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Carey Loftin,
Carey Loftin,
Goldie Hawn,
more...
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Steven Spielberg,
Steven Spielberg
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: Universal Studios
: Chase, Crime, Quest, Chase, Road Movies
: 110 min.
: English
: Spanish, French
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Based on an actual incident, Steven Spielberg's first theatrical feature follows the adventures of a Texas outlaw couple striving to keep their family together by any means necessary. Determined not to lose her child to the authorities, Lou Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn) gets her obedient convict husband Clovis (William Atherton) to break out of jail and help her kidnap their baby from its foster parents. With hostage Officer Slide (Michael Sacks) in tow, the fugitives head across the plains to Sugarland, Texas, pursued by a flotilla of cop cars. Even though Slide becomes the couple's friend, the Law is bent on capturing its criminal quarry. Even though it was greeted with strong reviews, and Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins, and Spielberg won the screenplay prize at the Cannes Film Festival, The Sugarland Express flopped. The young audience that had embraced the challenging tonal shifts of Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider in the late 1960s was no longer so reliably drawn to narrative uncertainties in 1974. The massive success of Spielberg's next picture, the popcorn thriller Jaws (1975), would confirm his suspicion that downbeat films were no longer the way to popular approval. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
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| The cinematic debut of Spielberg.
by RussMeyer
August 23, 2004 - 11:30 PM PDT
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2 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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Pauline Kael referred to "The Sugarland Express" as "...one of the best directorial debuts ever." It's definitely a strong directorial debut. Other than Spielberg's techniques of "vehicle drama", introduced by his handling of "The Duel", I'm not exactly sure how he ended up directing this movie.
I wonder how Terrence Malick or Bob Rafelson would have handled this one (two maverick directors of the day). I would have preferred more grit (which Spielberg has none of) and more character insights. There are times in the story, like when the porta-potty is delivered in the field, that the story could have become more violent....as this is a violent tale. But Steve kept it clean.....pristine for the masses. The mainstream mogul was on his way.
Spielberg performs his magic. He covers the two-lane asphalt with swooping camera cranes, dolly moves, etc.. In fact, the camera never seems to stop moving. I found myself thinking, "Steve I'm not bored...just let the story unfold....quit your pranks and hi-jinks". It's obvious to me now that Michael Bay is Steve's bastard child.
A director's commentary would have been nice. Overall, the dvd quality is great. The transfer is really good and the negative looks great. Great performances from Goldie Hawn, Michael Atherton, and cast.
In the days of "Two-lane Blacktop", "Badlands", "Walking Tall", and "Macon County Line", Hollywood threw its hat into the genre ring with "The Sugarland Express" and Steven Spielberg.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.84)
38 Votes
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