The Wanderers [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]

Director: Philip Kaufman Philip Kaufman

Overview

The year 1979 saw an epidemic of American street-gang films, including Phil Kaufman's hit period drama The Wanderers. Set in the Bronx in 1963, the film concerns the titular gang of Italian-American teens and their ongoing power struggle with the rival "Fordham Baldies." Richard Price, upon whose novel this film was based, drew from his own experiences to weave his tale. Essentially a series of anecdotes-some tension-filled, some amusing -- The Wanderers climaxes on the occasion of the J.F.K. assassination, which for Price and hundreds and thousands of his aimless contemporaries served as a wake-up call. Viewed from the vantage point of the 1990s, one would wish that the current street gangs be shocked into adulthood with such suddenness (though not through the same tragic means). Ken Wahl, Karen Allen, and Linda Manz are among the standout performers in this richly detailed period piece.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/28/2017
UPC:	0738329208929
Original Release:	1979
Rating:	R
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:57:00
Sales rank:	20,067

Special Features

Audio commentary by co-writer and director Philip Kaufman; Audio commentary by Columbia University Film Professor, Annette Insdorf; Back to the Bronx with Richard Price featurette; Wanderers forever - live Q&A at NYC's Film Forum with Karen Allen, Toni Kalem, Tony Ganios and Richard Price; The Wanderers Q&A at LA's Cinefamily with Philip Kaufman, Alan Rosenberg and Peter Kaufman; Audio Q&A at NYC's Film Forum with Philip Kaufman and Richard Price; Introduction by Karen Allen, Toni Kalem and Tony Ganios; Original theatrical trailers and TV spots

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ken Wahl	Richie,Actor
John Friedrich	Joey
Karen Allen	Nina
Toni Kalem	Despie Galasso
Alan Rosenberg	Turkey
Jim Youngs	Buddy
Tony Ganios	Perry
Linda Manz	Peewee
William Andrews	Emilio
Erland Van Lidth	Terror
Val Avery	Mr. Sharp
Dolph Sweet	Chubby Galasso
Michael Wright	Clinton
Burtt Harris	Marine Recruiter
Samm-Art Williams	Roger
Dion Albanese	Teddy Wong
Olympia Dukakis	Joey's Mom
George Merolle	Actor
Terri Perri	Actor
John Califano	Actor
Richard Price	Bowling Bankroller
Linda Artuso	Actor
Earlie J. Butler III	Actor
Rafael Cabrera	Actor
Brian Colleary	Actor
Lorna Erickson	Actor
Ken Foree	Black Sportsman
Sally Anne Golden	Crying Woman
Leon W. Grant	Boo Boo
Jery Hewitt	Actor
Adam Kimmel	Folk Singer
Tara King	Pretty Girl
Faith Minton	Big Lady
Bruce Nozick	Dushie
Michael Pasternak	Actor
Sheryl Posner	Actor
Bert Samuel	Actor
Konrad Sheehan	Actor
Harry Benjamin	Actor
Alan Braunstein	Ducky Boy Leader
Mark Lesly	Actor
Farrel R. Tannenbaum	Actor
Anthony Tirico	Actor
Rosemary DeAngelis	Waitress
Frank Ferrara Sr.	Wanderer
Tony Munafo	Tony
Alan Rosenburg	Actor

Technical Credits

Philip Kaufman

Philip Kaufman	Director,Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Martin Ransohoff	Producer
Richard R. St. Johns	Executive Producer
Scott Rudin	Casting
Steve James	Stunts
Steve Maslow	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Philip Kaufman's screen adaptation of Richard Price's novel superbly captures the lives of a group of Bronx teenagers trying to seem tougher than they are, just as America is about to lose its innocence. While often lumped with The Warriors, Boulevard Nights, and the other street-gang films that hit the screen in 1979, The Wanderers doesn't deal much with territorial violence among emotionally disadvantaged youth. "The Wanderers" rarely confront violence more serious than a schoolyard scuffle, and they don't carry guns. Instead, this movie is a well-remembered reminiscence of the trials of growing up, as the guys struggle with women and figure out what to do with their futures, without much help from their parents. Kaufman does a fine job of capturing the tough, nervy humor of Price's book, but two of the most powerful moments are original to the film, and they set the film's time period perfectly: Richie (Ken Wahl) watches in shock as the coverage of J.F.K.'s assassination plays on a TV in a department-store window, and later sees a skinny guy with curly hair and a reedy voice singing "The Times They Are A-Changin'" in a coffee house. With his "Wanderers" jacket and oily pompadour, Richie is laughably conspicuous among the self-conscious folkies, and he knows it, but he cannot know that his world will be a thing of the past in a year or two.