Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) - The Criterion Collection

Synopsis

Drag racing east from L.A. in a souped-up ‘55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong Girl (Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oates’s Pontiac GTO-driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race—the prize: their cars’ pink slips. Yet no summary can do justice to the existential punch of Two-Lane Blacktop. Maverick director Monte Hellman’s stripped-down narrative, gorgeous widescreen compositions, and sophisticated look at American male obsession make this one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made.

Cast

The driver	James Taylor
GTO	Warren Oates
The girl	Laurie Bird
The mechanic	Dennis Wilson
Hot rod driver	Rudolph Wurlitzer
Driver’s girl	Jaclyn Hellman

Credits

Director	Monte Hellman
Producer	Michael S. Laughlin
Screenplay	Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Corry
Story	Will Corry
Associate producer	Gary Kurtz
Photographic advisor	Gregory Sandor
Assistant camera	John Bailey
Editing	Monte Hellman
Unit production manager	Walter Coblenz
Assistant director	Ken Swor
Costumes	Richard Bruno
Production Sound	Charles Knight
Music supervisor	Billy James
Custom auto design and construction	Richard Ruth, William Kincheloe and H. Alan Deglin

Disc Features

DIRECTOR-APPROVED DOUBLE-DISC SET

New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Monte Hellman
Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
Two audio commentaries; one by Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders, and one by screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and author David Meyer
New interviews with Hellman, star James Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz
Rare, never-before-seen screen-test outtakes
Performance and Image: a look at the restoration of a ‘55 Chevy from the movie and the film’s locations today
Color Me Gone: photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop
Original theatrical trailer
PLUS: Rudy Wurlitzer’s screenplay, reprinted specially for this release; new essay by Kent Jones, appreciations by Richard Linklater and Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article “On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop”

From the Current

Two-Lane Blacktop: Slow Ride

by Kent Jones Dec 10, 2007

The two movies that opened the door to “youth culture” in Hollywood, The Graduate and Easy Rider, were milestones to be sure. But can it really be said that they were milestones in the art of cinema? “I think The Graduate is not really a very good film,” said Monte Hellman . . .

Ten (sixteen, actually) Reasons I Love
Two-Lane Blacktop

by Richard Linklater Dec 10, 2007

01 Because it’s the purest American road movie ever. 02 Because it’s like a drive-in movie directed by a French new wave director. 03 Because the only thing that can get between a boy and his car obsession is a girl, and Laurie Bird perfectly messes up the oneness . . .

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