Any audience of a particular age probably has memories of being assigned to read the 1967 novel The Outsiders from S.E. Hinton sometime during their formative school years. It is at this age in particular that the reader really can relate to the intense adolescent emotions that are felt by the main characters in the material. The social isolation and anxieties are outsized in a way that feels genuine and relatable to those in the midst of growing up. It is a text that was always destined to wind up on the silver screen, and we can only thank Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, for writing to Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) on behalf of her student to urge him to adapt this book. Other directors may have been able to capably execute the beats of the source material, but Coppola brought a depth of understanding to each of these characters that has allowed it to endure as one of the strongest depictions of youth-driven storytelling around. This coupled with a cast of soon-to-be movie stars makes you understand why its legacy endures nearly forty years later.
The classic tale takes place in Oklahoma in 1962, the perfect era where the “quaint” American life provided a lot of time to fill for a burgeoning youth. The class warfare mainly thought of in adult terms had trickled down to the younger generation as the working, lower-class “greasers” found themselves at odds with the wealthy “socs” for no real reason outside of they were from different walks of life. As an audience we follow Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell, Southland), a greaser backed with love and support from his brothers, Darrel (Patrick Swayze, Ghost) and Sodapop (Rob Lowe, Masquerade), as well as his friends Johnny (Ralph Macchio, The Karate Kid) , Dallas (Matt Dillon, Rumble Fish), Two-Bit (Emilio Estevez, The Mighty Ducks), and Steve (Tom Cruise, Top Gun). With no parents anywhere in sight, Darrel has to reluctantly take on the pressure of being a guardian to most of these young men, whether or not they are blood or not. The socs are nowhere near as developed as the greasers, but they consistently pop up as a life-altering presence in their journey.
Not every soc is portrayed as a violent jerk, at least when it comes to “Cherry” Valance (Diane Lane, A Little Romance), a beautiful young girl who takes a liking to Ponyboy much to the chagrin of her boyfriend. Altercation upon altercation leads to fateful consequences they can not walk back no matter how hard they try. Each greaser has a special outlook on life that can run the gamut of inspirational and self-destructive. This is a story bubbling with fear and frustration that comes from the powerlessness of youth. It can be a scary thing to not understand what you are supposed to give of yourself to this world. It is safe to say that Coppola was essential in getting each of these young performers to a place that captured the raw emotions of their hopeless situation. There is a societal barrier between classes that can be so toxic, and when you take a moment to step back you can see that distinctions are arbitrary and we all feel pain from the same fears.
Coppola masterfully handles the classic material by ensuring that all action feeds into character moments. This is even more clear in the “Complete Novel” version of the film which adds in additional scenes that allow the film to more closely resemble the book. This all goes towards establishing context and making the film stand apart as its own work of art. Coppola works with cinematographer Stephen H. Burum to use the dusty visuals as a shorthand for some of the important world building and thematically resonant developments. When things start falling apart at the end and the themes of the movie really come into focus, you feel the full weight of the text on both a visual and narrative level. Each of these young performers display many of the attributes that would propel them to greater stardom later in their careers. If you are a fan of the novel, you will feel how well this narrative captures the feel of the book. Francis Ford Coppola treats the insular tale of teen angst with as much respect as he put forth in his classic adult dramas.
Video Quality
The Outsiders makes its long-awaited 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a stunning 2160p HDR transfer for both the Complete Novel and the long-MIA Theatrical Cut which allows the film to look better than it ever has. It is derived from a 4K restoration conducted by American Zoetrope Head of Archives and Restoration James Mockoski who worked closely with Coppola during the remastering process of the Original Camera Negative. The new 4K UHD disc offers substantial improvements over the dated previous Blu-Ray. The movie has a nice amount of natural film grain which is light but very tight and specific. This allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. The image presents with a miraculous amount of depth that makes this locale feel more three dimensional than ever. There are some subtle differences in color temperature between the two different cuts, but nothing that looks garish or unnatural.
The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when you look at the exteriors of the town buildings or textures on costumes. The UHD disc contains very vibrant, deep colors throughout even with the dusty Oklahoma setting truly dazzling thanks to the cinematography. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are deep and allow the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and detail in darker environments. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail including some of the sweat of drive-in patrons in their cars. This transfer is a treat for fans of the film. Warner Bros. has done an excellent job by providing both cuts of the film in their best quality. Those who have not updated to 4K yet should note that there are not any Blu-Rays included in this package.
Audio Quality
These 4K UHD Blu-Ray discs come with a DTS-HD 5.1 (Theatrical Cut) and 5.0 (Complete Novel) Master Audio track, but the original theatrical stereo track is not included for either release. These discs both handle this material well with a few caveats. These tracks do not feature constant kinetic activity, but it comes alive when it makes sense. The score from the Theatrical Cut sounds thematically more appropriate, but the added musical cues in the Complete Novel present with equal fidelity on a technical level. These tracks are free of damage, but there are several moments where it begins to overwhelm competing sounds so that dialogue gets trounced on a bit. The environmental sounds such as the weather effects and clamoring from these groups of teens are rendered well alongside everything else. This track does most things right, but the music volume can be a bit overbearing in a way that affects your enjoyment ever so slightly.
Special Features
- An Introduction To The Outsider: The Complete Novel with Francis Ford Coppola: A new 12-minute introduction is provided here in which Coppola reads the original letter that made him decide to make the film, discusses filming in Tulsa, casting the young performers, the new 4K restoration and more.
- Commentaries
-
- Audio Commentary #1: Director Francis Ford Coppola delivers a very entertaining and informative commentary track in which discusses every aspect of the film in detail, working with his father and Stevie Wonder to deliver a key song for the film, the casting of the young performers, attempting to give each character their due and more. This begins with a vintage introduction with Coppola in which he discusses how the book came onto his radar and how the Complete Novel came to be after disagreements with producers caused the film to be shortened.
-
- Audio Commentary #2: A track with the Greasers and a Soc, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Diane Lane recorded in 2003. This is much less formal than the previous commentary track as you get a lot of great spontaneous reactions from these performers watching themselves at a much different point in their lives. If you listen to this track, be sure to choose it from the special features dropdown menu as that version starts with an introduction that includes the opening minutes of the commentary track before starting the film over with that segment missing.
- Restoring The Outsiders: A 19-minute piece featuring interviews with James Mockowski (American Zoetrope film archivist and restoration supervisor), Gregg Garvin (colorist for Roundabout Entertainment), and Stephen H. Burum (the film’s cinematographer), as they discuss the process of restoring both cuts of the film to its best possible version, the process of scanning and grading the picture, HDR enhancements, and more. Those who love knowing the technical process behind film will have a field day with this.
- Stay Gold – A Look Back At The Outsiders: A 27-minute vintage featurette in which key participants discuss the production of this film on a narrative and technical level, as well as the 2003 reunion that took place at Coppola’s home where the commentary track was recorded.
- Outsider Looking In: A new eight-minute piece in which Coppola takes you through some of his favorite scenes in the film including one in which his granddaughter had a cameo. It is intriguing to see what Coppola views as the most important moments in the film.
- Stephen H. Burum on The Outsiders: A new nearly 13-minute conversation with the cinematographer in which he shares his memories of the production, how the production fed into Rumble Fish, his shooting style and more.
- Old House New Home: A new 11-minute piece in which author S.E. Hinton, Danny Boy O’Connor (owner of The Outsiders House Museum), and some fans discuss their relation to the film and how important it is to them, the shooting locations, memorabilia they have purchased, the enduring legacy and more.
- On Location In Tulsa with S.E. Hinton: A nearly eight-minute piece in which Hinton takes you on a bit of a tour around the Tulsa filming locations while sharing some of her own memories of the production.
- Screen Tests and Auditions – Fred Roos and the Casting of The Outsiders: A 14-minute piece in which Roos discusses his working relationship with Coppola, the actors recall their strange auditions, and old audition tapes are shown of performers who were not cast in the picture. This last bit is the most intriguing, as you get to see people like Adam Baldwin, Kate Capshaw and more reading as you try to picture them in the film.
- Cast Readings: A seven-minute piece from 2003 in which some of the performers read passages of the novel including Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell and Diane Lane.
- Deleted Scenes: Eight unused scenes totaling 15-minutes are provided here including two all-new scenes restored and presented in 4K which stand in stark contrast to the very rough quality of the others.
- Trailers: The 2005 Re-Release Trailer (2:01) and 2021 Re-Release Trailer (1:10) are provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Outsiders is a classic novel that was turned into an equally compelling feature film that brings the story to life quite capably. It is a bit staggering to see all of the young talent in the film light up the screen, but even outside of their star power they all bring something special to their characters that does them justice. Francis Ford Coppola did a great job of capturing the angst of youth and where it can lead under the worst circumstances. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray set sporting a great A/V presentation and a wonderful assortment of new and legacy special features. If you are a fan of the material, just being able to own both cuts of this film in such great quality will be a win. Highly Recommended
The Outsiders: The Complete Novel is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
