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| Vanishing Point [1971] (REGION 1) (NTSC) | ![Vanishing Point [1971] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516BRGG8KNL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Actors: Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger, Victoria Medlin, Paul Koslo
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
Buy New: £4.02
New (18) from £4.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 41049
Format: Anamorphic, Colour, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Running Time: 98 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2221040D
UPC: 024543110408
EAN: 0024543110408
ASIN: B00013RC8O
Theatrical Release Date: March 13, 1971
Release Date: February 3, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW items direct from the USA. Please allow 5 to 10 business days for delivery.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
The last freedom moped out of nowhere city November 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Did anyone ever see the 1997 made for TV version of Vanishing Point? It stars the as yet unknown Viggo Mortensen as Kowalski and had the only two changes needed to make it a criminal travesty:
1) They gave Kowalski a reason to be hurtling from Denver to California - because his missus was having a baby.
2) They actually had the bare faced nerve to allow him to complete the journey on time to create a happy ending.
Vanishing Point (this proper 1971 version as the re-make should be deleted from history) is a counter culture classic of such awesome proportions that I can only weep that I will never EVER make anything this good.
The plot? A chap decides that he is going to deliver a souped up Dodge Challenger from Denver to California in 40 hours because, well because he thinks he can. There is some kind of bet involved but he's clearly not got any interest in that otherwise he wouldn't have wasted so much time at the start trying to get some pep pills for the trip!
The majority of the film is focused on one smaller county though where a local radio DJ gives us a running commentary on how Kowalski is getting on and a local copper has taken particular offence at a long haired waster driving very fast through his patch.
There is no way Kowalski can win. That is the point. He's doing it to assert his freedom on a society that wants him to conform. But we route for him anyway because deep down we all want to be that person.
Films like these don't get made any more. Fight Club came close but spoiled it by blaming events on mental illness in order I assume to appease the moral majority. But Vanishing Point has been consigned to the record books now, standing forever as a symbol of all those individuals out there.
Oh and check out the Primal Scream tribute album, it's not too bad either.
I'm bored of this review now, I want to watch Vanishing Point again!
road to redemption through silent rebellion August 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
August 18th, 2008Rating: seldom has american cinema made a movie so concious in it's expressive ability to move you emotionally without resorting to antics ,this is for the seventies what citizen kane must have been in 1940s as a true portryal of the american dream .
Superficially a seemingly seething road movie with kowalski as a free soul on a symbolic road trip from denver to frisco being chased by every partol car across 4 states ,worshipped by the common people who laud his ability to rebel yet hunted in the panoramic vistas of the west from colorado to utah ,the movie is dazzling in pacing ,mesmerizing in ingenious editing ,a delight in it's audio soundtrack and yet so representative of the injustice and deception of a whole generation of youthful idealistic americans by the establishment .
the metaphorical rebel car racer ,the fascist traffic cops ,the whole establishment trying to supress an individual's freedom almost crushed my soul and moved me tremendously .
the impact of this movie will stay eternally as it is a real quest for the truth where a disillusioned person is causing an offence without committing an offence as an indication of a true rage .
this a marvel for people who love great cinema in any form as newman expresses the whole phenomena of an impassive ,stoic rebel with his languid body language and expressions ,
the african disc jockey is the only oasis in this wide desert who helps him by his radio transmissions but the social injustice is too true to be anything but nightmarish ,
i was chilled ,excited ,and ultimately in awe of the raw passion this road movie conveys ,
montages of the car racing in nevada desert,a nude girl rider on a bike indifferent to the norms ,
the quest for truth and the most vital aspect of human state established as the freedom of soul expressed as an illusion in speed through a vehicle is genius ,
but it is a sad satire on a dream too and it marks the ritual sacrifice of a generation which lost it's vision because of socio-political injustice and i have seldom seen a testament as powerful as this to that affect ,
as for visual addicts there is enough great vehicle driving to give you goose pimples but it is the intellectual message which becomes an inherent essential to witness by anyone interested in saving humanity .
an extremely precious movie with loads of treasures that will leave you ecstatic and choked with emotion .
usman khawaja
- jbz7879
The NTSC version has twice the octane December 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Easy Rider may have somehow become the defining film of its day, heralding a plethora of cliched road moves, but I'll stick with Vanishing Point. It may have been the inspiration for Smokey and the Bandit, which added jokes, beer and a happy ending to the equation, but four decades on it's aged much better than Hopper's drug-fuelled road trip thanks to a combination of great visuals and some great car stunts. On the debit side there's some very unfortunate gay stereotyping in one sequence and the Charlotte Rampling scene from the UK version (which, ironically, can now only be found on the US DVD) does unfortunately slow the picture down to a dead stop at exactly the wrong time, but as speed-fuelled nihilism goes it's still a great ride.
While the UK DVD only includes the trailer and the shorter American cut of the film, the Region 1 NTSC DVD is a much better proposition, including both the 98-minute US cut, the 105-minute UK cut, an audio commentary by director Richard C. Sarafian, trailer and two TV spots.
the ultimate road movie. June 23, 2006
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
this has got to be one of the most influential and well-made road films of all time.
i personally prefer this one to "easy rider," as there are better songs, the car is more watchable than the bikes, the setting is perfect and the photography is top notch.
barry newman's acting isn't brilliant to say the least, but he fits his character like a glove.
a shame the film has been edited; the original running time is about 108 minutes. with both the video and dvd editions running for 94 minutes, there is approximately 10 minutes missing. where has all that footage gone i would like to know.
nevertheless, don't miss the music as it is classic stuff!
Absolute must see... March 15, 2006
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
The title says it all. You must see this. In the top three of all time best car action committed to film and the ending should leave you stunned and breathless.Oh, and FYI Mr John Ritchie, I think you'd find that whilst being decidely inferior in terms of handling and braking, the Challenger R/T that Kowalksi drove would be more than a match for an XKE (E Type) in a straight line.
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