The Outsiders Complete Novel DVD:Nostaglia 101

It's been awhile since I saw The Outsiders but found it hard to resist the Special Edition,due to
fond memories of reading S.E.Hinton back in the day. Is it a must-buy? That's debatable but it
certainly is worth a look.

The movie itself is on Disc 1(you can get the original release version on a no-frills single DVD,almost got one by mistake)and most of the changes are early on in the film,with a scene
between brothers Ponyboy and Sodapop that took place in the bed they share. It's a good bit
of dialogue that was cut due to people snickering at two boys sharing a bed(not understanding
that the family is so poor that siblings had to share furniture). Also,more Elvis songs are added
to the soundtrack,replacing some of the Carmine Coppola soundtrack(Francis Ford felt that
music of the time period would suit the story action more and it does give some foundation for
the characters).

Disc 1 also offers a choice of commentaries:one by FFC or one by several cast members,including Diane Lane and Matt Dillon. I'm not into commentaries(find them to be too distracting)so I didn't listen. I did check out most of the special features on Disc 2,which has deleted scenes(my favorite),the original theaterical trailer and an old NBC News report on the high school class who sent FFC a letter with a petition to make the Outsiders into a movie. The
teacher thought it would be an interesting class project and didn't expect the results that came about-nice to watch that.

S.E. Hinton herself has a featurette,showcasing the Tulsa locations used for the movie. She was a hands-on advisor to the movie and even has a small part in the film. Hinton tells a great story about how Coppola offered to show her one of the locations he picked by taking her on his bike-turns out he meant a two wheeler,not a motor bike! The casting featurette is amusing,showing the likes of Kate Capshaw(who looked too old,IMO),Adam Baldwin and Catherine Mary Stuart auditioning for roles in the film.

There are also readings of the novel by your choice of cast members:Diane Lane does a good job,Patrick Swayze seems to be abit too serious,Matt Dillon is the most humble,noting that he looks nothing like the description of his character Dallas Winston. I didn't listen to them all but Leif Garrett is among the readers(and if you don't know who the hell he is,go to IMDB and do some homework).

The best featurette is "Staying Gold"which is a look at the making of The Outsiders and the cast reunion twenty years later held by FFC for them to view the new version. FFC is a really great host and everyone present was happy,with plenty of good memories about making the movie. The viewing room they used looked like a real comfy den and you don't feel like you're gawking
at celebrities,rather peeking in on a reunion of old friends sharing a golden moment.

So,I would recommend getting this set-it's a nice piece of filmmaking with a solid set of extras. If you wind up showing the movie to someone too young to remember Matt Dillon from any other movie than that stupid Herbie remake,if they goof on it-remind them that this is based on a really cool book. Also,names like Ponyboy and Cherry are not as bad as being named Kal-El Coppola Cage(Some people should not be allowed to name others without committee approval).