Three disaffected youths in California – couple John (Robert Carradine, The Long Riders) and Mary (Melanie Griffith, Body Double) along with their friend Scott (Desi Arnaz Jr., A Wedding) – abruptly quit their jobs and take a ferry headed to Alaska in the pursuit of a new life running a salmon fishing business. Shortly after arriving, they are robbed, spurring a ripple effect of violence and its repercussions.

An inspired amalgamation of road movie, dark comedy and crime drama, JOYRIDE is a defiantly unclassifiable slice of 70s Americana deftly directed by esoteric genre filmmaker Joseph Ruben (The Pom Pom Girls, The Stepfather) and produced by noted exploitation impresario Samuel Z. Arkoff (The Wild Angels, Boxcar Bertha). Featuring energetic cinematography by Stephen M. Katz (Messiah of Evil, The Blues Brothers), Cinématographe is proud to present this often overlooked gem of 1970s malaise in a new 2K restoration from its 35mm interpositive, making its world blu-ray debut!

For thoughts on Joyride (1977), please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

This new Blu-Ray debut from Cinématographe gives Joyride an AVC-encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 derived from a newly commissioned 2K restoration from the 35mm Interpositive. The film has a natural, consistent grain structure that preserves the filmic source of the picture, unveiling subtle details in the Alaskan locale. You can specifically appreciate the gritty terrain when our characters are working on the pipeline along with the textures that are revealed in the heavy clothing needed to keep warm. The grain field can be thick, yet it never veers into what we would classify as noise. This presentation is nearly entirely free of print damage such as specks, scratches, and tears.

The cinematography from Steven M. Katz is key to harnessing all the nuances along this journey. Colors are not especially vibrant within this overcast locale, but everything appears to be accurate with the perfect amount of depth. Certain pieces of clothing and some lighting choices make the biggest impression. Black levels hold up very well and never come up short in shadow detail. The picture never suffers from crush, and the highlights are strong with no trace of blooming. Skin tones look natural, with an excellent amount of facial detail present in close-ups. This top-tier label has given this film a necessary second chance at life on Blu-Ray with a great presentation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this journey quite well. The first thing that should be addressed is that this release uses the home video soundtrack that has been edited from the original theatrical audio due to music licensing issues that would have prevented the release of this film entirely otherwise. This is our first time viewing the film and we don’t have a version to compare this against, but we do know ELO is a big part of the soundtrack, and we clocked several songs from them during this presentation. We don’t know what has been changed, but the label has stated this release is exactly the same as any previous version of the film released on physical media.

The presentation holds up very well here. Dialogue comes through perfectly clearly without being overpowered by the sound effects or the soundtrack. The music complements the general vibe of the picture as it comes through impeccably in this presentation. The sounds of the small town creep through to provide some lovely ambient details. All of the various sounds in the mix seem precisely rendered so that nothing ever feels off. Cinématographe has provided an audio track that exhibits this one with great care. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

The Limited Edition version of Joyride (1977) comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer slipcase that opens up to a MediaBook that includes a bound booklet featuring new writing by writers Chris Shields, Adam Nayman, and Brandon Streussnig plus select archival photo reproductions. These essays delve into the film from multiple angles and provide a great analysis in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentary: Historian Alain Silver and filmmaker Christopher Coppola provide a decent commentary track that is really hampered by some obtuse comments from Coppola. He criticizes various aspects of the film including some moral issues that bug him including an extended rant on sex scenes in the film that Silver tries to keep on track.

Interview with Writer/Director Joseph Ruben: A 22-minute interview with the writer/director in which he discusses his background, the movie scene in the ‘70s, scraping by in his early low-budget efforts, the development of this project, the music in the film, retooling the bleak ending, and more.

Interview with Cinematographer Stephen Katz: An 11-minute audio interview with the cinematographer in which he discusses his background with Joseph Ruben, getting pulled into shooting exploitation films, memories of Joyride, and more.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided.

Final Thoughts

Joyride (1977) is an undervalued entry in the pantheon of road movies with its swirl of different styles and a narrative that is not always the easiest to pin down. While our characters face many intimidating obstacles, the focus always remains on their shifting dynamics and erratic decision-making. The feature has a shaggy quality to it that allows it not to feel overly stuffy and ooze cool. The trio of main performers do a really great job of bringing their characters to life. If you love a good free-wheeling ‘70s picture, this is a good one to seek out. Cinématographe has provided a Blu-Ray that features a great A/V presentation and a great assortment of supplemental features. The label continues to bring some worthy titles back into the spotlight. Recommended

Joyride (1977) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cinématographe has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.