Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Zoetrope Studios

Video: Warner

 

Disc:

Region: FREE! (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:54:40.873

Disc Size: 34,481,113,957 bytes

Feature Size: 29,678,045,184 bytes

Video Bitrate: 28.42 Mbps

Chapters: 32

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: June 3rd, 2014

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3787 kbps 5.0 / 48 kHz / 3787 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), Spanish, French, none

 

Extras:

• Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola

• Commentary by 'The Greasers and a Soc" (Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze and Diane Lane)

• Behind the Scenes: Staying Gold (26:27)

• Behind the Scenes: On Location with S.E. Hinton (7:35)

• Behind the Scenes: Screen Tests and Auditions - Fred Roos and the casting of The Outsiders (13:59)

• Behind the Scenes: Cast Readings (7:25)

• Behind the Scenes: Fresno Book to Film [NBC Today Show] (4:46)

• 6 Deleted Scenes

• 1983 Trailer (1:14) / 2005 Re-Release Trailer (2:02)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Teen rivalry in a small Southern town sets the stage for this dramatic interpretation of the novel by S.E. Hinton. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Outsiders tells the story of the ongoing conflict between the Greasers and the Socs in rural Oklahoma. C. Thomas Howell stars as Ponyboy, the youngest of three orphaned boys who pal around with the local hoods known as the Greasers. When Ponyboy and his friend (Ralph Macchio) get into a deadly confrontation one night, the two go on the run from the cops, and they grow up quickly and soon realize the insignificance of their petty posturing. Matt Dillon stars as the tough-as-nails leader of their group and Patrick Swayze appears as Ponyboy's oldest brother. A host of other 1980s Brat Pack celebs fill out the cast. Dillon later appeared in another Coppola adaption of a Hinton book, Rumble Fish.

 

 

 

 

 

The Film:

The life of a juvenile delinquent never looked this beautiful! For his adaptation of S.E. Hinton's beloved novel, The Outsiders (1983), Francis Ford Coppola crafted a mythic world that juxtaposes the angst and turmoil of adolescence with saturated sunsets and stunning scenery. Partly a tale of class-war and partly a story about teenage rebellion, The Outsiders is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the mid-sixties and centers around a group of local "greasers" and their affluent high school counterparts, the "Socs" (pronounced "Soshes"; think "Society" rather that "Sock-Hop"). Though the main protagonist of the film is Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell), who narrates the events in flashback, the real leader of the pack is Dallas Winston (Matt Dillon), whose charismatic personality borders on the psychotic. When Dallas and his boys aren't raising hell, other subplots surface such as a romantic liaison between a greaser (Howell) and a soc (Diane Lane) or the struggle of three orphaned brothers (Howell with older brothers Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze) to stay together despite financial problems, or a "rumble" that results in an accidental death forcing two greasers (Howell and Ralph Macchio) to go on the lam.

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

 

The film is now a complete picture of these 1960s Oklahoma teens who divide themselves into greasers and preppy Socs (pronounced so-shes). The focus is on Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), 14, an orphan who lives with his older brothers (Lowe and Swayze) and gets involved in a murder committed by Johnny (Ralph Macchio), his best friend. With the help of greaser leader Dallas (a powerful Dillon), the boys hide out in an abandoned building until an act of unexpected heroism brings them to justice. Coppola has given the film a fullness that makes it feel freshly minted. Ponyboy, quoting Robert Frost's poem about how nothing gold (meaning youth) ever lasts, is set against an impossibly golden sunset that always threw me, as did much of the florid dialogue. This new version makes it clear that the film is being seen through Ponyboy, a wanna-be writer with an intense love for reading Gone With the Wind. Coppola has directed the film as Ponyboy would have done it. That clarity results in a movie that will stay gold.

Excerpt from Rolling Stone located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

In 2005, Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders became "The Complete Novel Edition" re-instating a previously unseen twenty-two minutes of footage which adds a new title, and introductory, sequence and replacements in the original operatic score (Carmine Coppola) for Elvis Presley's Mystery Train and other period rock 'n roll. Fans tire of revisionist filmmakers with 'extended' and 'director's cut' version but this was a genuine improvement over the original working significantly better in term of relating to the characters bonding with the audience.

 

This longer The Outsiders release was out on Blu-ray in Europe and Japan and now this "The Complete Novel" arrives, from Warner, in North American (delayed on Amazon). Similar to its theatrical release appearance the 1080P is thick and rich instilling a strong sense of style and the period.  This, almost 2-hour version is housed on a dual-layered disc with a supportive bitrate. Colors are tighter and truer than SD could relate and have a sense of depth and heaviness. Skin tones gains some warmth and contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels. The "Nothing Gold Can Stay" sunrise sequence looked impressive. There is no noise and the visuals are smooth in-motion. It looks very strong and pristinely clean. This Blu-ray offers a solid, consistent, and appealing HD presentation.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

The audio is in a robust DTS-HD Master Surround track in a healthy 3787 kbps. Effects impact with depth and Carmine Coppola's 'classic' instrumental score exists in the 'Complete Novel Edition' in, at least, 2 scenes and the relevant Stay Gold, by Stevie Wonder remains sounding beautiful. The 'additional music - ex. Elvis Presley's Mystery Train and other period rock 'n roll - are exported with notable tightness as compared to the previous SD. The uncompressed sounds strong and intense. There are optional subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

Supplements duplicate the last DVD with the revealing commentary by Francis Ford Coppola and a second (with insertion edits) entitled 'by The Greasers and a Soc" which has Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze and Diane Lane but is less educational on production specifics than the director's. There are 5 'Behind the Scenes' video featurettes running almost an hour in total with the cast, locations, author S.E. Hinton, Screen Tests and Auditions, Fred Roos on the casting, readings and a brief NBC Today Show segment. There are also 6 Deleted Scenes, the 1983 Trailer and 2005 Re-Release Trailer.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting The Outsiders in 1080P and the impact of the improved a/v was quite noticeable to me. The film offers a lot beyond the 'blossoming' young cast and iconic Hinton story. Coppola's deft touches and embracing style make much of the film hypnotic.  This Blu-ray is significantly superior to its DVD counterpart as well as the extras being accessible on the same disc as the feature. Unique and masterful film - the BD is strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

May 22nd, 2014

Coming to the UK on Blu-ray from StudioCanal in November 2021: and on 4K UHD: