Vanishing Point: 50 Years later (Documentary)

[Music] fifty years have passed since one of the most important movie car chase films to have ever graced the big screen was first released onto the public to this day there are those that have theorized and analyzed what the film and story is all about as it has left a mark on the industry of car chases perhaps more so than any of the film before since it has been referenced more and more as years gone in other films and its iconic choice of vehicle in the 1970 dodge challenger rt optioned in alpine white has an almost ghost-like presence whenever is presented on screen this 1971 car chase drama main fact be seen as the standard to which all car based movies are compared to now as it makes those who are fans ask the question is vanishing point the greatest car chase movie ever produced in the history of cinema in the late 1950s as the post-world war ii generation that would later be named as the baby boomers were reaching an age of driving and buying cars and with the rejuvenation of the post-war economy the american automotive market wanted to capitalize on this new generation of car buyers seeing just how much the driving culture was growing with the modifications of streetcars and the cruising scene in the late 50s and early 60s it was decided that the best way to capture this youth market would be to make vehicles aimed at this new generations want for speed and power come april of 1964 a car was released which changed automotive history forever being the brainchild of american automobile executive lee iacocca ford had produced the all-time top-selling car in history in the 1965 mustang which took its name from a 1962 concept car powered by a v4 made by ford that was initially built for racing hoping to sell 100 000 units the mustang sold more than 680 000 units upon its first year of release alone this mid-sized car was aimed more towards those who wanted sport styling and affordability combined with the idea of a high-performance engine with an agile lightweight body it was this success that led to a dash for competitors to rush out and pick up on this phenomenon soon after producing some of the most fondly remembered and revered cars to come out of the u.s automotive market with chevrolet producing the camaro pontiac the firebird plymouth the famous hemi cuda amc the javelin this focus on a long-hooded and short end body would become known as the pony kairua it would be the 1970 dodge challenger which would become the focus of a film that would be released a year later that would cement its place in movie history and give it a wider international appeal greater than a number of its competitors taking the story back further than the cast production the origins of the dodge challenger go all the way to 1959 when the name was partially given to the then two-door sedan coordinate in the form of the silver challenger it was an upgraded package version of the coordinate that was soon shelved however wanting to challenge the 1968 mercury cougar which was the slightly bigger brother to the ford mustang chrysler brought in car designer carl cameron to design the new body just as he had done originally designing the 1966 charger with their newly designed e-body ready dodge decided to bring back the challenger name once more and apply it to their sleek and curvy creation bringing out the then similarly designed other e-body plymouth barracuda in 1970 both it and the 1970 challenger fully embraced the newly advertised coke bottle design for the new decade the dodge challenger was the higher end version with more extras on offer and a slightly longer wheelbase over its cuda cousin still using the chrysler unibody design the challenger was the next step into aerodynamic car styling that would set it apart from its big brother charger and bridging the gap from the 1960s into the 70s wanting to beat the competition crossed the weight all out offering a large variety of options to the new bodies for 1970. with the dodge challenger nine different engines were on offer from chrysler ranging from two slant sixes and seven v8s that included a 318 a 346 pack a 383 magnum the 440 magnum the 446 pack and the legendary 426 hemi v8 this is the new dodge challenger rt it's it's it's not a racer cover boy i'll book you a sessile officer if you can handle the way people react to your 1970 dodge challenger you could be dodge material perhaps seen as the last gasp of the muscle carrier of the 60s the release of the 1970 dodge challenge on its rivals marked the beginning of the end with the impending panic of what would be seen as the u.s oil crisis looming over the horizon though not wanting to give up without a fight car manufacturers wanted to keep the dream of power and speed alive as long as they could in the states with the inclusion of the 426 hemi v8 engine in its option package for the chrysler based cars starting that year a street legend was born where an engine that was once developed for drag racing was now available to the public listed to have an output of 425 horsepower on the books though these numbers were said to be allowing the facts from what is thought to have actually been closer to 500 horsepower to appease the ever increase in pressure from the insurance companies in the government the 426 hemi would produce a top speed of around 140 miles per hour and could do the quarter mile in just 13.6 seconds in the film itself it was a classic chrysler 440 v8 magnum with 375 horsepower that was given the choice to be used for the challenger as no hemis were obtained and most cars were equipped with a chrysler 440 big block as was a 383 automatic as part of the lineup as well available in the rt package they had a secret price in the mid 3000 range back in 1970. the dodge challenger was by no means a cheap production car yet with its many inclusions on offer such as a rally pack dash 4 speed manual transmission with its iconic hurst pistol grip shifter and a truck strength dana 60 rear end with a 411 gear ratio the challenger was the car that allowed its own a variety of uniqueness tailored into many color options from plum crazy go mango hemi orange top banana panther pink and green go to name a few opting for an alpine white as the car of choice the 1970 dodge challenger would be selected for the 1971 car chase feature vanishing point as per the request of pre-jaws fame 20th century fox president at the time richard zanik who had a fondness towards the car and his connection to the youth market written by cuban writer guillermo cabrera vanishing point would gain the interest of director richard c serafian who had been a veteran director of popular past tv shows in hollywood who had passed on direct in the robert redford gene hackman 1969 film downhill racer and had decided he wanted to take on this project instead with a starting budget of 1.3 million us dollars vanishing point was taken on the basis that it was initially to be a 60-day production shoot that would later be cut to 38 days and its budget would eventually go over by 80 000. originally wanting to cast gene hackman in the lead role the then lesser known tv actor barry newman was chosen to play the part of the character known simply as kowalski who throughout the film though part of his story seen through flashbacks is never really fully developed as he remains an almost mystery to even the police who are hunting him down in a part that had been wonderfully played by the then newcomer who had made a greater impact a few years later in the mill brooks hit blazing saddles cleveland little was cast as kowalski spiritual guard in the form of radio dj supersoul it was based on a character called rapman jack i don't know if anybody's ever heard him it's the old rap man coming to you from station whatever it is 60 000 kilowatts of soul power baby coming across an array of colorful characters along the way in the form of an old prospect played by dean jagger and an overzealous driver in a 1966 jaguar xke 4.2 roadster played by stunt performer joe brooks who rolled the car in spectacular fashion the other memorable inclusion into the film was that of the naked motorcycle writer played by gilda texter who was the girlfriend of actor paul koslow who was also featured in the film with cast in place the producers brought in stunt legend kerry lofton to perform behind the wheel of a number of these cars including the lead challenger and to bring the amazing chasers and crashes to life some of which were not scripted but were left in due to the tight budget and the end result which brought a greater realism to the film with the journey intended to take place over the span of two days for kowalski starting from colorado and ending in san francisco one scene that was at the time only including the uk release of vanishing point had kowalski pick up a mysterious hitchhiker in the middle of the night played by english actress charlotte rampling this scene had been suggested that rampling's character dressed in black was the representation of death and in this moment where throughout the film kowalski was seen turning down the offer of weed he finally accepts the offer from the lady in black who tells him that she has been waiting for him for a long time the theme of colours have been brought up that just as the lady in black represents death so too must the white challenger driven by our hero represent the idea of the pale horse as mentioned in revelations though the director has said since that white for the dodge was chosen as it was a colour that separated from the desolate background of the american landscape and for no biblical reason after spending the night together kowalski waking up alone it is suggested that it is a direct result from this encounter that leads to what would ultimately be kowalski's death as his time lost had given the authorities the opportunity to set up what would be the end of the chase being cut without the director's knowledge this scene was entirely removed as it was seen as the only supernatural element in the story and film that was grounded in reality up to this point and was seen as a distraction from the ending that was soon to take place for the climax which was to see the challenger kowalski crashed in the two d8 caterpillar dozers the scene was set up in a small town called cisco which was empty due to railroad construction as it was a shot that only one take was going to be filmed as time was catching up to the crew to finish the project five cameras were set up to film the climactic crash it was this ending that it caused a bit of an issue between the director and the producer when the original idea been planned director richard cesarafian saw the moment as a crack in the fence situation where kowalski was going to break through to head to the other side as it were there was a different ending other than a man driving a bulldozer and dying the concept that he had is that he went right through it on to another level it was a man who was into the molecule of speed not wanting to destroy the last of the complete functional challenges a 1967 white chevrolet camaro was obtained to stand in for the dodge challenger to perform the crash in order to achieve this it has been said that the camaro was attached to a long cable and towed by the last surviving challenger which pulled the car up to speed and released it before the moment of impact when filming was to commence seraphim wanted to see the car driving at full speed and fly into the air after impact and explode this was not to be however as the camaro instead fused in place with the dozers which did not give any ground whatsoever from the collision the scenes of the aftermath is that of the fire department and crew putting out what was left of the burning wreck and was put in as a last minute decision as the credits rolled envisioning the scene to be shown in silence it was originally intended to have super soul with the last voice heard and in praise of kowalski's decision only saying the word name kowalski occupation driver transporting a supercharged dodge challenger from denver to san francisco released on january 15 1971 to a limited screening vanishing point would not be properly released to the wider public till march 13 later that year where it was met with unfavorable reviews from american audience who at the time were not sure what the overall story of the film was about or its message it would not be until august that same year when released in the uk at the leicester square cinema where the film found its acceptance and was embraced by the english audience did the director and producer finally see their work appreciated it was as a result of its overseas success that vanishing point pick up better attention and a second chance for the american market and gain great attraction at cinemas and drive-ins the film would go on to be shown in double billings that year with another car chase classic the french connection grossing 12.4 million dollars worldwide on its 1.3 million budget vanishing point was a modest success at the box office no follow-up was ever made and the film would slowly begin to fade from mainstream view and would be seen by non-fans as just another 70s movie that vanished just as quickly as it arrived in 1997 a made-for-tv remake starring a then still lesser known viggo mortison was released opting for a pg-13 rating a number of the subject matters of the original film depicted were toned down or changed and despite a return of the white 1970 challenger this version would fade into obscurity and almost be completely forgotten soon after it would not be until quentin tarantino's 2007 or march to the car chasers of the 70s in death proof as a referral to the 1971 classic film and the return of the white challenger once more did vanishing point again fall under the public spotlight with the help of social media and the challenger itself becoming a favorable collectible among car enthusiasts fetching prices which could sell north of a quarter of a million dollars depending on model type vanishing point has gained more respect over the years and is now seen as a film newer generations of car and movie lovers have come to appreciate and kept its legacy alive and well over the past half century as for the car itself along with a number of other american muscle cars at the time released at the midway point of the 1960s and early 70s the 1970 dodge challenger has since become an almost legend on its own as mentioned a pristine example can garner a large amount of money and its value continues to grow with each year as with a lot of detroit muscle to come from that era given their susceptibility to raster deterioration along with abuse given to them due to their high horsepower performance and the youth market of the time who would push these cars to the limit on the street of the eight challenges obtained by the production according to the director towards the end of filming only one was said to have made it through undamaged and even then it was stolen by a crew member who was said to have been a hooker named misty and was tracked down by the state police who eventually found both her and the car as only the car made its way back to the production with the film completed all cars were returned to chrysler and was said to have been destroyed due to their damage it has been said that their affiliation with vanishing point being seen as a story of a drug using criminal evading police on a state to state chase led to chrysler demolishing its ties to the film although none of this has been fully confirmed what has been agreed upon is that none of the either eight or five cars from the 1971 film according to different sources survived after production ended despite it being the forgotten tv version the one aspect of the 1997 remake of vanishing point that came out that has made it remain more relevant it is that it's the only version of the story to have had surviving challenges make it through production unlike its original predecessor these cars are now in the hands of private owners who had been part of the film crew and who had restored and preserve what cars did survive because of its stock usage without the need of any special modifications the alpine white 1970-40 magnum dodge challenger is now one of the most sought after next to the famed hemi engine as many collectors and fans of the film covered this model option because of its affiliation with vanishing point it is no surprise then that the challenger now makes its way even into video games such as driver san francisco along with an appearance including clips from the film in the music video for the band audio slave and this song show me how to live along with cameos in other films and is even popular among model car collectors making it a must-have on any shell and like its life-size version is a welcome addition to have for any movie car aficionado 50 years have come and gone 50 years where the impact of vanishing point has grown and left behind a legacy and an image of a white ghost-like car and a driver whose full motivation still remains a mystery to this day there are those who signed vanishing point as the moment car chases in movies changed forever and those who suggest that perhaps this 1971 classic is the greatest car chase movie ever to be put on celluloid to which it raises the question as to why such a film shot released half a century ago and on such a low budget and with an isolated story is still so revered even to this day there have been car chases and movies that are technically more superior or automatically come to mind first when the discussion comes up about which one is the best though if you have focused solely on what is a film about one long car chase across the american landscape in a journey that has no end and whose lead character within the story remains a mystery and the importance in him delivering the car no matter what with the help of pop culture and other movie references and fan services like the one mentioned by quentin tarantino the alpine white dodge challenger and kowalski's memory still remain to this day among movie and car fans who either hold the fondness of the story and character after all these decades or those who have discovered the film for the first time in recent years through this fan service the question must then be asked what is it that has allowed this picture direct and released half a century ago to still remain relevant even to this day vanishing point may in fact indeed be the perfect car chase movie of all time and that it has no real rhyme or reason to its plot other than to tell the story of a man in a car that only exists and it's well depicted to have but one purpose and that is to get to where they are going come hell or high water or whatever the price may be and take the leap from fiction to legend and turn a stock white 1970 dodge challenger into a car chase movie icon [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: MFP - Map Film Productions

Views: 227,859

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Id: cOYJiSgyg9U

Length: 19min 33sec (1173 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 31 2021