story of a man trapped in his own life, unable to find a place to settle. All the locations at which he has arrived have lead to nothing but disappointment and the realization that there just might not be a life for him. God, how I can sympathize. Just as I was starting to question whether Nicholson was as good an actor as everybody seems to think he is, I've come upon his very best performance. Karen Black plays his girlfriend, a hick who loves him to death. He's not sure if she's good enough for him, or vice versa. Lois Smith, Ralph Waite, and Susan Anspach give good supporting performances. A flat-out masterpiece.