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The Wanderers (1979 film)

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The Wanderers
File:TheWanderers.1979.movieposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Produced by Martin Ransohoff
Screenplay by Rose Kaufman
Philip Kaufman
Based on The Wanderers by
Richard Price
Starring Ken Wahl
John Friedrich
Karen Allen
Toni Kalem
Cinematography Michael Chapman
Edited by Stuart H. Pappé
Ronald Roose
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
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  • July 13, 1979 (1979-07-13)
Running time
 117 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget Unknown
Box office $23 million[1]

The Wanderers is a 1979 American drama film; it was written and directed by Philip Kaufman, and stars Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Karen Allen and Toni Kalem. Set in the Bronx in 1963, the film follows a gang of Italian-American teenagers known as the Wanderers and their ongoing power struggle with a rival gang called Fordham Baldies.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Price; its screenplay was written by Philip Kaufman and his wife Rose. The film had a troubled development stage; after unsuccessfully trying to obtain finance for The Wanderers from Alberto Grimaldi, Kaufman directed other films. After filming the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Kaufman went to New York and successfully pitched The Wanderers to Martin Ransohoff. The film's budget is unknown, but Kaufman said it was relatively low.[2]

After an advance screening,[3] The Wanderers premiered on July 13, 1979, to mostly positive reviews.[3][4] The film was a financial success, grossing $23 million at the worldwide box office.[1] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 89 percent.[5] Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Kaufman's directing and the performances of Wahl and Tony Ganios.[6]

The film's increasing popularity and cult status[7] led to The Wanderers being given a theatrical re-release in the U.S. by Warner Bros. in 1996.[8] According to Kaufman, "it took a long time for [the film] to find [an] audience".[2]

Plot

Joey and Turkey are members of the Wanderers, an all-Italian street gang. In the Bronx, Joey tries to dissuade Turkey from joining a rival gang, the Fordham Baldies. Before Turkey can ask, Terror's girlfriend Peewee overhears Joey insulting the Baldies, calling them a "bunch of pricks with ears". Joey and Turkey flee and the Baldies chase them. Richie—the leader of the Wanderers—and Buddy come to help but they also flee from the Baldies. After being cornered, the Wanderers are helped by a tough stranger named Perry, who has recently moved to the Bronx from New Jersey. After much persuasion, Perry joins the Wanderers.

In school, the Wanderers get into a racial dispute with another gang, the Del Bombers. Both gangs agree to settle their dispute in a street fight, but the Wanderers struggle to find a gang willing to back them. With no other options, Richie asks his girlfriend's father for help. Local mafia boss Chubby Galasso agrees to help solve the gangs' dispute. During a game of "elbow-tit", Richie gropes a woman called Nina. He feels ashamed of himself, apologizes for his actions and persuades Nina to accept Joey's telephone number. The Wanderers then decide to follow Nina in Perry's car. After Perry becomes lost, the Wanderers are attacked by a gang called the Ducky Boys. They escape after Perry's arm is broken.

While drunk, the Baldies are tricked into joining the Marines. Before reporting for training, they decide to crash Despie's party, where Turkey—who has recently joined the Baldies—is told to draw the Wanderers outside. After drawing them out, Turkey realizes the Baldies have abandoned him. He tries to chase them but fails. Upset, Turkey visits a nearby Catholic church. After being spotted by a member of the Ducky Boys attending mass, Turkey is chased down the street and beaten to death. In school, while the Wanderers are mourning Turkey's death, the rest of the gang oust Richie for sleeping with Joey's date Nina. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Richie rekindles his relationship with Despie. When Chubby discovers his daughter is pregnant, he accosts Richie into marrying her.

Chubby organizes a football match between the Wanderers and the Del Bombers to settle the gangs' dispute. Richie uses the opportunity to make amends with Joey. A member of the Ducky Boys interrupts the match; as the Wanderers momentarily turn their heads, hundreds of Ducky Boys invade the field. Many of the Wanderers and the Del Bombers flee, but some stand their ground. The remaining gang members join forces with a gang called the Wongs. After a long and bloody battle, the Ducky Boys flee.

After being physically abused by his father Emilio, Joey decides to spend the night at Perry's apartment. Perry tells Joey he is planning to leave the Bronx and move to California. Joey asks Perry if he can go with him; after an initially skeptical response, Perry agrees. Emilio, drunk, enters Perry's apartment and fights with him; Joey knocks Emilio unconscious with a glass bottle. Joey and Perry quickly leave the apartment and head to Richie's engagement party. They say an emotional goodbye to Richie; when they leave, Richie realizes things will not be the same. At Richie's party, members of the Wanderers, the Del Bombers and the Wongs embrace one another while singing The Wanderer. The movie ends with Joey and Perry traveling to California.

Cast

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  • Ken Wahl as Richie Gennaro, the leader of the Wanderers.
  • John Friedrich as Joey Capra, Richie's closest friend and a fellow Wanderer.
  • Karen Allen as Nina Becker, Richie love interest.
  • Toni Kalem as Despie Galasso, Richie's girlfriend and Chubby Galasso's daughter.
  • Jim Youngs as Buddy Borsalino, a leading member of the Wanderers.
  • Tony Ganios as Perry LaGuardia, a member of the Wanderers and a close friend of Joey.
  • Alan Rosenberg as Turkey, a member of the Wanderers who wants to join the Fordham Baldies.
  • Dolph Sweet as Chubby Galasso, the local mafia boss and father of Despie Galasso.
  • Linda Manz as Peewee, Terror's girlfriend.
  • William Andrews as Emilio Capra, Joey's father.
  • Erland van Lidth as Terror, the leader of the Fordham Baldies.
  • Michael Wright as Clinton Stitch, the leader of the Del Bombers.
  • Samm-Art Williams as Roger, the only black member of the Fordham Baldies and the cousin of Clinton Stitch.
  • Val Avery as Mr. Sharp, a high school teacher.
  • Dion Albanese as Teddy Wong, the leader of the Wongs.

Additional actors include Olympia Dukakis as Joey's mother;[9] the novel's author Richard Price as a hustler;[10] and Wayne Knight (uncredited) as a waiter.[11]

Production

Development

Philip Kaufman at the 48th Venice International Film Festival.

Philip Kaufman and Richard Price unsuccessfully tried to pitch the project to Alberto Grimaldi. Because of this, Kaufman signed on to direct what would have been the first motion picture based on Star Trek: The Original Series; called Star Trek: Planet of the Titans. Allan Scott and Chris Bryant were hired to write the film's screenplay, but their attempt was rejected and Kaufman tried to write the screenplay himself. Before he could finish the screenplay, Paramount Pictures abandoned the project, saying there was no market for science-fiction movies. After the Star Trek project was shelved, Kaufman directed the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. When filming finished, he went to New York and successfully pitched The Wanderers to Martin Ransohoff. According to Kaufman, "the pieces somehow fell together", partly because of the increasing popularity of gang movies.[2]

Writing

Kaufman's wife Rose wrote the screenplay's first draft. It took her several years to complete; she found adapting the entire novel difficult. Some of the characters and stories from the novel were either changed or given retroactive continuity. Despite the differences, Richard Price approved of Kaufman's adaptation, saying, "I love that picture. It's not my book, and I don't care. The spirit is right, and the way Phil Kaufman directed it showed me another way of looking at my own book."[2][12]

Casting

The casting process, which Kaufman described as "arduous", began in New York City. He said teenagers from across the city wanted to audition. Academy Award-winning producer Scott Rudin was the film's casting director who found Erland van Lidth and Linda Manz.[2][13] There was no character named Peewee in the novel. Rudin had organized an interview with Manz. Kaufman and Price were present; they all thought she had "great character". Manz was so convincing that everyone assumed she was a real member of a street gang. Because of this, the character Peewee was specifically written for her.[2]

Many of the film's actors were unknown at the time of casting. The film was the acting debut of four cast members; Ken Wahl, Tony Ganios, Erland van Lidth and Michael Wright. It was also the feature film debut of Toni Kalem, who had previously acted on television. Kaufman intentionally cast unknown actors; Wahl was on his way to a job in a pizza parlor when someone sent a photograph of him to Rudin, thinking he could play one of the smaller roles in the film. Kaufman felt Wahl was talented so he cast him in the lead role instead.[2]

To cast the role of Perry LaGuardia, Kaufman telephoned every gymnasium around New York asking for a "six-foot, four inch, 18 year-old kid". He was put into contact with Ganios, who he cast in the role.[2] Ganios said:

After a mysterious phone call, [my uncle] politely asked me to stop training and get dressed. He 'insisted' that I accompany him downtown to what was supposed to be a commercial audition, [but it later] turned out to be an interview for The Wanderers. I thought acting was for sissies, but I went anyway.[14]

Filming

Filming of The Wanderers began in September 1978, most of which occurred in the Bronx.[2][15] Kaufman said that during filming, "[This] Puerto Rican motorcycle gang came pushing its way through the crowd; wanting to see what was going on", and "they pushed everyone aside". They walked away after bumping into van Lidth. The crew also encountered trouble from former members of the "real" Baldies, who complained the film portrayed the Baldies incorrectly, saying: "[The movie] is a lie! This was not a bad neighborhood. There was no crime, no robbery. Murder, yes, but no crime!"[2] Rose Kaufman eventually told them to "fuck off",[16] which nearly resulted in a brawl between the former gang members, Wahl and several other actors.[16]

Van Cortlandt Park in September, 2008.

The final battle with the Ducky Boys, which takes place during a football game, was filmed in Van Cortlandt Park. Kaufman compared this scene to a "brutal British soccer brawl";[16] Ganios compared it to the Battle of Mons Graupius.[14] When asked further about this scene, Ganios said:

The final fight with the Ducky Boys was absolutely wild, [and] for all practical purposes it was real. For an entire week hundreds of screaming, stunted madmen—armed with real baseball bats, axe handles, and chains—hurled themselves at us in wave after wave of unabated Celtic fury. It got totally out of hand, with the mayhem sometimes continuing for a full five minutes after [the director] yelled cut. Some of the actors and camera crew were seriously injured and had to be hospitalized."[14]

Editing

During editing, Kaufman removed six minutes of footage from the film.[17]

Release

The Wanderers was released theatrically on July 13, 1979, by Warner Bros.[1] Kaufman said the film initially had a "very small, limited" release.[2] The director's cut premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 1995.[17] This was followed by a 1996 theatrical re-release in the U.S. due to the film's popularity.[8] In 2012, the director's cut of The Wanderers was screened to the Film Society at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.[17]

Critical reception

The film's initial reception was mixed. After an advance screening on December 31, 1978, Variety magazine praised it, saying that "despite" the "uneasy blend of nostalgia and violence", The Wanderers "is a well-made and impressive film". The Kaufmans were also complimented for their script, which was described as "accurately" capturing the "urban angst" of growing up in the late 1960s.[3] Janet Maslin, of the New York Times criticized the film in her 1979 review, saying "the movie never attempts to tell a single story" and instead "settles for a string of boisterous vignettes, which are heaped carelessly atop one another without any consistent scheme".[4]

A number of critics praised the film, including Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle, after its 1996 theatrical re-release. Stack noted Kaufman's talent for effectively changing the film's tone and praised the acting abilities of Wahl and Ganios. He also complimented the film's soundtrack.[6]

As of August 2015, the film has a rating of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 18 reviews; 16 "fresh" and two "rotten"—with an average rating of 6.8 out of ten),[5] indicating mainly positive reviews. Time Out magazine praised the film, saying it "deliver[s] some great, gross, comic book capers. And rock history gets its most intelligent illustration since Mean Streets."[18]

Box office performance

The Wanderers made $5 million at the U.S. box office and $18 million overseas, for a worldwide gross of $23 million.[1] When asked about the financial success, Kaufman said the film had done "very well".[2]

Legacy

Since its initial release, The Wanderers has gained a significant cult following. In 1988, Danny Peary said the film's "sensitive depiction" of teenagers coming-of-age was partly responsible for its cult status.[7] Placing The Wanderers seventh in his list of "lesser-known" cult films, Neil Evans describing the film as a "lost masterpiece".[19] Another writer described the film as a "near masterpiece" and called it "one of the best coming-of-age [films] ever made".[20] On the film's popularity and cult status, Kaufman said:

It took a long time for [the film] to find [an] audience. It's great to see that now—however many years later—[that] it went to a brief re-release by Warner Bros. [in 1996] because of the cult following. Bravo says it's the most popular film they've shown in the New York area. [The film was also shown] at the Telluride Film Festival. All [of] the people who run the festival are members of The Wanderers fan club, all wear Wanderers jackets, and [they] know every line in the film. They show the film at least twice a year up there [in Colorado]. There were about 1000 people outside, under the mountains and watching the film. It was a great night.[2]

Soundtrack

The Wanderers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
File:Wanderers.Soundtrackcover.jpg
First edition artwork
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released April 12, 1989
Recorded 1959–1964
Genre Rock & Roll, Doo Wop, Pop-rock, R&B
Length Error in Module:Hms: Seconds value must be less than 60
Label Warner Bros. Records
Various chronology
The Wanderers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack[21]
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3/5 stars[22]

Kaufman and Price compiled the soundtrack themselves.[23] The film features Bob Dylan performing "The Times They Are a-Changin'", but the song was not included on the soundtrack album.[4]

The Wanderers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack  
No. Title Music Writer(s) Length
1. "Walk Like A Man"   Performed by The Four Seasons Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio 2:17
2. "Ya Ya"   Performed by Lee Dorsey Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson and Morris Levy 1:57
3. "Big Girls Don't Cry"   Performed by The Four Seasons Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio 2:28
4. "My Boyfriend's Back"   Performed by The Angels Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer 2:41
5. "Sherry"   Performed by The Four Seasons Bob Gaudio 2:33
6. "Baby It's You"   Performed by The Shirelles Burt Bacharach, Mack David and Luther Dixon 2:44
7. "Soldier Boy"   Performed by The Shirelles Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg 2:43
8. "Stand by Me"   Performed by Ben E. King Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 2:54
9. "Shout"   Performed by The Isley Brothers Rudolph Isley, Ronald Isley and O'Kelly Isley, Jr. 2:17
10. "Do You Love Me"   Performed by The Contours Berry Gordy, Jr. 2:55
11. "Runaround Sue"   Performed by Dion Dion and Ernie Maresca 2:40
12. "The Wanderer"   Performed by Dion Ernie Maresca 2:42
Total length:
 27:71

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Wanderers (Box Office Performance)", The Numbers. Retrieved 01-28-2015.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 City Island Clam Fritters. "TV Bites: The Wanderers (Philip Kaufman Interview)", chef-du-cinema.blogspot.co.uk, published 01-05-2013. Retrieved 06-25-2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Variety Staff. "Review: ‘The Wanderers’", www.variety.com, published 31-12-1978. Retrieved 07-01-2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Maslin, Janet. "The Wanderers (1979) Screen: 'The Wanderers,' a Bronx Gangs Story", www.nytimes.com, published 07-13-1979. Retrieved 07-01-2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Wanderers (1973)", Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12-24-2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Stack, Peter. "`The Wanderers'—'60s Innocence Lost / Classic gang film has revival run", San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com, published 06-21-1996. Retrieved 07-01-2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Danny Peary, Cult Movies III: 50 More Hits of the Reel Thing, (Great Britain: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989). Retrieved 06-27-2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Schumann, Howard. "The Wanderers", www.talkingpix.co.uk. Retrieved 27-06-2015.
  9. ↑ Harris, Will. "Olympia Dukakis on A Little Game, Moonstruck, Tales Of The City, and Death Wish", www.avclub.com, 02-11-2-2015. Retrieved 08-06-2015.
  10. ↑ "THE WANDERERS (Film, 1979)", www.pricedoutblog.com, 09-23-2014. Retrieved 08-06-2015.
  11. ↑ Harris, Will. "Wayne Knight talks about The Exes, Newman, and working in the mud for Jurassic Park", www.avclub.com, 07-25-2012. Retrieved 08-06-2015.
  12. ↑ Danny Peary, Cult Movies III: 50 More Hits of the Reel Thing, (Great Britain: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989) p. 266. Retrieved 06-27-2015.
  13. ↑ Reverend (26-04-2010). "Erland Van Lidth, aka Terror, Grossberger, and Dynamo", www.bavatuesdays.com. Retrieved 26-06-2015
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Ladyland, Retro. "Telling Porky's... an interview with Tony 'Meat' Ganios", retroladyland.blogspot.co.uk, published 06-17-2015. Retrieved 07-01-2015.
  15. ↑ Marcus, Greil (12-07-1978). "The Return Of The Wanderer", Rolling Stone. Retrieved 06-26-2015
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Philip, Tom (24-04-2014). "Behind the Scenes with The Wanderers’ Philip Kaufman", first published at daepnyc. Retrieved 06-27-2015.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Sragow, Michael. ""The Wanderers" Comes Home at Last", www.newyorker.com, published 07-16-2012. Retrieved 07-02-2015.
  18. ↑ PT. "'The Wanderers' review", www.timeoutlondon.com, published 01-26-2006. Retrieved 08-08-2015.
  19. ↑ Evans, Neil. "15 Lesser-Known Cult Films You Should Check Out", www.tasteofcinema.com, published 07-12-2014. Retrieved 08-07-2015.
  20. ↑ Admin. "Walk Like A Man – Rediscovering ‘The Wanderers’ (US 1979 – 117 mins)", www.tinaaumontseyes.com, published 07-10-2015. Retrieved 08-08-2015.
  21. ↑ "The Wanderers: Soundtrack", itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 06-26-2015.
  22. ↑ "'The Wanderers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' AllMusic rating ", www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 06-26-2015.
  23. ↑ von Bagh, Peter. "Full interview with Philip Kaufman", neilmcglone.wordpress.com, published 11-05-2013. Retrieved 26-06-2015.

Bibliography

External links

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