The Outsiders (film)

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The Outsiders
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by Gray Frederickson,
Fred Roos
Written by Kathleen Rowell
Starring C. Thomas Howell
Matt Dillon
Ralph Macchio
Patrick Swayze
Rob Lowe
Diane Lane
Emilio Estevez
Tom Cruise
Leif Garrett
Music by Carmine Coppola
Michael Z. Gordon (2005 edition)
Dave Padrutt (2005 edition)
Michael Seifert (2005 edition)
Cinematography Stephen H. Burum
Editing by Anne Goursaud
Rob Bonz (2005 edition)
Melissa Kent (2005 edition)
Roy Waldspurger (2005 edition)
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) March 25, 1983
Running time 91 min./114 min. (2005 Release)
Country United States
Language English
Budget $10,000,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Outsiders is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton, and was made in 1983 by Francis Ford Coppola.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The main characters are Ponyboy Michael Curtis, Johnny Cade, Steve Randle, Dallas Winston, Darrel "Darry" Shaynne Curtis, Jr., Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews, and Sodapop Patrick Curtis, a gang of Greasers in Tulsa in 1966. The story is narrated by Ponyboy, the younger brother of Darry and Sodapop. The three boys are orphaned after a car accident kills their parents. As a result, Darry forgoes college to care for his brothers.

The Greasers are, at first glance, the common stereotype of the juvenile delinquent. Their nickname is derived from the grease they use to slick back their long hair. The Socs (pronounced soashes, an abbreviation of Socialites) are the "haves" to the Greasers' "have nots." Although "The Outsiders" may seem to refer to the alienated Greasers, both groups are set back by economic, social, or creative limits.

At a drive-in theater one night, Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny sneak in and seat themselves behind two Soc girls. Dallas starts flirting with the girls, Sherri "Cherry" Valance and her friend Marcia. Cherry pointedly tells Dallas to stop, but he refuses. When Cherry throws Coke in Dallas' face, he tries to put his arm around her, but the normally timid Johnny steps in and tells Dallas to back off. Dallas leaves, and Cherry asks if Johnny and Ponyboy intend to start in on them. Ponyboy says no, so Cherry and Marcia ask Johnny and him to sit with them. The mood between the four lightens considerably as they get better acquainted. Later, when Ponyboy and Johnny are walking the girls home, their boyfriends, Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson, catch up to them, in their Mustang. Bob and Randy, who have been drinking heavily, are ready to fight Ponyboy and Johnny for simply being in the company of their girlfriends, but Cherry and Marcia decide to leave with Bob and Randy to defuse the situation. Johnny, unwilling to go home when he hears his parents fighting, goes with Ponyboy to a vacant lot, where they talk and end up falling asleep. When Ponyboy awakens, he runs home, where he is confronted by a very worried and angry Darry. During the confrontation, Darry pushes Ponyboy, who runs out of the house and back to the vacant lot. Ponyboy wakes Johnny, and the two run to a nearby park to cool off.

While in the park, Bob, Randy, and their friends drive by, and begin to harass Ponyboy and Johnny. Ponyboy stands up to the Socs, so they kick Johnny down, and attempt to drown Ponyboy in a nearby fountain. Ponyboy loses consciousness and when he comes to, he finds a petrified Johnny clutching a bloodied switchblade and Bob lying nearby, dead. He learns that while the Socs were trying to drown him, Johnny had gotten up and killed Bob, which scared off Randy and the others. Ponyboy and Johnny seek help from Dallas, who gives them a loaded gun, money, and directions to an abandoned church in Windrixville, where they are to hide out. Dallas tells them to hop on the 3:15 freight train to get to Windrixville, and that he will meet them there when the furor has subsided.

Ponyboy and Johnny buy food, cigarettes, playing cards, and a paperback copy of Gone with the Wind for their hideout. They cut off their hair to make themselves less recognizable, and Ponyboy bleaches his with peroxide. Though already very close to begin with, the boys bond more deeply, and discover they both have a love for the beautiful things in life that are often not obvious, especially in the face of their daily struggles. Ponyboy shares the Robert Frost poem Nothing Gold Can Stay with Johnny, confessing he never quite understood it. Ponyboy and Johnny pass the time by playing cards and smoking cigarettes, with periods of Ponyboy reading to Johnny from Gone with the Wind.

"The Outsiders," starring (from left): Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise
"The Outsiders," starring (from left): Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise

One week later, Dallas comes to visit the boys. He brings them to a nearby Dairy Queen to get some hot food. While there, he tells them that Cherry is willing to testify that Bob was the aggressor, and that Ponyboy and Johnny fought back in self-defense. Upon hearing this, Johnny tells Dallas that he and Ponyboy want to go home and turn themselves in. Dallas is upset, feeling they had gone through a lot of trouble all for nothing. Nevertheless, he starts the drive back home and tells Johnny that he doesn't want to see Johnny get hardened in jail like he did. Ponyboy is surprised by Dallas' admission, but says nothing.

As Dallas drives, Ponyboy and Johnny see smoke from the direction of the abandoned church. They beg Dallas to head over to that way and see that the church is on fire. Ponyboy feels guilty because he believes that his and Johnny's cigarettes are the cause of the fire. When they hear the cries of children trapped inside, Ponyboy and Johnny both run in to rescue them. They get all the children out safely, and Ponyboy comes out with his jacket on fire. Dallas knocks Ponyboy to the ground to put out the flames. A burning roof beam collapses and falls on Johnny while he is still inside the church. Dallas immediately goes inside to rescue Johnny.

The three are taken to the hospital in town. Dallas has minor burns on his arm and Ponyboy, aside from some bruises, is otherwise unhurt. Johnny, however, is in critical condition with severe burns and a broken lower back, presumably rendering him paraplegic. Ponyboy reunites with his brothers and, as they hug each other tightly, Darry, normally stern, cries openly and says that he was afraid that he and Sodapop had lost Ponyboy the way they had lost their parents. Ponyboy finally realizes that Darry is particularly strict with him only because he loves him very much. Johnny asks for a new copy of Gone with the Wind to replace the one lost in the fire.

The next day, Ponyboy is resting at home when Steve and Two-Bit come over. They show him a newspaper article that calls Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dallas heroes for saving the children from the burning church in Windrixville. The article also tells that Ponyboy is to appear at juvenile court for running away from home, and that Johnny is being charged for manslaughter in Bob's death. Randy and the other Socs were said to have told the police that it was their fault that Bob got killed, and that Ponyboy and Johnny were only defending themselves. In spite of this, Bob's death at Johnny's hands has sparked the call for a gang fight, which is referred to as a "rumble," from the Socs. The rules are simple; no weapons of any kind.

The day of the rumble, Ponyboy is confronted by Randy. Randy admits that he does not want to fight in the rumble, and that he will not participate, because he feels that the outcome, whatever it would be, would change nothing. Randy has grown weary of all the fighting, and is ready to leave town over it. He has wanted to tell someone who he felt would understand how he feels. Ponyboy and Randy part, each with a better understanding of the other.

Dallas breaks out of the hospital to join his fellow Greasers, saying that they "gotta do it for Johnny." Darry, who is leading the Greasers, steps up for the first challenge. His former friend Paul, who is the Soc leader, accepts, and the rumble begins. Ponyboy rapidly finds himself in over his head, but Darry is able to help Ponyboy while fighting two Socs at once. The Greasers are eventually victorious. Immediately afterwards, Dallas grabs Ponyboy and they hurry to the hospital. At the hospital, the head doctor refuses to let them see Johnny because he is dying. Dallas pulls out a switchblade he borrowed from Two-Bit, but the doctor still does not budge. However, he decides that the boys are Johnny's family, or as close to a family as Johnny has, so he relents. When they enter the hospital room, Dallas tells Johnny how they had beat the Socs in the rumble, but Johnny says that "fighting ain't no good." Dallas then tells Johnny that he is proud of him. Johnny is overjoyed at Dallas' words. He looks over at Ponyboy and tells him to "stay gold." With that, Johnny passes away. Completely heartbroken, Dallas flees from the room.

Ponyboy returns home to tell the rest of the gang that Johnny is dead. The gang is shocked, though they all knew that Johnny had been very badly injured. They are saddened by Johnny's passing nonetheless. When asked about Dallas, Ponyboy says that he just ran off. He tells Darry that he is afraid that Dallas is going to crack. The gang is worried about what Dallas might do, and their worry becomes alarm when Darry receives a phone call from Dallas, who had robbed a convenience store and was now being pursued by the police. He tells the gang to meet him at the vacant lot. The gang races to the vacant lot, hoping to reach Dallas in time to hide him from the police. When the gang arrive at the vacant lot, Dallas is already surrounded by police officers. He pulls out an unloaded gun and commits suicide by police in front of his friends. Ponyboy wonders for a moment why Dallas had pulled out an unloaded gun, but then understands that Dallas had wanted to die, having lost Johnny, the only thing in the world he truly loved.

Days later, Ponyboy is flipping through the copy of Gone With the Wind that Johnny had left behind in the hospital. In it, he finds a letter addressed to him, from Johnny. Johnny's letter explains that the phrase "staying gold" in the Frost poem means to never lose the appreciation for the things one finds wondrous when one is young. He tells Ponyboy that this the way to be, and urges him to tell Dallas. Of course, it is too late to tell Dallas, so Ponyboy thinks of all of the other kids in the world that are in the same boat as them. He thinks about Johnny, Dallas, Bob, and all the others; kids who would die young; kids that would stay hoodlums forever. He picks up his pen and the film ends with him writing the opening line of the film, which is also the first line of the novel: When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home...

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast

The Outsiders is notable for being the breakout film for a number of actors who would go on to become major stars. Though they were known within the industry as up-and-coming actors, none of the cast had yet had achieved any degree of success prior to being chosen for the film.

Tom Waits also appears in the film in small cameo parts.

Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Glenn Withrow and Tom Waits all went on to star in Coppola's related film, Rumble Fish, which was based on the S.E. Hinton novel.

Nicolas Cage really wanted the role of Dallas. Before the audition, he locked himself in his house for a week with nothing but beer and did not shave for two weeks. Coppola, who was his uncle, was impressed by his dedication to the role and offered him the role of Two-Bit, as Matt Dillon had already been cast as Dallas. Cage turned down the role of Two-Bit, because he thought the character was basically a drunk with no importance in the story. Cage does appear in a brief cameo during the rumble scene.

Anthony Michael Hall read for the role of Ponyboy. Helen Slater was briefly considered for Cherry Valance before Diane Lane was cast. Tom Cruise originally auditioned for the roles of Randy Adderson and Dallas.

S.E. Hinton played the nurse in Dally's hospital room. In a foreword for a platinum edition of the novel, she stated that she was very much involved in the production of the film and enjoyed spending time with "her boys" (namely, the actors who played Dallas, Ponyboy, Johnny, and the others) during production.

[edit] Differences between novel and film

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
  • In the movie, there is a much greater description of where the Socs and the Greasers hang out, as in the book there isn't.
  • In the book when Johnny tells Dallas to stop bugging the girls, Dallas doesn't do anything; in the film Dallas starts getting angry at Johnny for talking to him like that.
  • In the novel, the two main sides of town are East and West; in the film, they are North and South. S.E. Hinton originally wrote it as North and South; it was changed to East and West because North/South was a real rivalry at the time. Coppola made the decision to go with the original in the film.
  • Two-Bit's switchblade is changed to a butterfly knife, in the film.
  • While talking to Cherry for the first time in the film, Ponyboy does not mention a few things he talks about in the novel; among them, Soda's favorite horse, Mickey Mouse, and watching sunsets.
  • It is mentioned in the novel that Steve Randle almost had his jaw shattered by Darry after remarking that the older boy was "all brawn and no brain." In the film, he says this without any consequences before the rumble. Also, while he breaks three ribs during the rumble in the novel, he escapes with only cuts and bruises in the film, along with a missing tooth.
  • Although Sodapop's girlfriend Sandy leaves him in the novel, she is not mentioned again in the film after Sodapop announces his plans to marry her.
  • Dallas is not approached by a little girl in Windrixville in the novel as he is in the film.
  • Ponyboy talks with Dally during the rumble in the novel; in the film, he does not.
  • The Brumly Boys do not fight in the rumble in the film, although they are present in the novel.
  • Ponyboy keeps Two-Bit from arguing with Johnny's mother in the novel because he doesn't like to see women get verbally abused "even if they deserved it"; however, in the film, he does not intercede when Two-Bit cusses out Johnny's mother.
  • Randy does not visit Ponyboy after the rumble in the film.
  • In the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy is beat up and even cut with a knife and manages to bite one of by Socs and then saved by the other Greasers; in the film he's saved with a small cut and doesn't bite anyone.
  • In the film Two-Bit starts watching Mickey Mouse on the television at Ponyboy's house and never mentioned it in the novel. The novel does, however, mention a horse named Mickey Mouse that Soda once owned.
  • In the book, it is said that Dallas and Sodapop had blonde hair, in the film, he does not.
Spoilers end here.

[edit] Re-release

In September 2005, Coppola re-released the film, including 22 minutes of additional footage, entitled The Outsiders: The Complete Novel, reinserting previously deleted scenes that helped bring this new version much closer to the book. However, a couple of scenes where Ponyboy and Johnny are at the church from the original cut have been deleted. They are included in the new deleted scenes on the DVD.

[edit] Production

Francis Ford Coppola never actually wanted to make a movie about teen angst. What changed his mind was a middle school class, great fans of The Godfather, wrote to him about making a sort of gangster film, except about The Outsiders. When he read the book, he was moved and not only directed the film, he also adapted Rumble Fish into a movie the year after, again with Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Glenn Withrow.

The part where Dally falls out of his chair at the movies was not originally part of the script. If you look closely, you can see a laughing C. Thomas Howell looking briefly at the lens, expecting Coppola to yell "Cut!"

The actors playing the Socs were put in luxury hotel accommodations and given leather-bound scripts, while the Greaser-actors were put on the ground floor and received tattered scripts. Coppola is said to have done this to create tension between both groups before filming. They were known to play pranks on each other (and the hotel staff) during the shoot, and years later, when Tom Cruise came back to the place, the first thing he said upon learning that this was the same hotel was "I'm sorry."

Francis Ford Coppola went to arbitration unsuccessfully for the writing credits of this film.

Two-Bit's fascination with Mickey Mouse, as shown in a later scene in the film, was thought up by Emilio Estevez, who approached the character as a "laid back, easy-going guy." This could also be a reference to a deleted scene (not included on the DVD) where Cherry learns about Soda's horseriding career and love for a horse named Mickey Mouse from Ponyboy. It was to show that Soda has also suffered more heartbreak before his girlfriend leaves him, as well as the brothers' sense of loss, but Coppola cut it because he felt it slowed the film's pace down.

The film was shot on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The drive-in is the Admiral Twin, still going strong in 2006.

Coppola filmed The Outsiders and Rumble Fish back-to-back in 1982. He wrote the screenplay for the latter while on days off from shooting the former. Many of the same locations were used in both films. Also, many of the same cast and crew members worked in both films.

The credits are shown at the beginning of the movie in the style normally found in a published play.

Two-Bit is seen wearing a "Misfits" skull band logo on his t-shirt in a few scenes. However, the film and novel took place in the 50s-60s era and the "Misfits" weren't around until the 70s. Although the "Misfits" skull is derived from the 1946 movie "The Crimson Ghost", there are slight differences between the "The Crimson Ghost" and the "Misfits" skull logo. One of these differences is texture and coloring, the shirt Two-Bit was wearing contained the "Misfits" texturing and lighter skull coloring.

[edit] See also

[edit] External link

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1970s The Conversation | Apocalypse Now
1980s One from the Heart | The Outsiders | Rumble Fish | The Cotton Club | Peggy Sue Got Married | Gardens of Stone | Tucker: The Man and His Dream | New York Stories (with Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese)
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