Mountain FogRETROSPECT: TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971)
June 18th 2009 06:34
Laurie Bird, Dennis WIlson and James Taylor in Two-Lane Blacktop
The film follows the Driver (James Taylor) and the Mechanic (Dennis Wilson), two phlegmatic young drag racers who drift from one competition to the next, pitting their old but heavily modified grey 55 Chevy against anybody who dares take them on. They never stick in one place, staying just long enough to fleece some overconfident braggart of his cash, using the funds to pay for gas and food.
But the two men, along with the tag-along Girl (Laurie Bird), perhaps meet their match when they encounter GTO (Warren Oates), so named because of his 1970 Pontiac. GTO is a gregarious fabulist, whose life story changes depending on who he picks up from the side of the road.
He’s also in the midst of a midlife crisis, and GTO is so affronted by the mere presence of the youngsters that he challenges them to a race from New Mexico to Washington DC, with the winner receiving the loser’s car as prize for finishing first. But of course it’s not the destination that ultimately counts, but rather the process of simply getting there, and as their rivalry race onwards a strange bond develops between the competitors.
Two-Lane Blacktop is mesmerizing minimalist filmmaking. Will Corry and Rudolph Wurlitzer’s screenplay is paired down to within an inch of its narrative life, allowing them, director Monte Hellman and the amazing cinematography of Jack Deerson to concentrate on both the subtext and some rich themes.
In this respect, the Driver and the Mechanic’s duel with GTO plays out like a generational battle, the stripped-down and utilitarian nature of the young men’s lives juxtaposed against the bright materialism, confused identity and over-appointed vehicle of their older competitor. The young men either chat in quiet tones about their car or they just don’t talk at all, a certain purity manifesting itself in their stripped-back approach to life.
The Chevy '55 as it dispenses with another hapless competitor
In contrast, GTO babbles away to every one of his passengers, embellishing his life with a different false glory every time. For her part, the Girl drifts back and forth between the two, attracted to the nomadic acceptance of life displayed by the Driver and the Mechanic but also finding solace in the more homely comforts of GTO’s company.
Both players and technicians put it all to screen with an engaging verisimilitude. Musicians James Taylor and Dennis Wilson were hardly seasoned actors at the time, but they seemed to understand exactly what was required for their roles and onscreen their characters are instantly engaging iconoclasts. Likewise, the Girl is a petulant livewire, played with a deceptive subtlety by a young Laurie Bird.
But stealing the show is Warren Oates as GTO, the man who changes his sweaters as often as he changes his story. It’s easy to imagine the role being written specifically for him, such is the effortless charisma on display, but that would perhaps be condescending towards an exceptionally talented and very underrated performer.
Two-Lane Blacktop is an effortlessly engaging film, it’s minimalism a tonic for the sensory overload that too often accompanies modern features. It’s a movie that’s driven by its subtexts and themes, and yet not weighed down and contemporarily embarrassed by them like Vanishing Point seems to be. It’s that mix of minimalism and existentialism that makes this such a compelling piece of celluloid, and sees Two-Lane Blacktop take a place as one of the truly great road movies.
Check out the trailer for Two-Lane Blacktop below:
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Comment by MVD
In a world where ... trailers were voiced by alternate talent and character development was paramount to story arcs
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Yeah, this film is almost a demonstration in the power of subtext and thematic storytelling - narratively, it would be easy to think that there isn't much character at all, but thematically it's very deep stuff.
Also, if you have any predisposition to motor vehicles at all, then the racing and drag scenes are pretty frickin' cool too.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight