This movie and specifically the ending have so many different meanings in them it’s crazy….but for me the biggest message is how little freedom we really have and how much trouble the powers that be will go to if we don’t bow down and kiss their boots. This movie follows thousands of police spending (in 1970 dollars) hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and manpower to hunt down 1 man in 1 car who has actually hurt ZERO other people in any way shape or form. His only crime was breaking a speed limit and not stopping before he reached a county line so they could make him pay a monetary fine in their jurisdiction. Because of this infraction they sentence him to death….it was never really a choice….to someone who HAS to be free he couldn’t take spending decades in prison for violating a speed limit and being a better driver than the cops that tried to catch him. The founding fathers started this country on the notion they would have liberty (freedom) or would DIE before giving it up. Kowalski represents the man we’d all like to think we’d be if the choice between freedom and death came down to being very real and very literal at one moment in our lives. He chose freedom by showing his would/be oppressors that he’d rather die free by his own choice than submit to their tyrannical will. It’s really a beautiful thing to think about….true freedom. It’s no wonder he’s grinning with that 440 Magnum wound up to 5,500 RPM roaring down the road at 140mph straight into those dozer blades.
@@matthewcanney4211They filled the Camaro shell with explosives and pulled it through the Bulldozers with a 383 Challenger from what I read years ago?
That is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. Chrysler really was something special in the early 70s. 50 years old and I would take it over any cars available now.
Buddy you got that right I once owned one myself when I was in high school I later sold it been kicking myself ever since cars back then had Real Style 👍
Excellent work on editing those scenes together! That really pulls everything together, thank you. Godspeed to Richard Sarafian, Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Carey Loftin and the many others who worked on Vanishing Point and have since passed on.
Thank you very much! Glad it pulled things together. Sad that they've all passed on now, it's good they left a legacy behind that can continue to be enjoyed.
Thank you! You were the living the dream 😎 that must have been so cool doing that in a Challenger. The scenery out there in the West is stunning. And what better soundtrack than a V8 with a view from inside a Challenger. Great memories to look back on, I bet that was a time of fun and zero regrets.
It's probably one of the best "B" movies ever made, almost hard to class it as such. There was another high budget movie filming not far away (can't remember which one) so they managed to snag some good crew from there. The cinematography is superb. Even the shots which were not intended to make it into the cut, made some of the best in the movie - where Kowalski is leaving the mountains of Colorado with all of those out of focus shots, that was just them trying to grab focus and get a clear shot of him driving, but they struggled at those speeds so had all sorts of movement in it, and that footage ended up being left in making a great sequence.
@car_ventures that's the scene I was referring to in my earlier comment! That was some fierce moments right there! He was really wired and that Mopar was hammering down! Loved that scene and when those cops were chasing him and he just flat out walked the dog on them! That was a terminator he was driving! 😂
Well done - as many times as I've watched this for what seems like 40+ years (plus all the requisite reading and viewing of interviews of cast and crew, etc.), you've tied up a couple loose ends up for me. Thank you very much for putting this out there. - Ed on the Ridge
Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad to be able to contribute to the legacy of the movie a little. Some of the interviews have been added to RUclips which has helped get into the story a lot more. Wonder how many articles still exist around it. Also great that Richard C. Sarafian was still around to do the DVD commentary to help with understanding some of the parts to it. I've always wondered why he didn't stay at the hippy house for a few days until things cooled off.
Have you seen that art installation from several years ago - it was called "The slow inevitable death of the American muscle car", or thereabouts. It was two real cars... GM F bodies being crushed in together by a heavy duty chain, over the course of several days. It was so slow, it appeared still and everyone thought it was just two crumpled cars set up. But over a timelapse you could see them start out bumper to bumper then end up crumpled together. It was sad to see it done but in a way merges together the meaning you describe and the ending of the film.
Thank you for sharing the kind words :) I was surprised too - starting out the edit I thought it was going to be difficult finding all the parts that would work together, but it came together quite smoothly in the end. They did a great job when editin the film to have it at either end of the film, intercut, but still flowing with perfect continuity when re-consctructing.
I’m 66 years old . Saw this movie in 71 about 10 times , and 100 times since . Changed my life for sure . Dodge dealer in New Hampshire had a 1 year old 06 White R\T 6 speed that the previous owner had all “ tweaked up “ . Made the mistake of letting me test drive it on a Sat. Morning. Kept it for 5 hours . I was Kowalski all day ! Still smile when I think about it . Wonder if that salesman still has his job ? W
Thank you for this. It was SO overdue!! Your end job was VERY well put together!!! A TON of editing must have been done to figure it all out! Thank you Car Ventures!!!
Thank you for such a pleasant comment :) It did take a while matching up the scenes and getting the flow to work. There was about 4 days in total on it. Had to step away a couple of times as it was a bit of a headache matching things up where the overlaps occured but with different timing. It was well worth the effort seeing how many people have enjoyed watching it and leaving such great and supportive comments. I'm glad you enjoyed!
@17:42 - Wheel magically changed to chrome reverse from stock road wheel(s) on vehicle throughout earlier portions of film. And, oh yes, it's actually a Camaro. LOL.
Great movie! Love the soundtrack too! First time seeing this was early 80s. Big thanks to my big brother for introducing me to this, Convoy, Dirty Larry and Crazy Mary, White Line Fever, Smokey and the Bandit, the original Gone in 60sec, etc. 🔥💣🍻💯💪
Good job big brother, good taste in movies! White line fever is one that I haven't seen yet, the others are all time classics and get watched many times
Due to this movie, the first car I bought when I came to the US in the late 80's was a 70 R/T Challenger. I drove the shit out of that car & even pounded it through the Utah desert in the early 90's. 35yrs later I still have it as an unrestored driver. It needs another trip out into the desert.
@@car_ventures The second car I bought was a 70 Plumb Crazy Deputy Challenger & the 3rd was a 70 Sublime R/T Coronet & I still have all three in Idaho. Sorry I don't do any social media to share.
Excellent work! You've done fans of this movie a great service through your work here. Really puts the start and end of the film into crystal clear context. Thank you!!!
Was a great ride for sure, glad to see you stop by Nick! Have enjoyed seeing yours getting rebuilt, hoping to see more of it. There might be one coming up on here soon to look out for 🤫
Thanks for putting this together! Much appreciated. That Challenger was a beautiful car. One trivial note many car buffs know but others may not: the impact car was a 1968 Camaro...ouch! Still a waste of a good car ;). One other piece of trivia...Audioslave has a video out from several years back with Chris Cornell driving the Challenger and several pieces of the original movie spliced in..its GREAT! The song is 'Show Me How to Live'..its pretty awesome!
funny i noticed the impact car wasn't a Challenger first time i saw the film and after a Google search years later my suspicions were confirmed. it might have been because Chrysler didn't want to fork over another Challenger. i think they wrecked at least seven of them making this film.
@@ohmtronseedling I believe they rented them three at just $1 a day, and probably didn't want to destroy one out of respect. Source being none other than Graveyard Carz.
It's too bad we never got a directors' version or director's cut. Richard Sarafian set out to make a much different movie. The few scenes I'm aware of that were cut (and may still survive, somewhere) was Kowalski breaking up a fight between some kids before buying his Uppers from Jake. I believe this scene may exist on film as a frame of it appears on the back of the Japanese Laser Disc. Also, in an interview with Barry Newman many years ago, he detailed how after he breaks into Nevada, he pulls over for a cigarette. But that scene played on as he breaks down and has a full-on flashback to Vietnam. I believe this scene was cut because with the shooting schedule cut by three weeks, they never had the chance to film the Vietnam scenes. I can't say for sure but of all the flashbacks to Kowalski's past, we NEVER see anything to do with Vietnam. BUT, we do see him as a Policeman, a bike racer, a stock car driver, and some scenes of his Romance with Vera. Supposedly, there was an awful lot more filmed of Cleavon Little. John Amos (uncredited as Super Soul's first engineer) said they filmed Cleavon for a solid week if not more. Not the "three days" usually attributed to his filming.
Thanks for sharing, fascinating to hear there's potentially more footage out there. I wonder if there is an archivist out there who could look into it and find the reels if they are still around. There are many 2-3 hour movies out there these days, a few minutes here and there doesn't add much watch time but does add extra depth to the character and the story. Would be wonderful to see these extra parts. They reference him as "dishonourable discharge" if I remember the phrase right, makes sense that the Vietnam part would have been filmed. Will search for the stills and see if anything comes up. I heard the same about Cleavon Little, he's was always a well known actor so they would have captured as much as they could from him while they had him.
@@car_ventures Actually, Kowalski was honourably discharged from Vietnam with a Medal of Honor. It was the San Diego police force that dishonourably discharged him for stopping a fellow officer from raping a witness/drug user and allowing her to escape custody. They framed Kowalski, railroaded him and this is what started his descent into counter culture. The culture he grew up in where you do the right thing had chewed him up and spit him out. Like I say, there was much, much more to this movie.
I saw this movie before it's release date at a theatre in Boston. They advertised it as a sneak preview but they didn't put the name in the ad. I had no idea what it was about. When i saw it again later in another theatre it seemed like they cut out a lot. I think they cut it after the sneak preview. Maybe based on audience reaction. The directors cut must exist somewhere.
@@garybishop4030 Yes, many people are aware of that version - in fact it comes on most DVD's nowadays. However, there were many more scenes filmed and even more scenes NOT filmed when the production budget was cut mid-production!! Ownership of 20th Century Fox changed during the production of Vanishing Point and the new CEO was not thrilled with the film. Vanishing Point was supposed to be an A-list, summer blockbuster but was beat down to being nothing more than a B-grade, drive-in movie. But it makes you wonder..... how many B-movies had their soundtrack available on LP???
One of the most perfect endings in film history, period. And Cleavon Little doesn't get enough credit for how brilliant he is and how important his performance is to the impact of this film and ending. Great edit comparing the opening and ending.
MOPARS were the car to have in the 70s, my husband owned many of them and this movie captures the essence of owning a MOPAR in the 70s, I so love the old days!!!!!
That would have been great to experience at the time. There's something special from that era when cars were all out, regulations were low, coast to coast challenges were brewing, all about the raw power. If it weren't for movies like this, Two Lane Blacktop etc. it would be hard to imagine what it was like. Glad you and your husband were able to be part of such a cool time, if not the best, in automotive history.
You must be smoking something very strong......Chrysler build quality was the WORST among the three big automakers Jay Leno always talks about how terrible Mopar quality was . I owned a 1969 Charger and many others they were junk. Ford and chevy built great cars
i agree with @toddbob55 ... Mopars were junk.. I was in high school in the 70"s and my first car was a 1968 Camaro, my 2nd car being a 1970 Chevelle SS 454... both cars would consistently blow the doors off any Chrysler product of the time!!
When he nails it and passes that copter that is one beautiful sound! Just like going through the these mtn roads where he's just winding that sucker out and he's jacked up on the speed pills man there were so many iconic scenes in this movie which puts it in the all time top 5 of favorite movies ever!
Thanks for much for the kind words :) I'm glad it was useful, it's always bugged me wondered how it flowed together, I'm glad it wasn't just me, and glad it's been helpful!
... The Bulldozers and the Helicopter, puuhh, this was the death of Kowaslky ... RIP Kowalsky ... Barry Newman, god bless you. - great and awesome and amazing Video !!!!!! 😮😢❤❤❤😢😊
Good spot. I spent hours on Google Maps trying to find roads that matched up to the map in the police operations room. It appears to match up to California just past the border, but looks like they purposefully changed the name of the town to Cisco. Which in the film he already would have driven through to get to where the bulldozers were. It makes it tricky to make a roadtrip because you have to go past an area where the film ends, to stick to the route that works in real life, but not in the film.
Thought I'd be the only-one to think of that! And, yeah, even though actors? By their expressions, they were damned-good ones...and possibly more than a few really-DID recall such an eerie-sound. Not unlike a lot of us-Nam vets, still to this day get the "jitters" from the rotors of landing and/or low-flying Medivac-copters. But for the most part, we just-kinda shake it off, and accept the sound now as a "friendly"-life saving version when possible...
I remember watching the movie at the drive in 1974 a couple years after it came out, The crowd loved it and did burn outs on the road from the drive in, There was probably a few 'Cudas, Roadrunners and a Challenger in attendance and lots of Camaros and Chevelle SS's, We had my mom's 1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88 and a six pack each.
Very well done! As a RUclips creator, I don't believe a finer example of cinematography can be found than this movie. The Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns would be my next choice and its fun to try and emulate the techniques of these masters within my own videos - every sequence tells a visual story in and of itself, without words. So brilliant, so simple, yet so extremely difficult to try and copy. The movies of the late 60s and early 70s will never be equaled, nor will the actors themselves. Keep'em Rolling!
agreed. the scenery is beautiful and everytime i watch this movie i seem to feel just a little desert warmth. it really is an underappreciated beauty even without the storyline and naked chick on a motorcycle. captures just the slightest taste of my earliest childhood (born in '68).
Awsome job putting this together, appreciate your work. My absolute favorite movie, I've driven some of the route in the movie and walked around Goldfield, a friend of mine has a 70 challenger i plan on buying, its even in white already. Put it together and head for denver, Kowalski lives!
Thank you for the kind words! If you end up buying the '70, keep us updated - sounds like a perfect candidate being white already. Is it an RT? That would make for an awesome trip, would be really cool to run the whole route in it.
The first scene when Kowalski wakes up on Sunday morning was filmed on N Westlake Blvd in Thousand Oaks CA, just a few hundred yards away from the filming location of the final shootout scene in Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde film from 1967.
Thanks for sharing, never knew that! Wonder if it was one of the last scenes they filmed as they were heading back in the direction of the studios in Hollywood.
@@frankjones4094 yep.... and if you pause the movie at 17:44 as the fireman is spraying water in the back widow, you can clearly see it's a '67 or '68 camaro
@@felixalvinreyes9846 the car they crashed into the bulldozers was a 1967 camaro.. pause at 17:44 and you can clearly see that is a camaro, not a challenger
I was born the year Vanishing Point came out and saw it for the first time in 1983. Was too young to understand some of the adult themes but it's been one of my favorite movies ever since
…watching on a Sunday; seems relevant. Great idea to single out the day - thanks for the time to make the video. Using the Challenger as a way to escape is brilliant and I always feel both blue and relieved at the end. In contrast, getting Kowalski counseling and living until old age wouldn’t have fit this storyline. Little graduated from my High School a few years before I was born. And I had a 70 Challenger (with a slant six - ha ha) in the late 70’s. I still regret selling it.
I had a 68 Dart with a slant 6 Regret letting that go Should have put a 440 engine in it and a torque flight 727 transmission.Narrowed Dana 60 big fat tires.
That is a cool connection to the movie - both Cleavon and a 70 :) Slant 6 is a great work horse engine, have seen some good performance mods done to them. But I guess the soundtrack would never quite match. Then again, they lifted some engine sounds from Bullit so even a 440 may not always match the all of the sounds in the movie.
I saw this movie in 1971 San Vito Italy. My father was in the Air Force and I was 12 years old. The movie stayed with me and over the years I have seen it 50 plus times. I own both versions on dvd. I have own a 1970 Challenger since 79. It still sits in my driveway and is driven weekly. It is identical to the Vanishing Point Challenger but mine is a 340 automatic. Built pretty stout 340 but it has 4:10 gears so the top end is limited. People around my town get a kick out of it and it’s so much fun to drive. RIP Barry Newman.
@@scryla2000 I've known that since the TV movie came out in the 70s. He also doubled for Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road..He has a channel on RUclips. There's a clip that shows some of his best stunts. It's called Carey Loftin , Action Reel.
I’m confused by the way this video is edited. But enjoy watching the scenes with the Challenger. It’s a shame Charlotte Rampling’s part (as Lady Death) was cut out of the American release. One of the few times in cinema when deleted scenes should have remained in the movie.
Anything I can help to clear up on the edit? Happy to answer questions around it. There is technically a timeloop/time paradox at the transition scene with the Imperial and Challenger crossing paths. I agree, it really was a shame that part was removed. First time I saw the movie it was the short version and felt like something was missing. It created a lot of debated about the time and locations, because Kowalski easily would have made it across in the middle of the night, well before the dozers were setup. Once that scene came around, it made it much more sense why he was so far behind where he could have been. And it added a little extra meaning to the film.
I saw this at the drive-in at age 16 when it came out and had no idea what was going on. I still don't and hadn't thought about it since. Watching it now.
saw this movie when it came out at the drive in theater (which is still opened ) in Marshall Arkansas, also saw Easy Rider, Two Lane Blacktop at same theater
Saw VP with my dad and brothers at the drive in on a discount double feature night when I was about 9. I reckon Ms. Texter aided greatly in my appreciation of lesser endowed women. Now those were some KILLER B's, lmao. My dad told us to cover our eyes,..we didn't and not a word about what we saw was said to our mom when we got home other than "That was an awesome movie!" I can't even recall what the feature film was, lol.
Great story of "don't tell mom"! I think the other movie was The French Connection? Originally VP didn't too well so they did the double feature with TFC playing first... if I remember correctly.
Yall do realize I am Kowaski right? No the actor, or character. But the quatuam being invented by you all. I'm here, and yeah, that was a Camro, with a brick on the pedal that hit the dozers. Hence there not being my body. Lol you poor existentialist punks. I'm still here, still free and driving a White R/T all over Colorado.
Ye it's quite cool watching their music video, liked that they hired out a '70 Challenger to recreate the feel. Chris Cornell was a fan of the movie and was one of the interviewees on the DVD extras.
Excellent work of piecing it together like that. I've seen and have only the US version as a complete movie, but I know the very important sequence with Charlotte Rampling, which remained only in the UK version. I see that you know this well from your comment a few days ago. I can somehow understand why it was cut, as it gives the whole movie a different tone, but it is essential to understand the ending. It explains the otherwise strange mood change from his optimistic phone call on Saturday evening about the delivery on Monday and the events of Sunday. Some have mused and written, that he smiles at the end, because he saw the light through the gap and thought he could make it through, which is absolute rubbish. He smiled because he was ready to go, as "she" has been waiting for him forever, patiently.
I always thought of Vanishing Point as a time-travel story. Suicidal crashing made no sense to me at all. Kowalskii was all about winning a bet. Somehow, I always felt he made it. The mystery just makes me love it even more❤️All the hope,dreams, and euphoria of the sixties ran head-on into the disillusioned 1970's. The summer of love was gone forever. Sad
Thanks for sharing the info! There is some interesting trivia in that group, I'll have to look into it again but there was another famous link, I think it's to do with one of the singers on screen
If you watch the expression on Martin Balsam's face before he commits suicide in Alfred Hitchkock's "Final Arrangements" and then take note of Kowalski's expression right before he obliterates himself in "Vanishing Point"...you might note two examples of pure bliss.
The Challengers were on loan from Chrysler Corporation. They all had to be returned at the end of the filming, hence the use of a white Camaro (loaded with gasoline cans!) in the final scene. When ChryCo saw the movie, they didn't think much of it and destroyed the cars anyway.
...This is one of the best 70's "classic cult muscle car" chase movies along with the stunningly beautiful & naked Gilda Texter...pretty bold for 1971...I like to think Kowalski bailed out before impact and is milling around the crash site with the town folks and onlookers...One of that eras best B movie ever produced 😎
Kowalski had no reason to bail out. Death had taken his soul. There was nothing left for Kowalski's empty shell to do except die. Notice, after Kowalski spends the night with the nameless, female hitch-hiker (Charlotte Rampling) he never speaks again? I can't recall which classical literary example it stems from, but it's said that our soul within is what allows us to speak. A body with no soul can no longer speak. The hitch-hiker was an allegory for Death; just minus the cloak and scythe. She even says she's been waiting for him a long time. So, Kowalski has nothing to lose at the end. It's such a strange movie when you think about it because the topic that is never raised is the fact that Kowalski was as straight cut Yankee Doodle as they came. Yet, he became the front man for the counter-culture not even understanding what the counter culture was! Kowalski was a Vietnam Veteran, wounded in Action and awarded; came home to become a cop only to find the police to be corrupt, so he was booted out dishonourably. Finding only menial jobs after that; then the love of his life dies while surfing.... I mean.... this guy DEFINES P.T.S.D. Finally, death takes pity on him and frees his soul so that at the point of death, he will no longer feel corporeal pain. That's why he's smiling at the end. He's not going to make it through the bull dozers..... that white light is heaven's embrace waiting for him. He's free and no mortal man can stop him or hurt him anymore. It's a very deep, very groovy movie for it's time. It's a crying shame a lot of it was torn up and lost on the editing room floor.
@That_AMC_Guy superb analysis! That encapsulates the essence of the film so well. It's almost the story of a pure soul and their unnaceptance of the injustice/impurity of the world. As you say - it rings a bell to some kind of classic literatute, there is definitely a story out there around it. There are plenty of stories of good turning evil/bad through temptation. This is pretty much the opposite. He rejects being tempted into the world of the impure. Kowalski never does any harm in any of the movie, instead only helps people. The closest incident is the cop bike near the beginning - he doesn't deliberately crash him off, he gets close to nudging the bike but doesn't make contact - he's gesturing the bike to back off, to keep out of his space, the bike avoids and falls down the embankment. The Jag scene, the Jag starts bumping Kowalski but it's ultimately a tire that pops that leads to the jag endng up in the river. Kowalski even stops to make sure he's ok and smiles when he see the guy stand up. He helps the hitchhikers, even though he's behind schedule, they end up doing him dirty resulting in him throwing them out - he even throws them back their bag. The director has said clearly in interviews the white colour for the Challenger was for it to stand out against the background and not symbolic, but one can't help but draw a connotation, when looking at things from this kind of perspective, that the car and shirt colour being white represents some kind of purity element.
Interesting. The Black Imperial that passes the white Challenger in the opening sequence is the car that Kowalski delivers to Sandy in Denver before picking up the Challenger and heading back west to California.
Creates a good timeloop - could almost create a houndhog day at the transition. That would have been pretty trick on DVD/Blu-ray; add the transition scene at the end of the movie, create a chapter marker that jumps from there to the transition at the beginning of the movie, following the Imperial back to the car delivery place and continue the movie on
It was a good movie but if you see at 17:43 it is a Camaro body and not a Challenger that hit the bulldozers. They could of at least spent the extra money and used a Challenger to crash into the bulldozers.
@@tommccallan8802 It was the 383 automatic car they used as the tow vehicle. Chrysler crushed all the cars that they loaned to the film company was my point.
Can you image the guy from the beginning of the movie at the delivery company making the call on the Monday... "So have you been aware of the news over the weekend?"
I made a cassette copy of the soundtrack (w/dialogue). I listened to it many times. Including right after talking to my first true love, Brenda Capper, when I drove to Albion College.
I can picture Johnny Cash singing this at the end. What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know goes away In the end And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt
This movie and specifically the ending have so many different meanings in them it’s crazy….but for me the biggest message is how little freedom we really have and how much trouble the powers that be will go to if we don’t bow down and kiss their boots. This movie follows thousands of police spending (in 1970 dollars) hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and manpower to hunt down 1 man in 1 car who has actually hurt ZERO other people in any way shape or form. His only crime was breaking a speed limit and not stopping before he reached a county line so they could make him pay a monetary fine in their jurisdiction. Because of this infraction they sentence him to death….it was never really a choice….to someone who HAS to be free he couldn’t take spending decades in prison for violating a speed limit and being a better driver than the cops that tried to catch him. The founding fathers started this country on the notion they would have liberty (freedom) or would DIE before giving it up. Kowalski represents the man we’d all like to think we’d be if the choice between freedom and death came down to being very real and very literal at one moment in our lives. He chose freedom by showing his would/be oppressors that he’d rather die free by his own choice than submit to their tyrannical will. It’s really a beautiful thing to think about….true freedom. It’s no wonder he’s grinning with that 440 Magnum wound up to 5,500 RPM roaring down the road at 140mph straight into those dozer blades.
magnificently said
🏆Yes, magnificent.
Best comment ever
this actually brought a tear to my eye
Right on bub it was a 67 comero because of the wings on the doors 68 on no wings on the comeros
@@matthewcanney4211They filled the Camaro shell with explosives and pulled it through the Bulldozers with a 383 Challenger from what I read years ago?
That is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. Chrysler really was something special in the early 70s. 50 years old and I would take it over any cars available now.
Agree, they had a great design team. Keep eyes on the channel - something coming up soon on this model.
Me too.
@@nickpanaritis4122 hi Dr. Nick.
Buddy you got that right I once owned one myself when I was in high school I later sold it been kicking myself ever since cars back then had Real Style 👍
I hate the latest trends they do to their newer cars. Seems very juvenile.
Excellent work on editing those scenes together! That really pulls everything together, thank you.
Godspeed to Richard Sarafian, Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Carey Loftin and the many others who worked on Vanishing Point and have since passed on.
Thank you very much! Glad it pulled things together. Sad that they've all passed on now, it's good they left a legacy behind that can continue to be enjoyed.
Very well done! My best friend had an identical Challenger and we drove thousands of miles acros the Western US as teens, pretending to be Kowalski.
Thank you! You were the living the dream 😎 that must have been so cool doing that in a Challenger. The scenery out there in the West is stunning. And what better soundtrack than a V8 with a view from inside a Challenger. Great memories to look back on, I bet that was a time of fun and zero regrets.
The movie that proved you don't need a huge budget to make a GREAT movie.
It's probably one of the best "B" movies ever made, almost hard to class it as such. There was another high budget movie filming not far away (can't remember which one) so they managed to snag some good crew from there. The cinematography is superb. Even the shots which were not intended to make it into the cut, made some of the best in the movie - where Kowalski is leaving the mountains of Colorado with all of those out of focus shots, that was just them trying to grab focus and get a clear shot of him driving, but they struggled at those speeds so had all sorts of movement in it, and that footage ended up being left in making a great sequence.
@car_ventures that's the scene I was referring to in my earlier comment! That was some fierce moments right there! He was really wired and that Mopar was hammering down! Loved that scene and when those cops were chasing him and he just flat out walked the dog on them! That was a terminator he was driving! 😂
Thank you so much for making this, so maybe they'd understand. Yours truly -K
Well done - as many times as I've watched this for what seems like 40+ years (plus all the requisite
reading and viewing of interviews of cast and crew, etc.), you've tied up a couple loose ends up for me.
Thank you very much for putting this out there.
- Ed on the Ridge
Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad to be able to contribute to the legacy of the movie a little. Some of the interviews have been added to RUclips which has helped get into the story a lot more. Wonder how many articles still exist around it. Also great that Richard C. Sarafian was still around to do the DVD commentary to help with understanding some of the parts to it. I've always wondered why he didn't stay at the hippy house for a few days until things cooled off.
@@car_ventures Thank you for this! He had to get on down the road!
Kim Carnes went on to record "Betty Davis' Eyes" which stayed on the No. 1 Billboard Top 40 Chart for about six weeks in 1982.
I was wondering why her voice was so familiar!!! Thanks!!!
In some deep visceral metaphysical way this movie expresses the end of the 60's and the beginning of the 70's.
You mean like the death of the muscle car era?
Have you seen that art installation from several years ago - it was called "The slow inevitable death of the American muscle car", or thereabouts. It was two real cars... GM F bodies being crushed in together by a heavy duty chain, over the course of several days. It was so slow, it appeared still and everyone thought it was just two crumpled cars set up. But over a timelapse you could see them start out bumper to bumper then end up crumpled together. It was sad to see it done but in a way merges together the meaning you describe and the ending of the film.
@ccrkicksass00123 we did get 70 thru 71 until they died.
@@ccrkicksass00123 Uh, no. Was the 60s nothing but "muscle cars"?
That was an excellent cut - thanks for making this edit. The film actually has remarkable continuity.
Thank you for sharing the kind words :) I was surprised too - starting out the edit I thought it was going to be difficult finding all the parts that would work together, but it came together quite smoothly in the end. They did a great job when editin the film to have it at either end of the film, intercut, but still flowing with perfect continuity when re-consctructing.
I’m 66 years old . Saw this movie in 71 about 10 times , and 100 times since . Changed my life for sure . Dodge dealer in New Hampshire had a 1 year old 06 White R\T 6 speed that the previous owner had all “ tweaked up “ . Made the mistake of letting me test drive it on a Sat. Morning. Kept it for 5 hours . I was Kowalski all day ! Still smile when I think about it . Wonder if that salesman still has his job ? W
Thank you for this. It was SO overdue!! Your end job was VERY well put together!!! A TON of editing must have been done to figure it all out! Thank you Car Ventures!!!
Thank you for such a pleasant comment :) It did take a while matching up the scenes and getting the flow to work. There was about 4 days in total on it. Had to step away a couple of times as it was a bit of a headache matching things up where the overlaps occured but with different timing. It was well worth the effort seeing how many people have enjoyed watching it and leaving such great and supportive comments. I'm glad you enjoyed!
@17:42 - Wheel magically changed to chrome reverse from stock road wheel(s) on vehicle throughout earlier portions of film. And, oh yes, it's actually a Camaro. LOL.
Great movie! Love the soundtrack too! First time seeing this was early 80s. Big thanks to my big brother for introducing me to this, Convoy, Dirty Larry and Crazy Mary, White Line Fever, Smokey and the Bandit, the original Gone in 60sec, etc. 🔥💣🍻💯💪
Good job big brother, good taste in movies! White line fever is one that I haven't seen yet, the others are all time classics and get watched many times
Dirty Larry ! 10/10
You forgot "2 lane Blacktop"
Those were great times!
BJ and the Bear - it was an actual TV series, for a brief moment, when we were near Peak America!
Due to this movie, the first car I bought when I came to the US in the late 80's was a 70 R/T Challenger. I drove the shit out of that car & even pounded it through the Utah desert in the early 90's. 35yrs later I still have it as an unrestored driver. It needs another trip out into the desert.
You go do that! You deserve it!
Sure would love to watch a video of you taking it out!! Or even of the car as it now. Nice that you've held onto it so long.
@@car_ventures The second car I bought was a 70 Plumb Crazy Deputy Challenger & the 3rd was a 70 Sublime R/T Coronet & I still have all three in Idaho. Sorry I don't do any social media to share.
Had mine since 1980. I'll meet you out there.
Do it! Having the car of your youth is a gift.
A time machine.
That acoustic guitar sound is perfection. Very well done, kudos to the sound engineer and the artist.
i also liked the electric guitar through the Leslie. really effective.
Excellent work! You've done fans of this movie a great service through your work here. Really puts the start and end of the film into crystal clear context. Thank you!!!
Great work. An emotional ride in such a short time. Thanks.
Thank you for watching and leaving a nice comment :) Glad it was a good watch, they did a great job making the movie
It was a great ride, until the end. Love the car , Challenger RT.
Was a great ride for sure, glad to see you stop by Nick! Have enjoyed seeing yours getting rebuilt, hoping to see more of it. There might be one coming up on here soon to look out for 🤫
Kowalski's mystery girl vanished before he awoke. This is much more than a car chase movie
Agree, a story with the veneer of a car chase
Some say that she was death .
@@jimbrown898 she was the representation of death
100% Yes!!@@car_ventures
Thanks for putting this together! Much appreciated. That Challenger was a beautiful car. One trivial note many car buffs know but others may not: the impact car was a 1968 Camaro...ouch! Still a waste of a good car ;). One other piece of trivia...Audioslave has a video out from several years back with Chris Cornell driving the Challenger and several pieces of the original movie spliced in..its GREAT! The song is 'Show Me How to Live'..its pretty awesome!
funny i noticed the impact car wasn't a Challenger first time i saw the film and after a Google search years later my suspicions were confirmed. it might have been because Chrysler didn't want to fork over another Challenger. i think they wrecked at least seven of them making this film.
@@ohmtronseedling I believe they rented them three at just $1 a day, and probably didn't want to destroy one out of respect. Source being none other than Graveyard Carz.
Had to come back and watch this again a year after I first saw this great little video. Awesome piece of work here. Thank you!
It's too bad we never got a directors' version or director's cut. Richard Sarafian set out to make a much different movie. The few scenes I'm aware of that were cut (and may still survive, somewhere) was Kowalski breaking up a fight between some kids before buying his Uppers from Jake. I believe this scene may exist on film as a frame of it appears on the back of the Japanese Laser Disc. Also, in an interview with Barry Newman many years ago, he detailed how after he breaks into Nevada, he pulls over for a cigarette. But that scene played on as he breaks down and has a full-on flashback to Vietnam. I believe this scene was cut because with the shooting schedule cut by three weeks, they never had the chance to film the Vietnam scenes. I can't say for sure but of all the flashbacks to Kowalski's past, we NEVER see anything to do with Vietnam. BUT, we do see him as a Policeman, a bike racer, a stock car driver, and some scenes of his Romance with Vera.
Supposedly, there was an awful lot more filmed of Cleavon Little. John Amos (uncredited as Super Soul's first engineer) said they filmed Cleavon for a solid week if not more. Not the "three days" usually attributed to his filming.
Thanks for sharing, fascinating to hear there's potentially more footage out there. I wonder if there is an archivist out there who could look into it and find the reels if they are still around.
There are many 2-3 hour movies out there these days, a few minutes here and there doesn't add much watch time but does add extra depth to the character and the story. Would be wonderful to see these extra parts. They reference him as "dishonourable discharge" if I remember the phrase right, makes sense that the Vietnam part would have been filmed.
Will search for the stills and see if anything comes up.
I heard the same about Cleavon Little, he's was always a well known actor so they would have captured as much as they could from him while they had him.
@@car_ventures Actually, Kowalski was honourably discharged from Vietnam with a Medal of Honor. It was the San Diego police force that dishonourably discharged him for stopping a fellow officer from raping a witness/drug user and allowing her to escape custody. They framed Kowalski, railroaded him and this is what started his descent into counter culture. The culture he grew up in where you do the right thing had chewed him up and spit him out.
Like I say, there was much, much more to this movie.
I saw this movie before it's release date at a theatre in Boston. They advertised it as a sneak preview but they didn't put the name in the ad. I had no idea what it was about. When i saw it again later in another theatre it seemed like they cut out a lot. I think they cut it after the sneak preview. Maybe based on audience reaction. The directors cut must exist somewhere.
There is a longer U.K. version on the DVD. It has about 10 minutes of additional footage.
@@garybishop4030 Yes, many people are aware of that version - in fact it comes on most DVD's nowadays. However, there were many more scenes filmed and even more scenes NOT filmed when the production budget was cut mid-production!! Ownership of 20th Century Fox changed during the production of Vanishing Point and the new CEO was not thrilled with the film.
Vanishing Point was supposed to be an A-list, summer blockbuster but was beat down to being nothing more than a B-grade, drive-in movie.
But it makes you wonder..... how many B-movies had their soundtrack available on LP???
One of the most perfect endings in film history, period.
And Cleavon Little doesn't get enough credit for how brilliant he is and how important his performance is to the impact of this film and ending.
Great edit comparing the opening and ending.
Definitely one of his best performances, he was perfect for the role
First movie I ever seen at drive-in. First movie at any theater, yes it was cool back then. Best cars, best music and best movies 2.
MOPARS were the car to have in the 70s, my husband owned many of them and this movie captures the essence of owning a MOPAR in the 70s, I so love the old days!!!!!
That would have been great to experience at the time. There's something special from that era when cars were all out, regulations were low, coast to coast challenges were brewing, all about the raw power. If it weren't for movies like this, Two Lane Blacktop etc. it would be hard to imagine what it was like. Glad you and your husband were able to be part of such a cool time, if not the best, in automotive history.
You must be smoking something very strong......Chrysler build quality was the WORST among the three big automakers Jay Leno always talks about how terrible Mopar quality was . I owned a 1969 Charger and many others they were junk. Ford and chevy built great cars
@@toddbob55 My experience has been the exact opposite. We owned a 1972 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus which outlived many GM and Ford products.
i agree with @toddbob55 ... Mopars were junk.. I was in high school in the 70"s and my first car was a 1968 Camaro, my 2nd car being a 1970 Chevelle SS 454... both cars would consistently blow the doors off any Chrysler product of the time!!
One of my favorite movies ever I've watched it countless times over and over
As the director once stated " Barry Newman belonged in that car. " R.I.P. Barry Newman.
thanks this is one of my favorite movies
When he nails it and passes that copter that is one beautiful sound! Just like going through the these mtn roads where he's just winding that sucker out and he's jacked up on the speed pills man there were so many iconic scenes in this movie which puts it in the all time top 5 of favorite movies ever!
Fun Fact: Most of, if not all of the Challengers engine sound were taken from unused/used motor noise from the movie Bullet 1968.
That's right! Bullet probably has it's soundtrack in more movies than most people know of
This was perfect! Thank you for doing this as I have always wanted to see it as one whole piece! This movie is a classic and very well put together!
Thanks for much for the kind words :) I'm glad it was useful, it's always bugged me wondered how it flowed together, I'm glad it wasn't just me, and glad it's been helpful!
... The Bulldozers and the Helicopter, puuhh, this was the death of Kowaslky ... RIP Kowalsky ... Barry Newman, god bless you. - great and awesome and amazing Video !!!!!! 😮😢❤❤❤😢😊
... sorry ... Kowaslski (!) 😢😮😮😮❤❤❤
Thanks for the kind words! Glad it was a good watch, Barry Newman was perfect the role
GREAT job!!!!!
Thank you ☺
16:51 - "California - Sunday - 10:04 AM"
Was Actually Filmed in Cisco, Utah
Good spot. I spent hours on Google Maps trying to find roads that matched up to the map in the police operations room. It appears to match up to California just past the border, but looks like they purposefully changed the name of the town to Cisco. Which in the film he already would have driven through to get to where the bulldozers were.
It makes it tricky to make a roadtrip because you have to go past an area where the film ends, to stick to the route that works in real life, but not in the film.
Them old guys hearing tracks probably gave afew flashbacks.
Thought I'd be the only-one to think of that! And, yeah, even though actors? By their expressions, they were damned-good ones...and possibly more than a few really-DID recall such an eerie-sound.
Not unlike a lot of us-Nam vets, still to this day get the "jitters" from the rotors of landing and/or low-flying Medivac-copters.
But for the most part, we just-kinda shake it off, and accept the sound now as a "friendly"-life saving version when possible...
Dude I love this movie !! Excellent job !
It's one of the best car movies for sure - thank you for the kind words!
I remember watching the movie at the drive in 1974 a couple years after it came out, The crowd loved it and did burn outs on the road from the drive in, There was probably a few 'Cudas, Roadrunners and a Challenger in attendance and lots of Camaros and Chevelle SS's, We had my mom's 1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88 and a six pack each.
Very well done! As a RUclips creator, I don't believe a finer example of cinematography can be found than this movie. The Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns would be my next choice and its fun to try and emulate the techniques of these masters within my own videos - every sequence tells a visual story in and of itself, without words. So brilliant, so simple, yet so extremely difficult to try and copy. The movies of the late 60s and early 70s will never be equaled, nor will the actors themselves. Keep'em Rolling!
agreed. the scenery is beautiful and everytime i watch this movie i seem to feel just a little desert warmth. it really is an underappreciated beauty even without the storyline and naked chick on a motorcycle. captures just the slightest taste of my earliest childhood (born in '68).
Great movie saw this in theater on its first run & another great Barry Newman movie was "Fear is the key" 👍😎
How cool! Did you have any idea back then, it would be the cult classic it has become today?
Awsome job putting this together, appreciate your work. My absolute favorite movie, I've driven some of the route in the movie and walked around Goldfield, a friend of mine has a 70 challenger i plan on buying, its even in white already. Put it together and head for denver, Kowalski lives!
Thank you for the kind words! If you end up buying the '70, keep us updated - sounds like a perfect candidate being white already. Is it an RT? That would make for an awesome trip, would be really cool to run the whole route in it.
I saw this movie when I was 11 at a driving along with Evel Knievel it was awesome right around the same time they made dirty marry ,& crazy Larry
A good time to be alive
Peter Fonda another classic
The first scene when Kowalski wakes up on Sunday morning was filmed on N Westlake Blvd in Thousand Oaks CA, just a few hundred yards away from the filming location of the final shootout scene in Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde film from 1967.
Thanks for sharing, never knew that! Wonder if it was one of the last scenes they filmed as they were heading back in the direction of the studios in Hollywood.
RIP Barry Newman, and RIP the Camaro they pulled into the bulldozer😀
Thank God they spared the Challenger. 🙏👍
THATS DODGE CHALLENGER
@@felixalvinreyes9846the car used to be destroyed in the impact with the dozers and subsequent fire was a Camaro
@@frankjones4094 yep.... and if you pause the movie at 17:44 as the fireman is spraying water in the back widow, you can clearly see it's a '67 or '68 camaro
@@felixalvinreyes9846 the car they crashed into the bulldozers was a 1967 camaro.. pause at 17:44 and you can clearly see that is a camaro, not a challenger
My friend Paul Wayne Crowder had a yellow 440 Cuda and would smoke the tires in front of Hillcrest High Memphis in Whitehaven 1977 and 78.
So this movie as a very young kid on tv back in the early 70s. It never left my memory somehow.
Great Job, my favourite movie, you did it justice, love the edit ! 😍
Thank you so much for the kind feeback :) Glad it was a good watch!
Wonderful Edit, great credit due.
Thank you for the kind words :) I'm glad it was a good watch
@@car_ventures Certainly Was :)
Awesome video. One of my all time favorites. I have owned 2 of those 70 Challengers throughout the years. Fun cars to drive.
Hopefully all bulldozers were avoided in those years :) Awesome that you had two... are they still around somewhere?
This movie is the definition of cool.
It proves one thing freedom is your life until you or someone ends it and it's so sad
Saw the film when it first came out. It moved me! A great film. AJY
I was born the year Vanishing Point came out and saw it for the first time in 1983. Was too young to understand some of the adult themes but it's been one of my favorite movies ever since
RIP Barry you made it !
A beautiful piece of work, thanks for sharing it. 😸
Thank you for the kind words :)
…watching on a Sunday; seems relevant. Great idea to single out the day - thanks for the time to make the video.
Using the Challenger as a way to escape is brilliant and I always feel both blue and relieved at the end. In contrast, getting Kowalski counseling and living until old age wouldn’t have fit this storyline.
Little graduated from my High School a few years before I was born. And I had a 70 Challenger (with a slant six - ha ha) in the late 70’s. I still regret selling it.
I had a 68 Dart with a slant 6
Regret letting that go
Should have put a 440 engine in it and a torque flight 727 transmission.Narrowed Dana 60 big fat tires.
That is a cool connection to the movie - both Cleavon and a 70 :) Slant 6 is a great work horse engine, have seen some good performance mods done to them. But I guess the soundtrack would never quite match. Then again, they lifted some engine sounds from Bullit so even a 440 may not always match the all of the sounds in the movie.
I saw this movie in 1971 San Vito Italy. My father was in the Air Force and I was 12 years old. The movie stayed with me and over the years I have seen it 50 plus times. I own both versions on dvd. I have own a 1970 Challenger since 79. It still sits in my driveway and is driven weekly. It is identical to the Vanishing Point Challenger but mine is a 340 automatic. Built pretty stout 340 but it has 4:10 gears so the top end is limited. People around my town get a kick out of it and it’s so much fun to drive. RIP Barry Newman.
Awesome that you have matching '70 and still use it regularly! Great job keeping it going!
Thank you for doing this...a new perspective on my favorite movie!
You're very welcome, it really helped ground down how the flow of events went - glad it was worth watching!
Great driving by Carey Loftin..
He also drove the truck in Duel
@@scryla2000 I've known that since the TV movie came out in the 70s. He also doubled for Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road..He has a channel on RUclips. There's a clip that shows some of his best stunts. It's called Carey Loftin , Action Reel.
@@wesleycook7687 he’s still alive?!
@@scryla2000 He passed away in the 90s. On his channel, there's a picture of his grave. While you are there look for Carey Loftin Action Reel.
@@wesleycook7687 I checked it out and I didn’t know he drove Snowman’s Kenworth!!😳😳😳
As an OEF vet watching Kowalski’s end pretty much sums up our GWOT generation.
As a Desert Storm veteran, I agree.
I’m confused by the way this video is edited. But enjoy watching the scenes with the Challenger. It’s a shame Charlotte Rampling’s part (as Lady Death) was cut out of the American release. One of the few times in cinema when deleted scenes should have remained in the movie.
Anything I can help to clear up on the edit? Happy to answer questions around it. There is technically a timeloop/time paradox at the transition scene with the Imperial and Challenger crossing paths.
I agree, it really was a shame that part was removed. First time I saw the movie it was the short version and felt like something was missing. It created a lot of debated about the time and locations, because Kowalski easily would have made it across in the middle of the night, well before the dozers were setup. Once that scene came around, it made it much more sense why he was so far behind where he could have been. And it added a little extra meaning to the film.
I view the ending of this film somewhat of a metaphor for what is sadly occurring to the once great Chrysler Corporation right now.
I can remember leaving the theater with my buddy extremely angry and feeling hate for police.
That was a really cool edit, Nicely done!
I saw this at the drive-in at age 16 when it came out and had no idea what was going on. I still don't and hadn't thought about it since. Watching it now.
Thanks. Really enjoyed this. 👍
Glad you enjoyed it :)
How I miss that movie
saw this movie when it came out at the drive in theater (which is still opened ) in Marshall Arkansas, also saw Easy Rider, Two Lane Blacktop at same theater
The car turns into a 69 Camaro when you see the shot of the car from the rear crashing.
67
Kowalski, the last American hero.
Saw VP with my dad and brothers at the drive in on a discount double feature night when I was about 9. I reckon Ms. Texter aided greatly in my appreciation of lesser endowed women. Now those were some KILLER B's, lmao. My dad told us to cover our eyes,..we didn't and not a word about what we saw was said to our mom when we got home other than "That was an awesome movie!" I can't even recall what the feature film was, lol.
Great story of "don't tell mom"! I think the other movie was The French Connection? Originally VP didn't too well so they did the double feature with TFC playing first... if I remember correctly.
Yall do realize I am Kowaski right? No the actor, or character. But the quatuam being invented by you all. I'm here, and yeah, that was a Camro, with a brick on the pedal that hit the dozers. Hence there not being my body. Lol you poor existentialist punks. I'm still here, still free and driving a White R/T all over Colorado.
Excellently done.
Thank you kindly!
Great memory to see this as I did see it originally when it came out…of course at a drive in…✌🏼
So glad you got to watch it at a drive in when it came out - that would have been so cool to experience!
Thank you for doing this.
All I can think of is some poor owner in San Francisco who isn't ever getting his customized Dodge Challenger delivered 😢
Audioslave used this movie for inspiration of their "Show me how to live" music video, great movie and great song.
Ye it's quite cool watching their music video, liked that they hired out a '70 Challenger to recreate the feel. Chris Cornell was a fan of the movie and was one of the interviewees on the DVD extras.
Rest In Peace Barry Newman 😥❣️✝️🕊️🙏🏼
1 of my favorites from back in the day
The last time I watched this was in 1980, the day before I drove across country from Philadelphia to Sacramento.
Excellent work of piecing it together like that. I've seen and have only the US version as a complete movie, but I know the very important sequence with Charlotte Rampling, which remained only in the UK version. I see that you know this well from your comment a few days ago.
I can somehow understand why it was cut, as it gives the whole movie a different tone, but it is essential to understand the ending. It explains the otherwise strange mood change from his optimistic phone call on Saturday evening about the delivery on Monday and the events of Sunday.
Some have mused and written, that he smiles at the end, because he saw the light through the gap and thought he could make it through, which is absolute rubbish. He smiled because he was ready to go, as "she" has been waiting for him forever, patiently.
I feel like without that scene the movie is a lot darker.
I hated the ending until I watched the cut version.
Listening to that baby purr makes my heart sing. GOD I love 50's cars. ESPECIALLY the Dodge Challenger
I always thought of Vanishing Point as a time-travel story. Suicidal crashing made no sense to me at all. Kowalskii was all about winning a bet. Somehow, I always felt he made it. The mystery just makes me love it even more❤️All the hope,dreams, and euphoria of the sixties ran head-on into the disillusioned 1970's. The summer of love was gone forever. Sad
Thanks, I needed that...
Barry was a guest interviewed in ‘Road & Track’ and ‘Car & Driver’ magazines.
That's cool! Will search up those articles
He test drove the 2008 Challenger, said he loved it
Kim Carnes sings the end credit song and composed "Sing Out..." sung by Big Mama Thornton. Kim later hit the top with "Bette Davis Eyes."
Thanks for sharing the info! There is some interesting trivia in that group, I'll have to look into it again but there was another famous link, I think it's to do with one of the singers on screen
Movie classic I remember when this movie came out when I was a kid
If you watch the expression on Martin Balsam's face before he commits suicide in Alfred Hitchkock's "Final Arrangements" and then take note of Kowalski's expression right before he obliterates himself in "Vanishing Point"...you might note two examples of pure bliss.
Vaya con Dios Kowalsky. St.Paul Minnesota.
Awsome ! Thank You so much 👍👍👍
You're very welcome, thanks for watching and enjoying :)
Chrysler corporation required the death car to not be shown as a challenger but a Camaro
The Challengers were on loan from Chrysler Corporation. They all had to be returned at the end of the filming, hence the use of a white Camaro (loaded with gasoline cans!) in the final scene. When ChryCo saw the movie, they didn't think much of it and destroyed the cars anyway.
...This is one of the best 70's "classic cult muscle car" chase movies along with the stunningly beautiful & naked Gilda Texter...pretty bold for 1971...I like to think Kowalski bailed out before impact and is milling around the crash site with the town folks and onlookers...One of that eras best B movie ever produced 😎
Kowalski had no reason to bail out. Death had taken his soul. There was nothing left for Kowalski's empty shell to do except die. Notice, after Kowalski spends the night with the nameless, female hitch-hiker (Charlotte Rampling) he never speaks again? I can't recall which classical literary example it stems from, but it's said that our soul within is what allows us to speak. A body with no soul can no longer speak. The hitch-hiker was an allegory for Death; just minus the cloak and scythe. She even says she's been waiting for him a long time.
So, Kowalski has nothing to lose at the end. It's such a strange movie when you think about it because the topic that is never raised is the fact that Kowalski was as straight cut Yankee Doodle as they came. Yet, he became the front man for the counter-culture not even understanding what the counter culture was! Kowalski was a Vietnam Veteran, wounded in Action and awarded; came home to become a cop only to find the police to be corrupt, so he was booted out dishonourably. Finding only menial jobs after that; then the love of his life dies while surfing.... I mean.... this guy DEFINES P.T.S.D.
Finally, death takes pity on him and frees his soul so that at the point of death, he will no longer feel corporeal pain. That's why he's smiling at the end. He's not going to make it through the bull dozers..... that white light is heaven's embrace waiting for him. He's free and no mortal man can stop him or hurt him anymore.
It's a very deep, very groovy movie for it's time. It's a crying shame a lot of it was torn up and lost on the editing room floor.
¿Serie B? Es serie A++++
@That_AMC_Guy superb analysis! That encapsulates the essence of the film so well. It's almost the story of a pure soul and their unnaceptance of the injustice/impurity of the world. As you say - it rings a bell to some kind of classic literatute, there is definitely a story out there around it. There are plenty of stories of good turning evil/bad through temptation. This is pretty much the opposite. He rejects being tempted into the world of the impure.
Kowalski never does any harm in any of the movie, instead only helps people. The closest incident is the cop bike near the beginning - he doesn't deliberately crash him off, he gets close to nudging the bike but doesn't make contact - he's gesturing the bike to back off, to keep out of his space, the bike avoids and falls down the embankment. The Jag scene, the Jag starts bumping Kowalski but it's ultimately a tire that pops that leads to the jag endng up in the river. Kowalski even stops to make sure he's ok and smiles when he see the guy stand up. He helps the hitchhikers, even though he's behind schedule, they end up doing him dirty resulting in him throwing them out - he even throws them back their bag.
The director has said clearly in interviews the white colour for the Challenger was for it to stand out against the background and not symbolic, but one can't help but draw a connotation, when looking at things from this kind of perspective, that the car and shirt colour being white represents some kind of purity element.
@@car_ventures The good cowboys always wore white hats. That wasn't lost on me, either. Divine coincidence? haha
Interesting. The Black Imperial that passes the white Challenger in the opening sequence is the car that Kowalski delivers to Sandy in Denver before picking up the Challenger and heading back west to California.
Creates a good timeloop - could almost create a houndhog day at the transition. That would have been pretty trick on DVD/Blu-ray; add the transition scene at the end of the movie, create a chapter marker that jumps from there to the transition at the beginning of the movie, following the Imperial back to the car delivery place and continue the movie on
It was a good movie but if you see at 17:43 it is a Camaro body and not a Challenger that hit the bulldozers. They could of at least spent the extra money and used a Challenger to crash into the bulldozers.
Now that I'm old all I can see is Kowakski speed headlong to his D8 demise. 5 Challengers were harmed in the filming of this haunting movie.
They used the last running challenger to pull the camaro into the bulldozers..look close it's a camaro
@@tommccallan8802 It was the 383 automatic car they used as the tow vehicle. Chrysler crushed all the cars that they loaned to the film company was my point.
@@tommccallan8802 Yeah, the GM rim in the shot where it's extinguished proves that point.
@@rwg68z76Chrysler didn't want their challengers associated with drugs and other lawbreaking activities. Shame
I guess the guy never got his car!
Can you image the guy from the beginning of the movie at the delivery company making the call on the Monday... "So have you been aware of the news over the weekend?"
His head and shoulders 17:49
Well I’ll be….. I never noticed that
@@scryla2000 that's why the white coat...medical examiner.
@@pl5624 makes a lot of sense
That will always be my "Temptation of St. Anthony." Perfection!
Thank you
You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
I made a cassette copy of the soundtrack (w/dialogue). I listened to it many times. Including right after talking to my first true love, Brenda Capper, when I drove to Albion College.
I can picture Johnny Cash singing this at the end.
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
Great idea - they would work well together