#414: HELLMAN, Monte: Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

HELLMAN, Monte (United States)

Two-Lane Blacktop [1971]

Spine #414
DVD

Drag racing east from L.A. in a souped-up '55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer-songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by the tagalong Girl (Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oate's Pontiac GTO — driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race — at stake: their cars' pink slips. Yet no summary can do justice to the existential punch of Two-Lane Blacktop. Maverick director Monte Hellman's stripped-down narrative, gorgeous widescreen compositions, and sophisticated look at American male obsession make this one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made.

103 minutes
Color

Monaural

2:35:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2007

Director/Writers

Story by Will Corry.

Screenplay by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Corry.

Monte Hellman was 42 when he directed Two-Lane Blacktop.

Other Hellman films in the Collection:

#734: The Shooting (1966)
#735: Ride In The Whirlwind (1966)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Forty-page booklet featuring an essay by Kent Jones; Wurlitzer’s screenplay; appreciations by Richard Linklater and Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article “On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop,” by Michael Goodwin.

Commentary

1. By Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders; and
2. By screenwriter Wurlitzer and author David Meyer.

Interviews

With Hellman, star Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz.

Rare

Never-before-seen screen test outtakes.

Performance & Image

A look at the restoration of a ‘55 Chevy from the movie and the film’s locations today.

Color Me Gone

Photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop.

Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

By Director
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