End Of The Road (DVD)

Here's a complete oddity that not only works, but is a pleasure to watch, absorb, and be confounded and bewildered by. I call it an oddity only because I had never heard-tell of it before browsing on Amazon looking for something else that has long been forgotten."What's this?" I wondered, read a few reviews, noted that Warner Brothers had given this a nice treatment on DVD, had Terry Southern involvement, starred Stacy Keach & featured James Earl Jones. AhhOwWwwAoOW! Okay, my arm is twisted enough, no need to break it loose from the torso.Someone else mentioned that they found this film to be 'dated', but, it IS from 1970. The end of the sixties promise and turmoil seems to be on display here for me, all dammed up and bursting at the seams. I guess my filters are down more than some folks, because I welcome 'dated' films, and don't find it a necessity for a 40-some year old movie to somehow seem as if it's theme(s) relate to and enlighten our present era. Why wait for a time machine, anyway? I used to work with a guy who knew I loved film history, but was militant about seeing the latest movies as soon as they were released. Whenever he strayed into 'vintage film' territory, he made sure to ask me if I'd seen it, then follow with his dismissal of "it didn't hold up". Heh, I guess he meant his ego, but then, even snobs can be entertaining when cooked properly.This film is as much serious as it is delirious, capturing a moment in time with thought-provoking camerawork, humor, and a poignancy reflecting what seems to be the state of mind/body/spirit of the aimless adult at that time. The humor helps the viewer to alleviate the angst, but only enough to keep you evaluating what's being played out before your eyes, and there are no easy answers.James Earl Jones is absurdly intense in his role, locking down a solid performance as the head of a psychiatric institute who displays heart while realizing that attempting a cure for the complicated Sixties malaise might take drastic measures. Stacy Keach is at his organic/unhinged best here, the lost soul in search of himself and his place in the world, placing his sanity in the backseat to enjoy the ride (buckle up). The rest of the acting crew is perfectly cast for cinema of this ilk, and to cut to the chase, if this sounds like your idea of an enjoyable cinema experience, I highly recommend you place your eyes on this under-promoted gem at your earliest convenience.Kudos to Warner Brothers for presenting this beautiful print with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles; as well as a nice documentary that told me more than I would ever suspect about the film.Special Thanks to Amazon, without whom I may have never discovered this thought-provoking movie.

The United States has lost many of its cinema art houses (except for New York City, which of course is not of the United States). They were established for the discerning connoisseur of "aht" film and foreign films, those who'd had enough of Rock Hudson and Doris Day rom-coms.Artistic cinema back then was supposed to be serious, even profound, and the cinematic style was considered "advanced" (many quick cuts). The narrative or story was of secondary importance, and the screenplay often seemed strongly influenced by the plays of Samuel Beckett.Usually, there were scenes that were considered "shocking" or "daring," and this might include brief nudity.End of the Road is such a film, but as such, it seems horribly dated and clichéd. Many of the scenes take place in a mental hospital under the control of a mad psychiatrist. The inmates act like crazy people are supposed to act: totally bizarre. One man is raping a live chicken. Another (I think that's Terry Southern) crawls around and barks like a dog. (There's also a scene featuring Terry's long-time companion, the late  Gail Gibson .)I presume that your interest in this movie is due to your admiration for the work of Terry Southern, and this is the last movie he wrote (along with two other writers) in which he had any control over the production. But none of the wit of Southern's fine novels is apparent here. I noticed nothing humorous, unless you'd consider the scene of a naked man raping a chicken to be hilarious.Nor is Southern's gift for natural dialogue evident. The entire movie is a drag, and the climactic botched-abortion scene would fit nicely into a Right-to-Life ad.The only redeeming quality of the film is that it was shot by Gordon Willis, who went on to film The Godfather. Director Aram Avakian never went on to much — two more forgotten films — and there's a reason for that.If you're a Terry Southern votary, buy one of his books, and skip this.

To understand this film you must understand existentialism, social criticism, and the dark side of the late 1960's.Also there are the great then-unknown talents discovered by the filmmaker Aram Avakian, who soon became famous for the depth and creativity of their work. Avakian discovered the incredible DP Gordon Willis, Michael Chapman, andJames Earl Jones who had previously not been in a movie with a big role for him. Although he was a hit on Broadway at that point. This was Dorothy Tristan ‘s first movie roll. She had been working in theater, specializing in Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams etc.This ground-breaking indie film was covered in a huge LIFE magazine story: 9 pages. November 1969. Esquire, Playboy, The L.A. Times, The New York Times all reviewed the film positively. On this recently made dvd, thanks to the great Steven Soderbergh, who got Warner Brothers to strike a new print from the pristine negative. Soderbergh also directed the companion documentary which is on the the DVD.

Love John Barth. Have been saying for decades that he is my favorite novelist. Have read pretty much every word, fiction and non, that he has published. And the novel from which this was taken, his second, was the first I ever read, tripping over it accidentally in a public library while in college in the 70s. This movie? A mess. Not even sure if it's really watchable. But completely of its time; kinda sophomoric 60s extravagant bombast. Did I say sophomoric? Still, if you're into Barth, which I am deeply, you just gotta have it.

A wonderful piece of counter-cultural cinema.Available at last on dvd.Gives the viewer the opportunity to fully understand the work cinematographer Gordon Willis did with colors and composition.Avakian's sense of editing is prevalent here too.Amazing performances by the leading actors and a great example of the strengths of Terry Southern's tragicomic prose.

This is a remarkable reissue which I have written about at length in Sight and Sound (October 2012). The transfer brings to the fore the remarkable debut cinematography of Gordon Willis and allows one to fully appreciate the audacious iconoclasm of this cri de coeur of 60s dreams. The making of documentary by Steven Soderbergh is a poetic non-traditional look at the spirit of the team that made this film. Easily the best reissue of the year.

stupid,pointless film that never should've been made....