It’s a day that ends in ‘Y’, which means Francis Ford Coppola is back to fiddling with his filmography. His latest recutting of a classic film that might have been better left alone is The Outsiders, which is getting a 4K facelift. The Outsiders: The Complete Novel, the self-described “definitive version” of Coppola’s 1983 film, is coming to theaters on October 15th and to home video on November 8th.
Based on the 1967 book of the same name by S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders helped launched a new generation of film stars. Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph, Macchio, and Patrick Swayze all made some of their earliest appearances in the flick.
In a statement, Coppola said, “The Outsiders: The Complete Novel came about after meeting students over the years who repeatedly asked me why certain scenes from S.E. Hinton’s wonderful book were missing from the theatrical version. These questions reminded about my inspiration for the film — in 1980, a contingent of 12- to 14-year-old students wrote and asked me to make it. I listened to those young fans back then, and I continue to listen to young people now and believe in their opinions, so this complete film version of the novel is for them.”
Originally released on DVD in 2005, The Outsiders: The Complete Novel includes several bonus scenes, which had been cut from the theatrical version and subsequently reconstructed from original camera negatives, as well as new music. In the trailer, the 4K looks expectedly gorgeous, though sometimes those saturated red sunsets have a tinge of video game glow. Check it out below.
Previously, Coppola has recut The Godfather III, shared a “final cut” version of Apocalypse Now, and an “encore” edition of The Cotton Club. In 2008 he restored The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article failed to note that The Outsiders: The Complete Novel was originally released in 2005. This upcoming release is a new 4K transfer.
