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The Outsiders
When I was in high school, I had the pleasure of reading a fantastic novel named, "The Outsiders." The author, Susan Eloise Hinton, only 15 years old, wrote her rendition of the conflicts between high society and the lower class citizen. Her novel was so well written that you couldn't stop reading it. Recently, I discovered the movie version of the novel and just had to view it. Francis Ford Coppola, who's known for directing the films, "Apocalypse Now" and the first two "Godfather's" directed the film version of, "The Outsiders." Although no awards were won for the movie, the cast was full of the top stars that we see today, which includes, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estves, Tom Cruise and Diane Lane. With a cast this good how could you go wrong?
The story takes place in the early 1960's in Tulsa, Oklahoma where we see the classic rivalry between the rich, whom are call, "socs" (short for socials) and lower class citizen who were called "greasers" building tension toward each other until the final climax of the big rumble. The main themes of the story, are the struggles between two conflicting groups trying to bridge the gap between rich and poorer, honor among the lawless and treacherousness of male-female interaction through the narration of the main character "Ponyboy".
Although I felt the movie was incredible I believe the music soundtrack needed a little help. This action pact drama is rated PG for violence but, I believe that any age group, accompanied by an adult, would love to see and understand how society sometime manipulates individual outcomes. When you get right down to it, the movie, with its great story line and cast, causes you to laugh, cry and get wrapped up in all the conflicting moments. Any movie that can take you from the couch and place you and the middle of the drama deserves a high rating. That's why I recommend this movie to anyone and give it *****5 stars.

Class Society
As with the book, the movie follows the expoits of fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis, orphaned and living with his two older brothers on the wrong side of the tracks, in a town firmly divided down class lines. For our heros of the hood, the "greasers", life is no picnic, what with dead parents, absent parents and abusive parents to contend with, not to mention the hatred of the upper class. All this is made clear in the first few pages of the book, as Ponyboy wanders down the street thinking to himself (very convient for the reader that he does).
However the movies biggest problem is that there is no clear introduction, instead the assumption is made that everyone veiwing the movie has already read the book. The characters are abruptly set down in front of us and start to go about what appears to be an average evening, while the veiwer is left to figure out who these kids are, why they are alone in the world, and why there is the big rivalry with the "soc's". Although by half way through the movie all has become clear, it does have you wondering what on earths going on for a while. However the strengths of the screenplay is that it is tight and simple, moving from one action scene to the next, and gets across well the tension building within Ponyboy, and between the rival groups. The acters are good, some of the dialogue they have to work with seems stiff and unconvincing, and they handle it well. Matt Dillon is most impressive as the tough and doomed Dally. While most scenes were realistic and showed the feeling of brotherhood between the greasers and their exlusion from the mainstream, some were overly sentimental. At other points it's the music thats off the mark, the reunion scene between the Curtis brothers could have been genuinly touching, instead it's notable for the cheesy music. The most moving scene is near the end with Dally fleeing for his life, camera work and music is spot on, evoking the charecters feelings of desperation perfectly. In conclusion, an enjoyable and sometimes thought provoking movie about the love between brothers and friends, and the sensless violence between gangs where no one can ever really be a winner.
Books generally do not adapt flawlessly to the screen, and this is no exception. Despite it's faults still well worth seeing, but read the book first!

Soul stirring drama-PhantomCool014@excite.com
FILM REVIEW "The Outsiders" Rated PG. 88 minutes. First screened in 1983. As a film-lover myself I believe that this movie is one of the most beautiful and touching that I have ever seen. Based on the stunning novel by S.E. Hinton, only. a teenager herself when she wrote the book, this movie conveys all the emotions and tension of the book. This movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola( director of the famous films : The Godfather, The Godfather 2 and Apocalypse Now) has a certain magic about it that you just don't get in a Disney movie. The reason for this is that this tale is one of sadness, despair and a teenager in the 50's reaching out for help and finding nothing there. Eventually the movie makes you realise that with the togetherness of the gang, Pony boy has got all that he ever needed. The acting in this film, while touching, left a little to be desired. The plot was simple but solid and supported by a range of very well known modern actors. Starring such actors as Tom Cruise as Steve Randle, C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis, Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit Matthews, Rob Lowe as Sodapop Curtis, Patrick Swayze as Darrel Curtis, Matt Dillon as Dallas Winston, Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade and Diane Lane as Cherry Valance. All of these roles in the movie were played expertly by the characters listed and they portrayed all the emotions of the book.

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