The Outsiders (1983)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

S.E. Hinton (novel)
Kathleen Rowell (writer)

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.

Plot:

When two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events.

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Juvenile Delinquency | Teenage Boy | Playground | Gang Violence

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Matt Dillon	...	Dallas 'Dally' Winston
Ralph Macchio	...	Johnny Cade
C. Thomas Howell	...	Ponyboy Curtis
Patrick Swayze	...	Darrel 'Darry' Curtis
Rob Lowe	...	Sodapop Curtis
Emilio Estevez	...	Keith 'Two-Bit' Mathews
Tom Cruise	...	Steve Randle
Glenn Withrow	...	Tim Shepard
Diane Lane	...	Sherri 'Cherry' Valance
Leif Garrett	...	Bob Sheldon
Darren Dalton	...	Randy Anderson
Michelle Meyrink	...	Marcia
Gailard Sartain	...	Jerry Wood
Tom Waits	...	Buck Merrill
William Smith	...	Store Clerk

Also Known As:

The Outsiders - The Complete Novel (USA) (director's cut)
Outsider, Die (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A Kívülállók (Hungary) [hu]
Marginais, Os (Portugal) [pt]
Outsiders (France) [fr]
Outsiders (Finland) [fi]
Outsiders - kolmen jengi (Finland) [fi]
Outsiderzy (Poland) [pl]
Ragazzi della 56a strada, I (Italy) [it]
Rebeldes (Spain) [es]
Rebels (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Sokaktakiler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Vidas Sem Rumo (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, teen drinking and smoking, and some sexual reference. (edited version)

Runtime:

91 min | 114 min (2005 edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:18A | South Korea:15 | Iceland:16 | USA:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (edited version) | West Germany:12 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Owasso, Oklahoma, USA

Company:

Pony Boy

Trivia:

During the restored dinner scene where Sodapop runs away, the character is seen with a piece of paper at the table. According to the novel by S.E. Hinton, it is a "Dear John" letter from Soda's girlfriend Sandy, whom he claimed he wished to marry.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Johnny and Ponyboy are at the park, and the Socs first get there, Johnny reaches for his blade, in that shot Johnny's jeans have a hole on the pocket. In the next shot that he takes out his blade the hole is gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ponyboy: [voicecover] When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman, and a ride home.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Veronica Mars: Pilot (#1.1)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Jack Daniels If You Please

Brilliant!

The Outsiders is a great adaptation of S.E Hinton's wonderful (and heart-breaking) novel. The film is a piece of art. It's got a good, solid story, beautiful photography, convincing acting by the leading actors and a nice score.

It's a star-packed film with appearances by Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze among others. (Not to mention it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola!) But I was most amazed by C. Thomas Howell's portrayal of Ponyboy Curtis, the central character of the novel and film, who did a great job carrying the story.

There are many scenes in the film that are exactly like the book, even following the same dialogue. Usually I don't think that's a good thing since I like to see someone else's interpretation, another one's point of view instead of a copy of the book. But Coppola masters everything beautifully anyway so it never gets boring and C. Thomas Howell's interpretation of his role is what makes the film stand on its own.

Thanks to Howell there are many memorable Ponyboy moments. One of those is Ponyboy's recital of Robert Frost's 'Nothing Gold can stay', which is a scene that stays with you forever. Another actor who caught my attention in this film was Emilio Estevez who plays Two-Bit Mathews, friend of the Curtis brothers and a greaser. Estevez lights up every scene he's in and the film wouldn't be as great without him.

There are only two things I don't like about the film: The greasers are too well-groomed and clean and the socs are a too one-dimensional.