Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Warner Bros. and Studiocanal Release New 4K Restoration of Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, The Complete Novel (Review)

 Disclosure: I was sent a screener from the vendor in exchange for an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.

WARNER BROS. AND STUDIOCANAL ANNOUNCE

A BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION

OF

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S



IN ASSOCIATION WITH AMERICAN ZOETROPE

Did you have a favorite book growing up?  For me it was The Outsiders.  After seeing the movie on television, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the book, and read it one summer for summer reading for school.  Ever since then, that has become my favorite book, and I read it at least once a year, in addition to watching the movie whenever I stumble upon it on television.  Back in the day, I watched the movie on VHS so many times I ended up wearing it out and needing to buy a replacement.  Then, when the DVD came out, I was quick to pick up a copy -- but, through my different moves over the years, the disc went missing.  :-(  Thanks to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Studiocanal, I can finally get my The Outsiders fix, thanks to their new 4K UHD release that came out yesterday, along with a digital code for additional viewing. 

Last night after the girls went to bed, I settled into watch this new release, and had so much fun checking out all the bonus content, which included audio commentary and deleted and extended scenes. I couldn't help but feel sad hearing Patrick Swayze's voice, as he was my childhood crush and covered by bedroom rooms with his posters from the Teen Bop magazines.  He was taken from us too soon.  But, thanks to movies like this, we can still attend his talent time and time again.  If you grew up watching or reading The Outsiders, this is one collector's edition worth picking up. The bonus content will make you want to get it.  And, with Christmas fast approaching, this would make for a great stocking stuffer idea, or gift for yourself. :-)

More about this new release:


"Warner Bros., STUDIOCANAL, and American Zoetrope today announce the forthcoming 4K restoration of the 1983 American coming-of-age drama, THE OUTSIDERS THE COMPLETE NOVEL, from Academy Award®-winning visionary director Francis Ford Coppola. Created to give fans more of the action that took place in S.E. Hinton’s celebrated book, Coppola’s latest, definitive version includes new music, as well as several scenes cut from the theatrical version which were reconstructed from original camera negatives. Warner Bros. will release THE OUTSIDERS THE COMPLETE NOVEL theatrically in the US and Canada beginning on September 26th with tickets going on sale this week.  Details are available at Fandango.com. Warner Bros. will also make both it and the original version available in a 4K UHD Collector’s Edition and on digital platforms starting November 9th. Additionally, THE OUTSIDERS THE COMPLETE NOVEL will be available on HBO Max beginning on November 16th and will also air this fall on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). 

 

Said Coppola, ‘“The Outsiders The Complete Novel’ came about after meeting students over the years who repeatedly asked me why certain scenes from S.E. Hinton’s wonderful book were missing from the theatrical version. These questions reminded about my inspiration for the film—in 1980, a contingent of 12- to 14-year-old students wrote and asked me to make it. I listened to those young fans back then, and I continue to listen to young people now and believe in their opinions, so this complete film version of the novel is for them.”

 

STUDIOCANAL is handling the release internationally and will release THE OUTSIDERS THE COMPLETE NOVEL theatrically in the UK, and will make both it and the original version available in a 4K UHD Collector’s Edition and on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital platforms starting November 8th.

 

Based on the 1967 best-selling young-adult novel by S. E. Hinton, THE OUTSIDERS is considered the first “Brat Pack” movie, as it stars then-unknown young actors in many of their first break-through roles, including C. Thomas Howell (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), Rob Lowe (“The West Wing,” Parks and Recreation”), Emilio Estevez (St. Elmo's Fire, The Breakfast Club, Young Guns), Matt Dillon (Crash, There's Something About Mary), Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Mission Impossible series, Jerry Maguire), Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Point Break, Ghost), Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai), and Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Under the Tuscan Sun), who went on to superstar-caliber careers.

 

THE OUTSIDERS takes place in '60s Oklahoma, centering on two rival teen gangs: The “Greasers,” a class term that refers to the young men on the East Side, the poor side of town, and the “Socs,” short for Socials, who are the “West-side rich kids.” Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), a tender-hearted and kind teenager’s life is changed forever one night when a scuffle with his friend Johnny (Ralph Macchio) inadvertently leads to the death of a rival gang member, and the boys are forced to go into hiding to avoid arrest. Soon Ponyboy and Johnny, along with Dallas (Matt Dillon) and their other Greaser buddies, must contend with the consequences of their violent lives. While some Greasers try to achieve redemption, others meet tragic ends.

 

Inspired by Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian who had sent Coppola a letter signed by over 300 students explaining that the book was cult reading among local teens, Coppola captures adolescent teen emotions and the growing realization of life’s cruelties and a yearning for a life not attainable.

 

For ‘The Outsiders The Complete Novel’ as well as the original theatrical version, we wanted to create and maintain the highest level of visual quality possible for these restorations,” commented James Mockoski, Film Archivist and Restoration Supervisor at American Zoetrope. “We took the unusual path of locating all the various elements that went into creating the film's most elaborate visual effects sequences and re-scanned them. Luckily, Mr. Coppola is an archivist at heart and he kept every piece of film he shot, so we were able to unify scenes from the film using the original camera negative as much as possibleIt was important to Mr. Coppola to give this release its best quality presentation, and no one has ever seen this film looking as beautiful and pristine as it does now.”"

 

U.S. and International Release Dates:

 

NORTH AMERICA (Warner Bros.) – Theatrical September 26, Home Entertainment November 9, HBO Max November 16, TCM Fall 2021

UK HOME (STUDIOCANAL) – Theatrical TBC, Home Entertainment November 8

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND (STUDIOCANAL) – Home Entertainment November 10

GERMANY (STUDIOCANAL) – Home Entertainment November 11

 

The stunning 4-disc 4K UHD Collector’s Edition will include both restored features - The Outsiders The Complete Novel and The Outsiders:


  • 4K UHD disc includes The Outsiders The Complete Novel and The Outsiders in 4K with HDR
  • Digital codes for both films are also included

Plus, an impressive array of extra features:

 

  • NEW Restoration Interview with Cinematographer Stephen Burum, Zoetrope Head of Archives and Restorations James Mockoski and Colourist Gregg Garvin
  • NEW Deleted Scenes
  • NEW Francis Ford Coppola Introduction
  • NEW Francis Ford Coppola Anatomy of a Scene
  • NEW Old House New Home featurette
  • Audio Commentary with Francis Ford Coppola
  • Audio Commentary with Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Patrick Swayze.
  • Staying Gold: A look Back at "The Outsiders"
  • S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa
  • The Casting of "The Outsiders"
  • NBC's News Today from 1983 "The Outsiders Started by School Petition", and
  • Deleted and Extended Scenes

 Disclosure: I was sent a screener from the vendor in exchange for an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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