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Summary: soundtrack is a must have
Review: this movie and soundtrack was one of the early seventies best counterculture films. most people were talking about the girl riding around the desert nude on the motorcycle. whole film and soundtrack were fantastic and were popular midnight show offerings for those who remember 70s midnite shows at the movies.
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Summary: So pointless it MUST be high art.
Review: I'd been a Primal Scream fan ever since their CD "Vanishing Point" came out in 1997...clearly one of the best CD's of the 1990's...and so I was enthralled with the idea of this movie that was said to influence so much of that CD.Having finally gotten the opportunity to see it with the advent of this DVD, I HAVE to wonder just what in the name of all that is holy was Bobby Gillespie thinking? This movie, simply put, is an exercise in nothingness. It's not that I'm down on existentialism...but if I wanted a dose of it I'd read Camus. The story involves a seemingly aimless type called Kowalski who works for a vehicle delivery service. He is given the task of driving a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco. He has from Friday night until Monday morning to do this. For reasons never sufficiently explained, he feels the need to prove that he can drive the distance in 15 hours. For further incentive, he places a wager with his amphetamines dealer that he can do it. The staggering amount of the wager? Simply the cost of the speed he doses on for the trip. That's IT. That's the movie. Oh, there are some well-filmed shots of the American natural landscape and there are some mildly interesting flashback sequences that attempt to give Kowalski depth...but the character simply lacks any degree of charisma that would make any background he might've had seem at all interesting. He meets and interacts with a few characters, stereotypical wasters, hitchhikers and assorted desert crazies who (along with Cleavon Little, the blind DJ who acts as the conscience of the movie if not the entire country at the time) are assumed to to aiders and abettors of Kowalski, whose quest has somehow taken on Odysseyan proportions in the few hours it's taken him cross from Colorado to Nevada. Why would anyone care about this? What is on the line? What degree of oppression is a drive from Denver to San Francisco going to lift? How in blazes do you drive a car with a big-block V-8 at high speeds while being pursued by the police across two state lines (and through a desert) while only stopping for gas once? None of these questions are ever adequately answered (or even considered, apparently). Without giving away the conclusion of the movie, I will say that this movie had the absolute worst ending I've ever seen. I was left wondering what anyone EVER saw in this movie...and wondering just how many ways I could have better spent my time. This disc contains both the US and the UK versions of the film; it was the UK version that I watched. I can't possibly imagine how even more bland and tedious the US version must be without the footage included in the UK film...and I'm not likely to find out; I think so little of this movie that even the thought of sitting through the commentary tracks (which I make it a point to do on every DVD that includes this feature) seems impossibly unmanageable to me now. Don't believe the hype; this movie does not even remotely warrant the heaps of praise its cult of fans have lain upon it.
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Summary: To Get Away, You've Got To Root Right In Where You Are.
Review: Little can or needs to be added to the great reviews of this great movie. In a word, the DVD is outstanding. Though hard to find, the soundtrack CD is excellent as well.
The sage advice of the mystical old man has served me well over the decades.
Viva Kowalski and all he stands for.
Onward into the white light.
Rating:
Summary: Early Sarafian Cult Movie
Review: Sarafian's 1971 cult road movie,with an early opening credit to Malcolm Hart for the idea and first script,depicts the protagonist's(Kowalski) race against time and space,in which speed is defined as a spiritual protest against the confines and limitations of an authoritarian state and its law enforcement agents.. the 'blue meanies'.
Kowalski heads west through the big space from Denver to San Francisco and along the way meets up with counterkulture characters amoung them a blind DJ(Cleavon Little)who can see into Kowalski's mind and broadcasts his epic endeavour to outpace his pursuers, achieving mythic status as he speeds down the road towards his destination.Not to be missed...
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Summary: The Last American Cowboy
Review: "Vanishing Point" is a film that follows a very powerful storytelling device: tell the audience where the story ends, then take them there. We know Kowalski's fate before the film begins and yet still we find ourselves rooting for his victory. In the film, Kowalski sets out on an impossible mission: make it from Denver to San Francisco in a matter of hours while evading the cops. Along the way, we get glimpses of Kowalski's past, a history of disenchantment with war, the government, the system, etc. This disenchantment is picked up by those who support "the last American cowboy's" journey. His quest for speed comes to represent his defiance of authority and his path to victory. On one level, Kowalski becomes the sacrificial victim at the cost of losing a bet and a few speeding tickets. On a different level, Kowalski's quest becomes a path to freedom and, in the end, complete freedom. "Vanishing Point" does not have an excess of dialogue. This film could have been a silent picture for all intensive purposes. The themes and storyline are so simple and clear that one does not need much dialogue for the story to unfold. With some great shots of the 1970 Challenger and some gorgeous countryside and flatlands, "Vanishing Point" makes for a great film for all car enthusiasts and those who enjoy a more artistically driven film than most.
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Summary: ATTN SIDE B HAS THE MISSING SCENE WITH THE HITCHER
Review: Im serious here flip over disc play side B Brit version ..
The missing 13 mins is on this side,what a find..
This is a great classic anti-hero film ..
This movie rocks.........
I about crapped when I noticed this film had more in it than the orig...Then the hitchhiker scene was the topper its all here ..
Way to go ..AAA+++
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Summary: Great film and higher quality on DVD
Review: The quality of this film on DVD is excellent. The film is reproduced (or re-transferred) better than I had hoped. I would like to clarify some details. The color is vivid and clear, Yes, The film IS in stereo, it is in 5.1 dolby surround. Ok, the stereo track i assume is derived from the original mono soundtrack, only it was cleaned up and has no noticeable hiss. You do not hear the action move from left to right of screen, but you notice sound all around you via 5.1 surround. Its very good nonetheless. The fidelity is excellent..The roar of the Challenger is untainted and far better than VHS. There is commentary by original director (wait till you hear what he says what Gilda Texter(the nude motorcyclist) had to endure) Also, all TV and Movie trailers in all their cheesy 70's glory, UK version on flipside with 2 cut scenes...Highly Recommended....
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Summary: Thank Audioslave -
Review: for opening my eyes to this movie. Some of the "Show me how to live" music video contains footage and/or ideas from "Vanishing Point". The VHS was hard to find, and a DVD didnt even exist - until now. So, if you're a muscle car fan, or an Audioslave fan, you're gonna want to check this out. And while you're at it - go buy "Bullit" too.
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Summary: Much better than the Betamax version!!!
Review: I currently have about 350 DVDs in my collection, and this classic movie is one of the best transfers to DVD I have seen to date. This thing looks cleaner than it did in the theatre! The mono sound track is very good also, but it is mono. There is a small offereing of special features, including audio commentary by director Richard C. Sarafian.
This movie really was ahead of it's time. The camera angles and zooms are still impressive! Well worth the 10 bucks I paid...and then some!
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Summary: Kowalski Rides Again
Review: 'Vanishing Point' still resonates within my soul, some 34 years after it was filmed. This latest release in DVD offers great extras (Sarafian's commentary and the extra scenes edited out of the original release make it worthwhile). Vanishing Point has not a single allure, it has many. It is Kowalski, the Challenger, the music, the trip and yes it is (was) the times, all of which make it very personal for me, having lived them. So much so that in the summer of 2003 I retraced Kowalski's path from Colorado through Utah and Nevada in my 1970 Challenger RT. It's a long, long ride but the scenery is still magnificent and the Challenger still dominates the highway (and surprises the occassional state trooper like the one who eyed me just outside of Eureka, Nevada - arriving a minute earlier he would have heard me go by at 140 mph. And they say you can't go home again...of course you can :) If you didn't live it or can't drive it, then by all means see it - you're not likely to be dissapointed.
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