- Actors: Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp
- Directors: John Sayles
- Writers: John Sayles
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Fox Video
- Release Date: April 23 2007
- Run Time: 104 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00009Y3N3
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#28,841 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #11 in DVD > Military & War > Vietnam War
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
John Sayles began his commendable directing career with this terrific portrait of 1960s counterculture survivors, now teetering on the brink of turning 30. A homegrown movie all the way, Return of the Secaucus Seven was made for around $60,000 of Sayles's own money (earned writing horror pictures such as Piranha). An effortlessly funny and thoughtful ensemble piece, Secaucus unmistakably provided the template for the bigger-budgeted The Big Chill: old friends reunite for a weekend to sort through fond memories, old resentments, and new problems. Sayles, longtime producing partner Maggi Renzi, and then-unknown David Strathairn are among the actors. The marvelous back-and-forth patter of the characters and the sprightly pacing show Sayles already had a sure sense of what he wanted on screen, and his mastery of the running gag is in place (the name Dwight won't ever sound quite the same again). This is the definition of "low-budget classic," from an indie pioneer. --Robert Horton
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Chillin' with the Seven
Feb 21 2004
Format:DVD
If you know only one thing about "The Return of the Seacaucus 7," you've probably heard that this obscure little $40,000 home movie from 1980 was shamelessly ripped off three years later by Lawrence Kasdan's hit "The Big Chill."
Both movies tell the story of a gang of former 60's activists who reunite for a long weekend, but "Chill," with its bigger budget, name actors and excellent soundtrack, became a cultural touchstone. "Seacaucus," on the other hand, has remained largely unseen for 25 years and, though it marked screenwriter John Sayles' directorial debut, it only recently emerged on DVD.
On the disk's commentary track, Sayles rightly puts to rest "Chill" comparisons, pointing out that the two films have the same format but are intrinsically different. Unlike the affluent yuppies of "Chill," Sayles' characters are crucially younger and less successful; overeducated and underemployed, they're blinking into the headlights of both the Reagan era and their 30's, which are rapidly approaching.
Shot on weekends with money Sayles earned writing Roger Corman horror movies ("Pirhanna" and "Alligator"), "Seacaucus" is a rough gem. His amateur cast isn't too comfortable in front of a camera and their lines feel stagey, but Sayles' writing was good even then. Despite its occasional clunkiness, this early homegrown film paved the way for much better later efforts, like "Matewan," "The Secret of Roan Inish" and the truly great "Lone Star."
My First Indie Film
May 24 2004
Format:DVD
'Return of the Secaucus 7" was my first. Independent film, that is. It is not an independent film the way you'd consider indie films of today. VERY low budget - and it shows, though that's not a bad thing. Overall, this film has held up well - which is pretty good 23 yrs later! Sayles did a great job w/the writing and directing - and even his acting is fine.
Released maybe two years ahead of 'The Big Chill', which I found cold, lifeless and built around a soundtrack - not a script. 'Secaucus 7' had a much more intimate feel - and lower key humor, but way more my style (though I didn't find myself as amused as I was @ 17 when I orignally saw it).
The cast is understated and good. It's amazing that more of them have not gone on to do more films of higher (David Strathairn to numerous things, Gordon Clapp to NYPD Blue', Adam LeFevre to many commercials). There is no one stronger character - all have their moments.
I do believe, there is at least one scene cut from the restoration comedy play they attend, but other than that, the movie is intact. One original song by Adam LeFevre ("Mean to Me") is actually very good.
The extras are sparse - w/just commentary from John Sayles and Maggie Renzi. Rent or buy it.
Like seeing old friends again
Sep 24 2003
Format:DVD
I loved this movie when I first saw it in 1982, I was fresh out of college and it was like being part of the ideal reunion: many laughs, some drama, lots of people you'd like to see again. On DVD I was suprised at how much of the movie I remembered, how many lines seemed real, how much fun it would've been to be reunited with a bunch of old pals, and how like old pals these characters were. It's low-key, low-budget, and very real. Some of the performances weren't as good as I'd've liked (like Maura's) and some were better (like Mike and Katie). John Sayles' comment track was very interesting, so were the interviews. One little quibble: there are three scenes missing, all involving Lacie, their actress friend (two onstage, and the backstage meeting), couldn't they have been restored as well as the rest of the film has been? Overall, however, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better movie about friendship and the passage of time.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
