‘The Outsiders’ is a Timeless Classic | Movie Review

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders was released in the U.S. on March 25, 1983. The film was based on S.E. Hinton’s novel of the same name. Coppola was inspired to make the film after receiving a letter from a school librarian, Jo Ellen Misakian, at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California about doing a film adaptation of The Outsiders. The letter was signed by all of her seventh and eighth grade students. The novel depicts the struggles of people from different socio-economic classes.

The Outsiders features a talented group of actors such as C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane. The film established a career for the young actors and inspired a phenomenon known as the Brat Pack, which occurred during the 1980s. Macchio would star in his most successful film a year later, The Karate Kid. Estevez would go on to do The Breakfast Club (1985) and St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), which also stars Lowe. Swayze would do Dirty Dancing (1987) and Tom Cruise would star in Risky Business (1983), Top Gun (1986), Mission: Impossible (1996), and many more.  

The Outsiders had a unique audition process, which included all of the actors being in the same room and playing out different parts.

“It’s brutal because you’re becoming self-conscious of any choices because you’re watching reactions based on other actors and watching filmmakers and how they respond because you’re all trying to get the job. For Francis, it was about mixing and matching the ensemble, saying ‘Dennis Quaid, you read this, and Rob Lowe, you read that,’” Macchio told Variety. 

Making the film was just as interesting as the audition process. Coppola videotaped the rehearsals and basically shot a draft of The Outsiders on videotape before filming the final product. This allowed the actors to get a feel for their characters and block the scenes. To create tension between the two gangs, Coppola separated the Greasers and Socs during the filmmaking process. While the Socs had nicer hotel accommodations and leather books containing their scripts, the Greasers had below-average hotel accommodations and plain three-ring binders containing their scripts. 

“We played football and basketball against each other – they had matching jumpsuits, while we’d show up in whatever we brought from home. The Socs stayed on floor 18 or 19 of the hotel, while the Greasers were on four or five,” said Howell, transcribed by The Guardian. 

Ponyboy Curtis is a young man that’s part of a gang called the “Greasers.” He lives with his two older brothers, Darrel (“Darry”) and Sodapop (“Soda”). Being the eldest brother, Darry became the legal guardian for Soda and Ponyboy following the deaths of their parents. One night after Darry hits him, Ponyboy runs away from home with his best friend, Johnny Cade, where they get into a fight with their rival gang, the rich, south side “Socs.” The fight ends when Johnny stabs and kills a member of the Socs. As a result, they have to hide from the cops until things cool down.

Originally supposed to be over two hours, Coppola was pressured by Warner Brothers to cut The Outsiders down to 90 minutes for its theatrical release. Consequently, a lot of key scenes from the book were cut from the movie. Thankfully, The Outsiders was re-released as “The Complete Novel” version in 2005 with new scenes and a new film score added. Coppola’s father, Carmine Coppola, wrote a romantic score for the original film and although Coppola felt it wasn’t right for The Outsiders, he didn’t have the guts to tell his father the truth. For the 2005 re-release, after his father’s death, Coppola used a mix of his father’s music and a 1960s-inspired film score he originally envisioned for the movie. 

The new scenes make all the difference because they help to tell the story better. A crucial example would be at the beginning of the newly re-edited film, where Ponyboy is followed and jumped by members of the Socs, who pull a blade on him, cutting his chin. Another scene that’s worth mentioning is the courtroom trial for Ponyboy. It’s intense because his future is placed in the judge’s hands; everyone is sweating with nerves. If Ponyboy was found guilty for his involvement with Bob’s death, he would’ve been put in a boys’ home.  

The 2005 version of The Outsiders also establishes the relationship between the Curtis brothers better. There’s a scene where Sodapop comforts Ponyboy in bed. The viewers notice that Ponyboy has a better relationship with Soda, unlike with Darry, who gives the youngest brother a hard time. Another important scene for the brothers takes place at the end of the film, where Soda runs away from home, and confesses to Ponyboy and Darry that he’s sick of the two fighting all the time. It’s a very heartfelt moment that showcases Lowe’s acting chops; most of his scenes were cut from the original film.

As for the music, the updated movie soundtrack makes The Outsiders better and more chilling to watch. For example, when the Socs try to drown Ponyboy in the fountain, the original music is orchestrated and over-the-top, whereas the 2005 version has a score that resembles The Twilight Zone, which is way more effective. By the way, mad props to Coppola for not actually showing Johnny stab Bob to death. All he had to do was show the fountain water turn red and that was enough, so brilliant and effective.

The updated soundtrack has a toughness to it that matches the vibe of The Outsiders better than the original score. Another example would be the scene where Ponyboy and Johnny run into the burning church to save the little kids from burning to death. The updated film score adds to the drama and chaos of what’s happening around them; the original score kills the mood a bit. 

Whether it’s the theatrical version or “The Complete Novel” version, however, The Outsiders is a classic. As mentioned before, the movie highlights the struggles of individuals from different socio-economic classes. Despite different upbringings, the Socs and Greasers have a lot more in common than they realize. As highlighted by Randy, during his talk with Ponyboy before the rumble, it doesn’t matter if the Greasers win or vice versa because no resolution would come. The Socs have all the money in the world, but they’re unhappy with their lives and are too afraid to break away from their respective cliques. This is proven towards the end of the movie, where Cherry ignores Ponyboy at school because she’s worried about what her friends would think.

The Outsiders also teaches viewers to never judge a book by its cover. After reading about Ponyboy saving the kids from the church fire, Randy is surprised that a Greaser would do something like that. At this point, Randy realizes that he was wrong about Ponyboy and his friends. Underneath their leather jackets and greased hair, the Greasers are human beings with problems like them. Ponyboy gains a new perspective on the Socs, as well.

Then, there’s Dallas, the street-smart, wise guy that’s been in-and-out of jail throughout his life. Underneath his mean persona, he has a kind heart and deeply cares for his friends. He was especially protective over Johnny and when he dies, Dallas is devastated. Not being able to accept Johnny’s death, he robs a store and commits suicide by cop, which is sad for both the remaining Greasers and the audience watching the film. Dillon did a terrific job as Dallas, and he captured the charm and spirit of his character brilliantly. Both of them are New Yorkers too, so it worked out in the end.

The whole cast deserves praise for their work in The Outsiders, especially Howell for his portrayal of Ponyboy. For a 14-year-old kid, Ponyboy had a lot of weight on his shoulders and went through some rough times. Think about it, his parents died when he was young, he was tortured by the Socs, his best friend was charged with murder and later burned to death, and the last word Dallas said before he died was “Pony.” Howell’s performance as Ponyboy was amazing and there’s not another film to top that. 

The Outsiders is a great film that’s stood the test of time. Maybe even more so now with “The Complete Novel” version. There’s a lot of memorable quotes in the film (“Stay Gold, Ponyboy”) and it was shot beautifully. Howell still receives letters from fans about how much the movie means to them, how they’re still mourning over Johnny’s death, and that they’re in shock over Howell not being 14 years old anymore. 

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