One of the most singular lessons that the film industry has learned is that audiences want to see themselves represented on screen, and are more likely to seek out cinema that reflects the same hardships that they go through. Considering that many young audiences flock to the movie theater on a regular basis,telling earnest coming-of-age storiesabout the realities of adolescence is an important task for the industry. While the 1980s saw a rise of coming-of-age dramedies thanks to the influence ofJohn Hughes,Francis Ford Coppolatook a darker slant on childhood trauma with his 1983 classicThe Outsiders.
Based on the novel of the same name byS.E. Hinton,The Outsiderstackles topics such as gang violence, toxic masculinity, and broken families with its story of young greasers living without parental supervision. Although stylistically,The Outsidersis indebted to the films of the 1960s, it tackles themes about cultural and infrastructural divisions that are relevant to any generation of young audiences. Coppola elevated the material into a touching, uncompromisingly bleak tribute to the complexities of growing up. However,Coppola wouldn’t have madeThe Outsidersif it weren’t for a high school library class of students that reached out to him directly.
The Outsiders
Set in a small town, a group of underprivileged teenagers known as the Greasers constantly clash with the affluent Socs. The stark contrast in their socioeconomic statuses leads to a tragic chain of events, testing the bonds of friendship and the notion of loyalty among the Greasers.
A Librarian Inspired Francis Ford Coppola To Make ‘The Outsiders’
Ever since its initial publication in 1967,The Outsidershas been incorporated within many literature courses for its thematic and cultural value. The film’s recurring imagery regarding rainbows, the color gold, and open plains offer young readers a great opportunity to expose themselves to metaphorical writing. When teaching at Lone Star Jr. High School in Fresno, California,the librarian Jo Ellen Misakianfound that her students were unusually engaged with the novel, and interested in seeing it translated to a different medium.Misakian decided to write Coppola a personal letter asking him to adaptThe Outsidersinto a movie. She cited her students’ enthusiasm for the material as a reason why the film would be successful, andreferenced Coppola’s previous hitsas evidence that he was best suited for the material.
Coppola was arguably at the peak of his career in 1980 when the letter was first written; he had just completed working on his ambitiousVietnam War epicApocalypse Now, which earned both the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Although it was instantly hailed as an all-time masterpiece,Apocalypse Nowwas a grueling productionthat gave Coppola second thoughts about taking on another project of such a significant scale.This meant thatCoppola was in a better position than ever before to take on a smaller scale projectthat narrowed its focus on a group of isolated characters.Although it seemed unlikely that such an acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker would receive the letter, Coppola’s assistant Fred Roos received Misakian’s note when it was forwarded to American Zoetrope. After researching both the school and source material, Roos passed along the information to Coppola.
This Surveillance Thriller Is Peak Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola delivers a character study about watching, listening, and how that experience changes the protagonist.
The Outsidersended up being the perfect passion project for the director, asCoppola was already working on another adaptation of a Hinton novel.1983’sRumble Fishwas inspired by Hinton’s 1975 film of the same name, and featured an exciting young cast that included bothMatt Dillonand Coppola’s nephewNicolas Cage.Rumble Fishmade use of Coppola’s arthouse sensibilities, utilizing dream sequences, black-and-white photography, and ambiguous plot points to create a film reminiscent of both noir classics and the stylized films of the French New Wave.The Outsidersallowed Coppola to experiment further by leaning into the earnestness of 1960s melodramas, creating a film that was perfectly suited for viewers who could relate to the characters.
‘The Outsiders’ Is One of Coppola’s Most Underrated Films
While hisclassics likeThe GodfatherandBram Stoker’s Draculaare best known for their significant scale,Coppola is often at his best when working on more intimate projects.The Outsidersrejects narrative cliches common in teen filmsin favor of a “slice of life” approach. The film centers on the young brothers Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), Darry (Patrick Swayze), and Sodapop (Rob Lowe) as they are drawn into a dispute with another gang. After Ponyboy goes on the run with his friend Johnny (Ralph Macchio), he begins to face existentialist questions about the future of his family.
Like the novel that it was based on,The Outsidersis very bleak and often quite devastating. The film acknowledges that violence is cyclical when social classes are so divided, and Ponyboy finds himself incapable of protecting his friends from getting in harm’s way. It’s perhaps thisdarker take on a coming-of-age storythat the students of Lone Star Jr. High School found so engaging, and something Coppola certainly respected when crafting his adaptation. The touching final monologue Ponyboy reads is lifted word-for-word from the original novel.
‘The Outsiders’ Launched a Generation of Stars
Coppola has routinely worked withlegendary actors likeMarlon BrandoandAl Pacino, but he’s often shown a key eye for identifying young talent.The Outsiderswas a breakout film for many future stars, includingseveral members of “The Brat Pack.”Actors likeEmilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Glenn Withrow, Melanie Griffith,andHeather Langenkampall make brief appearances in the film; both Hinton and Coppola’s daughter Sofia have cameos as well.
Like many of his films,The Outsidersis a film Coppola has grown interested in tinkering with later on in his career. Coppola released an extended director’s cut ofThe Outsidersin 2005, which included over 25 minutes of deleted scenes and a different narrative structure. The new version was slightly more faithful to the book, and reinserted some of the violent content that may not have initially made it past the MPAA censors.
