toddv (03/31/83)
I liked this one. It is a true (it started out as a true story anyway) story
written by a teenager about his experiences growing up as a greaser with his
greaser friends. The antagonists are the soc'es (society teenagers from the
correct side of town).
The newspaper ads portray this as a kind of "gang" movie, but any "gang" war
stuff is minimal and certainly secondary to the main jist of the movie.
The Outsiders deals with some kids trying to grow up in a confusing world
and how they handle it. (Men: take a date and wear a shirt with asorbant
shoulders. My bad luck was to see this one with four of my housemates. sigh.)
Frank Coppola produced this one and it shows. Don't miss the beginning.
A MUST SEE.
Todd Vierheller
UUCP: ...!{ucbvax or decvax}!teklabs!tekmdp!toddv (ignore return address)
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ARPA: tekmdp!toddv.tektronix @ rand-relaymcewan (04/02/83)
#R:tekmdp:-187600:uiucdcs:10700026:000:330 uiucdcs!mcewan Apr 1 16:39:00 1983 "It is a true (it started out as a true story anyway) story written by a teenager about his experiences growing up as a greaser with his greaser friends." ---------- I don't know where you got this information, but it's totally wrong. The story is NOT true, and S.E. Hinton is not only not a greaser, she's not a he, either.
lee (04/02/83)
Actually, S. E. Hinton (the author of "The Outsiders") is women. She did write the book which she was a Teen-ager. She also wrote the book "Tex" which was a Disney film.
p500vax:rob (04/05/83)
My little brother (16 or 17) thought it was the best movie ever made and couldn't imagine that it could have a fault. The San Jose Mercury gave it 3.5 stars (out of 4) and said it was in the same league as Last Picture Show (a totally irresponsible claim) and Rebel Without a Cause (such a preposterous claim that I hate to repeat it even in this context). I hope that some critic will eventually stand up and represent it as the meandering, shallow, summer teen-faire that it is. How a film with virtually no character development, absolutely vapid, child-like philosophizing, rigid characterization, and only the most simplistic and heavy-handed antagonisms could be in any way associated with some of the most notable statements in contemporary cinema of existential conflict and the American way of life is totally beyond me. I must have slept through the entire movie (I won't call it a film). Rob.