the outsiders movie review pdf

The Outsiders

It’s unfortunate that Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders” opens on the same day as “Bad Boys.” That makes the contrast all the more dramatic between the high-energy realism of “Bad Boys” and Coppola’s stylized, over-careful, deadening approach to somewhat similar material.

Both movies are about tough teenagers. The kids in “Bad Boys” are hardened 1980s street criminals, while the kids in “The Outsiders” are 1950s Nebraska greasers, living in a time when even their toughness belongs to a more romantic tradition. But even so, those are real kids in “Bad Boys,” while Coppola’s teenagers seem trapped inside too many layers of storytelling.

“The Outsiders” is based on a well known novel for teenagers by S. E. Hinton. It’s about class warfare between rich kids (the “soches”) and poor kids (the greasers). The greasers try to pick up a soche’s girlfriend at the drive-in, there’s a fight later that night, and a rich kid gets killed. The two greasers who did it run immediately to Dallas Winston ( Matt Dillon ), who is the town’s ranking adolescent hood. He gives them money and tells them to hop a train out of town.

Although the two scared kids ( Ralph Macchio and C. Thomas Howell) are convincing enough, the story isn’t — and neither is the way Coppola sees it. He seems to be struggling with some sort of fixation on the contrived Hollywood sound stage look of the 1950s; there are scenes in which he poses his two heroes against a lurid sunset and bathes them in backlights so improbably reddish-orange that the kids look like Gordon MacRae in “Oklahoma!”

The problem with seeing characters in a highly stylized visual way is that it’s hard for them to breathe and move and get us involved in their stories. That’s what happens here. The thin narrative material for “The Outsiders” only adds up to a movie of 90 minutes, and even then there are scenes that seem to be killing time. Nothing that happens in the movie seems necessary; it’s all arbitrary.

This is Matt Dillon’s second outing in material by S. E. Hinton. In “ Tex ” he played a three-dimensional character, complicated and convincing. In “The Outsiders,” he’s required to do little more than standard “ Rebel Without a Cause ” behavior.

The problem, I’m afraid, is with Coppola’s direction. He seems so hung up with his notions of a particular movie “look,” with his perfectionistic lighting and framing and composition, that the characters wind up like pictures, framed and hanging on the screen.

There’s not much life in this movie, or spontaneity. It’s a stylistic exercise. The man who made the “Godfather” pictures and “ Apocalypse Now ” is a great director. He ought to reserve these exercises for the rehearsal halls of his fancy and get back to making movies.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Matt Dillon as Dallas Winston
Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade
C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis
Diane Lane as Cherry Valance
Leif Garrett as Bob Sheldon
Darren Dalton as Randy Anderson
Carmine Coppola

Directed by

Francis Ford Coppola

Produced by

Gray Frederickson

Screenplay by

Kathleen Knutsen Rowell

Based on the novel by

S. E. Hinton

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THE OUTSIDERS

SUBJECTS — Literature/U.S.; U.S./1945 – 1991;

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING — Brothers; Coming of Age; Courage; Fighting; Friendship; Peer Pressure; Redemption;

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS — Trustworthiness; Responsibility; Respect; Caring.

AGE : 11+; MPAA Rating PG-13 (for violence, teen drinking and smoking, and some sexual reference);

1983; 91 Minutes; Color. TWM recommends The Outsiders: The Complete Novel, a director’s cut which is 1 hour, 54 minutes, incorporating 22 minutes of previously omitted footage and an updated musical score. It follows the novel more closely and is available from Amazon.com .

Read the Book First! The novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is widely read in secondary schools across the nation. It is appropriate for readers over the age of 10 although some of the themes in the book are mature. The novel is regarded as an American classic.

This Learning Guide applies to both the movie and the book.

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast

Using the Movie in the Classroom Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis

Assignments and Projects CCSS Anchor Standards Links to the Internet

MOVIE WORKSHEETS & STUDENT HANDOUTS

TWM offers the following worksheets to keep students’ minds on the movie and direct them to the lessons that can be learned from the film.

Film Study Worksheet for ELA Classes and

Worksheet for Cinematic and Theatrical Elements and Their Effects .

Teachers can modify the movie worksheets to fit the needs of each class. See also TWM’s Movies as Literature Homework Project .

Additional ideas for lesson plans for this movie can be found at TWM’s guide to Lesson Plans Using Film Adaptations of Novels, Short Stories or Plays .

DESCRIPTION

The Outsiders is a story of conflict between two groups of teenagers, the delinquent Greasers and their privileged enemies, the Socs’ (pronounced “Soshs”). They hate each other for their differences and fight as they try to navigate from adolescence to adulthood.

SELECTED AWARDS & CAST

Selected Awards:

1983 Moscow International Film Festival: Francis Ford Coppola (director) nominated for the Golden Prize; 1984 Young Artist Awards, C. Thomas Howell (Ponyboy Curtis) won for Best Young Motion Picture Actor in a Feature Film; 1984 Young Artist Awards, nominated for Best Family Feature Motion Picture, and Diane Lane (Sherri “Cherry” Valance) nominated for Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

Featured Actors:

Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane.

Francis Ford Coppola.

BENEFITS OF THE MOVIE

Teachers who assign S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel will most often use the film as a reward after the book has been read and studied in class. For classes with poor literacy skills teachers can use the movie to assist students in understanding the reading. Care should be taken that students do not use the film as a substitute for reading the book.

Through discussion, analysis of poetry, and writing, students will exercise important ELA skills relating to a gripping story. Students can become aware of differences in presentation between the novel and the film. The lessons of the story assist adolescents in resolving some of the social and emotional issues of growing up in modern society.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS

Serious. As in the book, the movie is set against a violent backdrop in which fights are the preferred method of resolving conflict. One character is stabbed to death, another dies from being burned badly in a fire, and yet another provokes the police into shooting him to death. There is also mild profanity and scenes of teenagers drinking and smoking. Girls are sexually harassed. There is some talk about smoking marijuana.

PARENTING POINTS

Encourage children to read the book before watching the movie. The novel is a staple in American schools and the movie is a reasonably faithful adaptation. If your child is reading the book for a class, find out if there will be a screening of the movie. If not, you can let your child watch the movie once he or she has completed the novel.

Make a negative comment about the children smoking. Before reading the book or seeing the movie, read Robert Frost’s poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay , with your child. Explain that often the first shoots of plants, especially in New England, are golden in color. Then they turn to green. If possible, memorize the poem with your child. It is short and rewarding.

Also, you might show similar movies like West Side Story . Talk about how they are similar and how they are different.

USING THE MOVIE IN THE CLASSROOM

Before watching the movie or reading the book:.

Have students read and memorize Robert Frost’s short poem Nothing Gold Can Stay . Tell them that Frost noticed that the first growth of plants after the harsh New England winter is often golden in color but quickly turns to green. Have students analyze the poem using techniques with which they may be familiar such as “say, mean, matter.”

After Reading the Book or Watching the Movie:

Talk to the class about police assisted suicide, also known as “suicide by cop.” This occurs when a person intentionally provokes a law enforcement officer into killing him or her. Killing people in the line of duty is stressful for most police officers. When the person killed manipulates the police officer into becoming an agent of suicide, there is additional stress on the officer.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. This story has several important themes. Identify two major themes of the story.

Suggested Response:

A. Cherish the impermanent “gold,” that is, value the innocence of youth and its wonder at the beauty of the world.

B. Rigid divisions among people based on class, gang affiliation, or ethnic, or religious groupings are harmful because they interfere with friendships and relationships that would normally develop if people were free to choose their friends, lovers, and associates on their own. The divisions between the Greasers and the Socs, like any imposed divisions between most cliques of kids and most established groups in society, are artificial and based on circumstances of birth and random events of life. Socs, like Greasers, have sorrows, problems, difficulties in coming of age, dreams for the future, etc.

C. Violence is not a good way to solve problems. People get hurt and fighting often leads to unexpected consequences, as when several larger and older Socs are beating Ponyboy but the fight ends with one of them dying after being stabbed by Johnny.

D. Life is better when you have friends and when you are a good friend.

E. Appearance is often different from reality. For example, strength in a human being doesn’t come from the outward show like that put on by Dally. It can be found even in those that appear meek, like Johnny. The Greasers are shown to be more genuine people with better friendships than the Socs. Some of the Greasers were, in many ways, innocent children who took on the trappings of tough guys.

F. True strength does not come from denying your feelings and being “tough” so you won’t get hurt. (Johnny was stronger than Dally. Dally played tough but was brittle and cracked under the strain of Johnny’s death.)

2. A protagonist is considered the most important character in a story. Typically it is the actions of the protagonist that drives the plot. Usually, it is the protagonist who changes based on what happens in the story. Who is the protagonist in this story?

There are two protagonists. Ponyboy appears to be the main character because the movie starts and ends with him. In addition, the narrative follows Ponyboy through most of the story. But Ponyboy is almost an observer, and certainly it isn’t his actions which drive the plot. While Ponyboy learns from experience, much of it is taught by Johnny, who learns much more. In addition, it is Johnny’s actions that drive the plot. He stands up to Dally to protect Cherry, setting up the friendship with the Soc girls that helps motivate the attack in the playground. It is Johnny who kills Bob to protect Ponyboy, and it is Johnny who joins Ponyboy in the burning church to save the children. It is Johnny’s death that drives Dally to despair. It is Johnny who teaches Ponyboy the main lesson of the book. Johnny is as much the protagonist, if not more so, than Ponyboy. Therefore, in this story it can be said that there are two protagonists.

3. Both the book and the film are filled with irony. In a well-written story, ironies relate to life-lessons that can be learned from the story. The lessons may be themes of the story, but they may not be important enough to the story to rise to the level of a theme. Name two ironies in The Outsiders which you find to be important, describing the ironies and their related lessons.

Here are several ironies and their associated lessons. Note that students may come up with different lessons from any particular irony. (1) It is ironic that the Socs’ and the society that their parents control usually look down on the Greasers as less intelligent and less cultured, but it is Ponyboy who writes about the experience. [Corresponding lesson: class distinctions are artificial and false.] (2) It is ironic that Johnny, the person who is emotionally the strongest, appears to be the weakest. [Corresponding lessons: emotional strength and physical strength are not related or outward shows of strength and toughness can mask internal weakness.] It is ironic that the teacher who is charged with caring for the kids is not the one who saves them from the burning church. Instead it is the juvenile delinquents. [Corresponding lesson: just because someone is in authority doesn’t mean that they are the best person to do the job in all situations.] It is ironic that Johnny looks up to Dally for his strength, but in reality it is Johnny who is emotionally stronger than Dally. [Corresponding lesson: emotional strength and physical strength are not related.] It is ironic that Bob, the leader of the Soc gang that outnumbers and is older and larger than Ponyboy and Johnny, is the one who is hurt the most in the fight. [Corresponding lessons: fighting often has unexpected consequences or violence is not a good way to resolve conflicts.]

4. The divisions between these two groups, like the divisions between most cliques of kids and most traditional groups in society, are based on circumstances of birth and accidental events in life. Although the Socs’ and the Greasers are quite different, in what areas of life can they find common ground?

Answers will vary and may not be attributed to the film, but imposed by personal experience. Socs’, like Greasers, have sorrows, problems, fears, the need for friendship and security, difficulties in coming of age, dreams and desires for the future, etc.

5. What is the message of Robert Frost’s poem Nothing Gold Can Stay? How does this relate to the themes of the movie?

The poem describes the progression of a plant from its first golden bloom in Spring to a mature leafy growth. It points out that the “gold,” the first bloom, cannot stay. There are at least two ways in which this relates to the story of “The Outsiders.” First, this is a coming-of-age movie in which, like the plant, teenagers are growing up. The poem celebrates this as inevitable, telling us that nothing as beautiful, young, and tender as the first growth can stay. But there is a second meaning to “The Outsiders” which culminates in Johnny’s instruction to Ponyboy to “stay gold.” The term “gold” in this sense means youth, including the innocence, the freshness, the goodness that comes with the first blush of life, and staying true to yourself. Johnny is telling Ponyboy and the reader to keep as much of the “gold” as possible.

Additional Discussion Questions.

1. Sometimes the antagonist can be something other than a person. Who or what is the antagonist in this movie?

The antagonist is the corrosive hatred that the teenagers have for each other as well as their willingness to resort to violence. Bob could be said to be the antagonist, but this exaggerates his role.

2. What did Johnny mean when he told Ponyboy to “stay gold”?

The term “stay gold” means keeping your youth, including your freshness, your innocence, and the goodness that comes with the first flush of life. It also means to be true to yourself. Many of the young adults in this movie, especially the Socs, have lost touch with their “gold.” They get drunk; they harass girls; they beat up other people. Among the Greasers, Dally, Darry, and perhaps Johnny have also lost some of their “gold;” each for his own reasons. Ponyboy shows that he still has his gold by running into the burning church to save the children. Johnny tried to regain his “gold” by entering the burning building, but once your “gold” is gone, can you ever get it back?

3. How much of what happened to Johnny was the result of his dysfunctional family?

A lot of it. Johnny was on his own because of his dysfunctional family. He was without resources, other than his friends. However, the corrosive environment of hatred and violence was also very harmful to Johnny.

4. What is the role of schooling and education in this movie?

Education is a way out. For Ponyboy, it is a way to define himself outside of the restrictions imposed on the Greasers. It is also an escape from the lower class, the poverty, and the danger of his social situation. His oldest brother, Darry, wanted to continue his education, but couldn’t because he had to take care of his two younger brothers. Darry encourages Ponyboy to keep learning, to use education as a tool to free himself from the confines of his environment.

5. When Randy and Ponyboy were talking in the car on the day of the rumble, Randy said that despite the outcome of the fight, “Greasers will still be Greasers, Socs will still be Socs.” Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Defend your position.

Randy was right. Socs will still go to college and get good jobs and Greasers will not further their education and will be relegated to low paying blue collar jobs. Randy also means that no matter what the outcome of the fight, the two groups will still be rivals. As Johnny said when he was told about the Greaser’s victory in the rumble: “It’s useless. Fighting ain’t no good.”

6. Who are “The Outsiders”?

“The Outsiders” are the Greasers. They are the lowest class of society. Most people they meet dislike them. They are feared by others. But in one sense, all teenagers are outsiders because they have not yet found their place in society.

7. In a time of crisis, you never know how someone is going to react. You don’t know in advance who is going to come through and who is going to fail. How is this shown in the movie?

The Sunday School teacher, the man who had responsibility for the children in the burning church, was unable to bring himself to enter the fire. It was the juvenile delinquents, Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally, who saved the kids from the burning building. Another example is that Dally, the tough guy, couldn’t deal with Johnny’s death.

8. Where are the parents in this movie?

Ponyboy’s parents were killed in a car crash. The other parents are absent or destructive, like Johnny’s parents. They have no positive input into their children’s lives.

9. Why did the Socs hate the Greasers so much?

This is not explained and, in life, sometimes people are subjected to irrational, unreasoning hatred and dislike because of the group that they belong to. Examples are racism and anti-Semitism.

10. Who was more of a menace to society, the Socs or the Greasers?

Clearly, in this story it was the Socs. They were aggressive and persecuted the Greasers.

11. The Outsiders was set in the 1960s and written in the 1960s, yet it still remains very popular. Why is this story so timeless?

This is a story about teenagers trying to find their way to adulthood in a society that is not welcoming. All teenagers go through the process of trying to find out how they fit into adult society, but because of circumstances or their personalities, some teenagers have more difficulties in the transition than others. The problems of teenagers are structural, and stories of their efforts to find their way to adulthood can be timeless. Think of Romeo and Juliet, young lovers who had to contend with a society as violent and sick with hatred as the society shown in The Outsiders. Romeo and Juliet’s love could not prevail against the hatred around them. Look at Hamlet also by Shakespeare. Hamlet is about how a teenager, in an incredibly weak position, overcame obstacles to find justice but lost his life in the process. Thus, there are strong parallels between the situation of teenagers, at least from Shakespeare’s time, to our own. In addition, cliques have permeated high schools for decades and will probably do so for decades to come.

12. Darry, Ponyboy’s oldest brother, is an important character in the movie and is used to demonstrate one of the basic themes of the film. What about him is so important and what is the theme?

Darry was on his way to becoming a Soc. He was a football star and he made good grades. He had a lot of friends among the Socs. However, he had to drop out of school when his parents died. He was then classified as a Greaser and the friendships were lost. One point the author is trying to make here is that there is no difference between these two groups other than circumstances of birth and random events of their lives.

13. What is suicide by cop? Does this movie show a suicide by cop?

Suicide by cop is when a person deliberately provokes a peace officer to kill him or her. What happened was not entirely clear but it looked like Dally was trying to get the cops to kill him. At least the class can have a good debate about this.

The following two questions should be asked together:

14. Except for Ponyboy and Darry, where do you think most of the Greasers would be in ten years, in terms of their work and social status? What about the Socs?

Most of the Greasers will be working low paid blue collar jobs, and most of the Socs will be out of college starting their careers in the white collar workforce. Ponyboy and Darry have a chance to break out of those stereotypes.

15. In this story what happened to the American Dream? Do the Greasers believe that they can become anyone they want to be?

The Greasers, beaten down by their circumstances, don’t participate in the American Dream, except for Ponyboy. One can also hope that Darry will be able to go back to school once his younger brothers are self-supporting. The Socs and their parents live the American dream, but we don’t see it making them all that happy. In many ways, this story shows the end of the American Dream.

Several other themes of the movie are discussed in the Social-Emotional Learning Discussion Questions and in the Ethical Emphasis Discussion Questions.

CINEMATIC-LITERARY DEVICES IN THE MOVIE

16. In this story, we see events from the standpoint of Ponyboy. How does this cinematic-literary device affect the impact that the movie has on the viewer? How does this device affect the meaning of the movie for teenagers?

The fact that the story is told from the point of view of one of the characters makes the story very immediate and powerful. We (the audience) identify with Ponyboy and, as he learns, we learn. The fact that the story is told from the point of view of someone their age gives the story a special meaning for teenage viewers. In that sense, Johnny’s exhortation to Ponyboy to “stay gold” is a plea to all of us.

17. Which of the characters in this film could be considered a hero?

Johnny, for saving the children (and perhaps for saving Ponyboy, although he did kill someone in that process); Ponyboy, for saving the children, and Darry, for sacrificing his dreams and going to work to keep his family together.

18. Is this a story with a classic protagonist who changes and grows to meet the challenges posed by his circumstances? Think of how Luke Skywalker grew to meet challenges in the first Star Wars movie.

Yes and no. Ponyboy doesn’t grow and learn to slay the enemy as Luke did. Johnny’s action in killing Bob is one of the worst things that could happen to him. Ponyboy and Johnny grow by saving the children in the church and by growing in understanding. The thing that needs to be overcome in this story is not a person or a group of persons. (The Socs are not what need to be overcome. In fact, the characters acknowledge that the Greasers victory over the Socs in the rumble will not do the Greasers any good.) The corrosive hatred that the teenagers have for each other and their willingness to resort to violence is the antagonist in this story.

19. A child character in a story who by his or her death saves the other characters is a frequent theme of literature. Could Johnny be considered a child savior? Defend your conclusion.

An argument can be made that Johnny is a child savior. He dies, not only so that the children in the church may live, but his death also helps Ponyboy to mature and understand his world better. His death helps, to some extent, bring the Socs and the Greasers together because Cherry and Randy testify truthfully at Ponyboy’s hearing. This is not complete because Cherry still can’t bring herself to talk to Ponyboy at school. However, there is a difference between Johnny’s story and the classic child savior tale in that Johnny didn’t intend to sacrifice himself. He would have been happy to have saved the children in the burning church and given Ponyboy good advice without getting injured. Note also that Johnny’s death doesn’t help Dally. An example of a classic child savior tale is contained in the movie Behind the Sun. The most important and famous child savior is, of course, Jesus Christ.

20. Compare the story of Johnny to the story of another savior, Jesus Christ. In this question we are treating the Biblical story of Jesus as a piece of literature. (This is not a question about religion but about comparative literature.)

Johnny and Jesus both die for the sins of others. Johnny dies for the sins of the Socs and the Greasers — for a society which is obsessed with hatred and violence. Johnny’s injuries are permanent because we are only human and we cannot escape the laws of cause and effect. Jesus, in the story told in the New Testament, partakes of divinity. He dies for the sins of others (all mankind) but being divine, he is resurrected and then ascends to heaven. In short, the primary difference between the fate of Johnny and Jesus comes from the fact that Johnny is human and Jesus is divine. Another difference is that Johnny did not intend to sacrifice himself, while Jesus did.

21. Johnny teaches Ponyboy by his life, his words, and his death. Dally is another Greaser who dies. Is there anything to learn from his life and death? Is he a child savior like Johnny?

Certainly, much is to be learned from Dally’s life and death, i.e., don’t deny your feelings; don’t be tough so that you won’t get hurt because you’ll get hurt anyway; and don’t engage in risky behavior such as robbing a store or running from the police. But Dally doesn’t sacrifice himself for others, like Johnny did and the lessons from Dally’s life come from his weaknesses, not his strengths.

22. Throughout the movie, and in the book, we are inundated with different slang words and phrases like “cancer stick”, rumble, dig, Greaser, Soc, etc. What role does slang play in youth culture?

It is a way of setting the kids apart from their parents’ generation and establishing an independent identity.

GETTING INTO THE CHARACTERS

23. Dally said that a person had to be hard in this world and not have feelings for anyone. He claimed to be that way himself. Was this an accurate portrayal or do you have a different analysis of his character?

Dally was the opposite of what he said he was. He hurt so much that he could manage his emotions only by denying them almost completely. Dally had been hurt so many times, by his parents, by girls, and by the indifference of society, that he developed a very tough shell. But the shell was very brittle, and all the hurt was boiling inside him. In an unguarded moment, he told Johnny that he didn’t want to see Johnny get hardened in jail the way he had been. Dally cracked when Johnny, who was so good and so vulnerable and whom Dally loved, died. An argument can be made that Dally robbed the convenience store to attract the cops so that they could arrest or kill him.

24. Describe Cherry’s character.

She saw what the Socs were doing to the Greasers and didn’t like it. But she didn’t have the courage to stand up to the ostracism that she would suffer if she openly criticized what her friends were doing or associated with Greasers who she liked, specifically Ponyboy.

25. Describe Johnny’s character.

Johnny was the most vulnerable of the Greasers, but in some ways he was also the strongest. A year or two older than Ponyboy, Johnny often looked younger. His family was dysfunctional, and he found a family in the Greasers. Johnny was badly beaten by the Soc, Bob. Bob’s rings injured him, and after that Johnny felt afraid when he saw Socs, especially whenever he saw Bob’s rings. But Johnny was a stand up guy. He stood up to his hero Dally when Dally was harassing Cherry, and he did what he had to do to save Ponyboy’s life. He went into the burning church to save the children trapped inside. Johnny hated his own loss of innocence and felt guilty about killing Bob, even though he believed he had to do it to save Ponyboy.

26. Compare and contrast Dally and Johnny.

In some ways they were similar, but they had many differences. They were both Greasers. They were both courageous. Dally had a tough, brash and often rude exterior while Johnny was quiet, meek, and often fearful. However, Johnny was much stronger underneath than Dally. He did what he had to do against three larger Socs to save Ponyboy’s life. He ran into the church to save the children. He faced his own death bravely and wrote an insightful and mature letter to Ponyboy before he died. Dally could not take Johnny’s death. He was so distraught that he exploded and was killed by the police.

27. Describe Darry’s character.

Darry was willing to sacrifice his own dreams to keep his family together after his parents died. If that meant foregoing his hopes to play football and get a scholarship to college, he was willing to do it. He would get irritable and upset and sometimes take it out on Ponyboy, for whom he had very high expectations. Darry’s frustrations with his life situation were legitimate and his pressure on Ponyboy, while hard, was understandable. (In the story, there is one glaring inconsistency in Darry’s character: his participation in the rumble. What if he had been arrested or if one of his brothers had been arrested? That would have led the social services agencies to break up the family for sure. While an argument could be made that Darry went to the rumble only to protect his brothers, participating in the rumble is inconsistent with other parts of Darry’s personality.)

Ask the following two questions together:

28. Why was Dally so obnoxious to Cherry when they first met at the drive-in?

Dally was very attracted to Cherry but knew she was unattainable because she was a Soc. As a result, he acted aggressively and made her uncomfortable. Cherry was having none of it and defended herself. Johnny, who usually did the right thing, stood up for her.

29. Why didn’t Cherry ever want to see Dally again?

She told us. She was very attracted to him and could easily have fallen in love with him. She wouldn’t let herself because she knew it would not be good for her and besides, he was a Greaser. This is an example of the fact that hate and love are not opposites but instead they are two sides of the same coin. The opposite of love is indifference.

30. Why did Ponyboy and Johnny turn to Dally, of all people, for help?

Johnny admired and respected Dally. They knew that Dally would be true to the gang’s code of honor. After all, hadn’t Dally gone to jail for something Sodapop did? He was very tough and they knew that he would admire what Johnny had done. He was considered street smart and experienced. He had many connections. It was Dally who knew of the secret location to hide out.

31. What determined if a kid was a Soc or a Greaser?

For most, it was the economic situation of their family. Only a few like Darry and Ponyboy could transcend it, and they didn’t do it with money, they did it within the context of education.

See also Discussion Questions for Use With any Film that is a Work of Fiction .

1. Describe the relationships between the brothers in the Curtis family.

They cared about each other. Darry was forced into the role of parent. He knew Ponyboy was talented and had high hopes for him. Even when Darry got angry at Ponyboy, it was because he cared about him. Darry and Ponyboy had a tendency to quarrel, as is often the case with child/parent relations when the child is a teenager. Sodapop took on the role of mediator. For example, he explained to Ponyboy why Darry got angry at him so often. Ponyboy and Darry would ask Sodapop to take sides in their disputes. This eventually became too much for Sodapop. The brothers had some troubles (as when Darry pushed Ponyboy and Ponyboy ran away) but by the end of the film they had learned to resolve their differences by talking it out and being loving to each other.

2. Was Darry a good male role model? Why or why not?

Some might say he was a good model because he did everything he could for his brothers, and had basically become a parent. He provided for Ponyboy and Sodapop and made sure that the family stayed together. It can also be said that Darry wasn’t a good role model because he participated in the rumble and accepted fighting as a means to resolve disputes.

COMING OF AGE

3. Did Ponyboy change over the course of the movie? How?

Over the course of the film Ponyboy learned a lot about life and became more confident in himself and in his decisions. By the end of the movie, he had lost four important people in his life (his parents, Johnny and Dally), and this no doubt spurred some “growing up.” He was always an intellectual boy, citing Gone With the Wind and Nothing Gold Can Stay. This quality was still evident as he completed his essay for school. He had evolved into a more peaceful, mature person by the end of the film.

4. What is coming of age? Did any character come of age in this movie?

Coming of age is when a person changes from an adolescent to an adult. If anyone came of age in this movie it was Johnny. Ponyboy made some real strides toward coming of age, but the movie ends before he reaches true maturity.

5. What does this movie tell us about courage?

The movie tells us that true courage comes from caring. A good example is how the boys got hurt in the fire. First, Ponyboy ran toward the burning building to help the children. Then, Johnny came to help him. Together they went into the fire. Finally, Dally got out of the car and went to help his buddies. Ponyboy cared about the children. Johnny cared about Ponyboy and the children. Dally cared about Ponyboy and Johnny.

6. What is courage? Use an example from the movie to show what you mean.

Courage means being willing to risk life or limb or something you really want for a greater good. In this case, Johnny, Ponyboy and Dally risked being injured to save the children from burning to death in the church.

7. In this story, what was the conflict about?

The conflict was between rival groups with different socioeconomic status. But that simply defines the conflict. It doesn’t tell us what the conflict was about, i.e., why these kids hated each other. The Greasers are shown as the weaker group and the Socs as the aggressors. But the reason for the Socs’ anger at the Greasers isn’t apparent. And that’s an important point of the story. There was no basic reason for the conflict and yet it resulted in the death of a young man. (Note that the precipitating factor for the attack on Johnny and Ponyboy at the playground was the fact that they had been talking to the Socs’ girls. However, the basic conflict existed long before Johnny, Two-Bit and Ponyboy ever spoke to Cherry or Marcia.)

8. [Before asking this question, show the scene in which Romeo kills Tybalt from the Zeffirelli version of Romeo and Juliet and the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes from the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. You can substitute, if you want, the scene in which Riff and Bernardo are killed in West Side Story.] Compare the fight scenes in “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet” with what occurred in the “The Outsiders”. What does this tell us about fighting?

Fighting is very fluid and very risky. You don’t know how it will turn out and even those who are bigger and more skilled (Tybalt), who have a secret weapon (Laertes), or who have superior numbers and more strength (the Socs) can lose the fight.

9. Were there any alternatives for Johnny to use the knife in the fight to try to stop the Socs from drowning Ponyboy?

Not really. There were three Socs, each of whom was bigger than he was. He had already suffered badly from a beating by Bob and had been injured by the rings on Bob’s hands. To answer this question requires us to second-guess a very difficult decision that had to be made on the spur of the moment. However, in court, a judge or jury would require that Johnny (or his defense to a murder or manslaughter prosecution) to answer this question.

10. Did any fight shown in this film solve any problem for any of the participants?

No. The Greasers got a sense of pride out of winning the rumble but the Socs would continue to harass Greasers when the Socs outnumbered them. The Socs would still go to college, get better jobs, and look down on the Greasers.

11. What would have happened had the Greasers lost the rumble?

Not much. They would have felt badly about it and taken it as one more sign of being oppressed by the upper classes and their own inferiority. The hatred between the two groups would have remained as it remained after the Greaser’s won the rumble.

12. What characterized the relationships of the Greasers to each other?

Generally, the Greasers were good friends to each other. They had a code of loyalty which all of them respected. Here are some examples: Johnny attacked the Soc, Bob, so that he wouldn’t drown Ponyboy. Ponyboy ran away with Johnny even though Ponyboy wasn’t guilty of anything. Dally helped the boys escape. When one Greaser was in trouble, other Greasers would come to his aid.

13. What is the relationship between Johnny and Dally?

Johnny looks up to Dally and idolizes him. (He compares Dally to the Southern gentlemen in Gone With the Wind. Note that this ideal is pretty shallow.) Dally protects Johnny to the extent that he risks his probation by helping the younger boys escape and giving them a gun. He goes to the burning church to help Johnny and Ponyboy. Dally cares about Johnny so much that he cannot stand it when Johnny dies.

14. What friendships are shown that cross the Greaser/Soc line? What happens to them? How does this relate to a theme of the film?

There is the Ponyboy/Cherry friendship. They acknowledge their friendship, but she won’t greet him at school. There is the friendship between Darry and the football player who appears at the rumble. This friendship is dead because Darry is now a Greaser. There is the Two-Bit/Marcia friendship that lasts one night at the drive-in. Two-Bit throws her telephone number away because he realizes their relationship has no future. And then there is the friendship between Ponyboy and the Soc, Randy. That, too, goes nowhere. All of this was because of the class divide between Socs and Greasers.

RUNNING AWAY

15. Examine the various incidents of running away in this movie. Were they were effective responses to the situations that the characters encountered?

Before Bob was killed, Ponyboy ran away from home because Darry had pushed him. Johnny was running away with Ponyboy because Johnny’s parents didn’t appear to care for Johnny and they fought much of the time. As with so many other runaways, these boys put themselves at risk for someone trying to do them harm. In this case it was the Socs who found them in the park and tried to kill Ponyboy. Sometimes it is adults looking for sex with children or white slavers who offer desperate runaways shelter and friendship. (See, for example, the bus station scene in Pay It Forward.) For Johnny and Ponyboy, running away after Johnny killed Bob seemed to work. But that was an illusion. Johnny died as an indirect result of running away. Running away from a problem almost never helps, and if you could be accused of a crime, running away can be used by the government as evidence of guilt. Finally, Dally was running away from just about everything all of his life. He could not face the deep psychological wounds that he had suffered. This is dramatized at the end of the film as he runs away from the hospital where Johnny has died. Dally lashes out, which is the way he deals with disappointment. But is he really running away from the horror of Johnny dying or is Dally running toward his own death at the hands of the police? Both are valid conclusions.

PEER PRESSURE

16. Name three instances in which kids tried to bridge the gap between Socs and Greasers.

Examples are: when Cherry and Marcia talked to Ponyboy and Johnny at the Drive-in; when Marcia gave Two-Bit her phone number; when Randy talked to Ponyboy before the rumble; when Cherry gave information to the Greasers and when, at the end of the movie, Cherry and Randy testified in Ponyboy’s defense. It was not until the end of the story and after three boys had died that the boundaries of gang and social class were transcended, but even that had limits because Cherry would still not talk to Ponyboy at school.

17. What role did peer pressure play in the conflict between the Greasers and the Socs?

It kept the groups apart. People who would normally like each other, such as Ponyboy and Cherry or Cherry and Dally or Ponyboy and Randy, couldn’t form friendships because of pressure from their cliques.

18. Running into the burning church to save the children was the right thing to do. But did Johnny have another reason to try to save the children?

There are a couple of possible reasons. He could have been seeking redemption for killing Bob. Even if he thought it was necessary to kill Bob to save Ponyboy, it was a terrible thing to have to do. Saving the lives of the children redeemed him somewhat. Another possible reason is that he (and Ponyboy) were so sickened by the violence around them that they couldn’t take it if the children died in the church. Another way to say this is that their world was so uncaring and cynical that they had to act to save the children. Yet another reason was that they thought that they might be responsible for the fire. They had been living in the church, cooking, and smoking cigarettes. All three of these motivating factors could have combined to cause them to run into the burning church.

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS (CHARACTER COUNTS)

Discussion Questions Relating to Ethical Issues will facilitate the use of this film to teach ethical principles and critical viewing. Additional questions are set out below.

TRUSTWORTHINESS

(Be honest; Don’t deceive, cheat or steal; Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do; Have the courage to do the right thing; Build a good reputation; Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country)

1. How did the Greasers show that they understood the importance of this Pillar of Character?

The Greasers were loyal to each other and had a strong code of honor.

RESPONSIBILITY

(Do what you are supposed to do; Persevere: keep on trying!; Always do your best; Use self-control; Be self-disciplined; Think before you act — consider the consequences; Be accountable for your choices)

2. Ponyboy and Johnny ran away rather than face responsibility for Bob’s killing. Did they do the right thing? Did they do the right thing to come back?

The boys were faced with a difficult choice. They didn’t trust that they would get justice from the legal system which discriminated against Greasers. Ideally, they should have stayed and tried to establish their innocence. As soon as Johnny heard that Cherry would testify for the boys and he had a chance in court, he decided to come home.

3. Which character in the movie most exemplified this Pillar of Character?

It was Darry because he gave up his chance at a football scholarship and college to take care of his brothers and keep the family together. Johnny, too, acted responsibly when he protected his friend Ponyboy.

(Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule; Be tolerant of differences; Use good manners, not bad language; Be considerate of the feelings of others; Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone; Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements)

4. There was one underlying failure that led to the clash between the Socs and the Greasers. What was it?

Lack of respect.

(Be kind; Be compassionate and show you care; Express gratitude; Forgive others; Help people in need)

See Questions under Brothers and Friendship in the Social-Emotional Learning Discussion Questions.

ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES

Any of the discussion questions in this Learning Guide can be used as essay prompts. Additional assignments are:

1. Were you to write a story or a screenplay about the differences between groups in your school, you would probably not use greaser-types and wealthy young socialites, each of whom utilize cars, hair fashion, and clothing as symbols of their status. Write informally about how you would divide your world into two groups or possibly more, in an effort to illustrate the artificial divisions that can occur between people. Be sure to make clear the differences among the groups you define and to explain the symbols by which their identities can be known.

2. For homework, or an in-class assignment, have students write an alternative ending to the movie describing what happened to Ponyboy and his family over the next five years. A good submission will include whether Ponyboy went to college, what Darry did after both Ponyboy and Sodapop reached 18, and what happened to Sodapop. A good submission will also bring in other characters like Cherry, Randy, and Two-Bit.

3. Write the last five minutes of the story, from the time that Johnny dies until the end, from the viewpoint of another character such as Cherry, Randy, Two-Bit, Darry, Sodapop, Dally’s Ghost, or Johnny’s Ghost. In your narrative describe action (including dialogue), reveal thoughts (including internal monologues), describe observations by the characters, use descriptive language (including images of people, places and things), and compare one thing to another.

4. Write an opinion essay in which you argue whether or not Dally committed an act referred to as ” suicide by cop. ” You will need to research this method of suicide and learn about why persons may choose to die at the hands of a police officer. Add depth to your essay by including information about how often this kind of self-murder occurs and its effects on police officers who become unwitting participants and, in certain situations, victims of the person who commits suicide.

Note to Teachers as to assignments 2 and 3. To prepare for these assignments, consider having students complete TWM’s Exercise in “ Showing Rather than Telling ” When Writing a Narrative. Also, check out TWM’s Narrative Writing Lesson Plan . You can also split the class into groups and have them share their work with each other. Pick the most creative and interesting ones to read to the class. Click here for a list of about 30 projects for the book, most of which can be easily adapted to the movie by Michaela Muller at Help4Teachers.com.

See also Additional Assignments for Use With any Film that is a Work of Fiction .

CCSS ANCHOR STANDARDS

Multimedia:

Anchor Standard #7 for Reading (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). (The three Anchor Standards read: “Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media, including visually and quantitatively as well as in words.”) CCSS pp. 35 & 60. See also Anchor Standard # 2 for ELA Speaking and Listening, CCSS pg. 48.

Anchor Standards #s 1, 2, 7 and 8 for Reading and related standards (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). CCSS pp. 35 & 60.

Anchor Standards #s 1 – 5 and 7- 10 for Writing and related standards (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). CCSS pp. 41 & 63.

Speaking and Listening:

Anchor Standards #s 1 – 3 (for ELA classes). CCSS pg. 48.

Not all assignments reach all Anchor Standards. Teachers are encouraged to review the specific standards to make sure that over the term all standards are met.

LINKS TO THE INTERNET

Screenplay for the original shorter version of the film at Drew’s Script-O-Rama;
Article on the Outsiders at Wikipedia.

This Learning Guide was written by James Frieden with assistance from Mary RedClay .

This Guide was last updated on September 21, 2014.

Cast & crew
User reviews

The Outsiders

In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other. In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other. In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.

Francis Ford Coppola
Kathleen Rowell
S.E. Hinton
C. Thomas Howell
Matt Dillon
Ralph Macchio
436 User reviews
65 Critic reviews
45 Metascore
1 win & 4 nominations

Top cast 38

Ponyboy Curtis

Dallas Winston

Johnny Cade

Darrel Curtis

Sodapop Curtis

Two-Bit Matthews

Steve Randle

Tim Shepard

Cherry Valance

Bob Sheldon

Randy Anderson

Buck Merrill

Store Clerk

Greaser in Concession Stand
(as Tom Hillman)
Soc in Concession Stand

Little Girl
(as Domino)
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia In the poster for the film, the Greasers are laughing as Johnny is smirking. This candid shot was taken during the photo session where the actors were supposed to look tough at the camera. What happened was that when Leif Garrett went to the table, Ralph Macchio said, "Hey, Leif, that's for the talent." This comment cracked up the cast, and the photo was used.
Goofs Dallas falling out of the chair at the Drive-in (at 07:18 in 91 m.) was an accident and was not rehearsed. Ponyboy looks at the camera expecting Francis Ford Coppola to say cut, but they kept the shot instead.

Ponyboy : Nature's first green is gold / Her hardest hue to hold / Her early leaf's a flower / But only so an hour / Then leaf subsides to leaf / So Eden sank to grief / So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay.

Johnny : Where did you learn that? That's what I meant.

Ponyboy : Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant by it.

Crazy credits Closing dedication: This film is dedicated to the people who first suggested that it be made... Librarian Jo Ellen Misakian and the students of the Lone Star School in Fresno, California.
an extended opening scene where Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs when walking home from a Paul Newman movie. The principle Greasers are also introduced. Later, Ponyboy and Sodapop talk to each other in their bedroom.
a scene where Ponyboy asks some farmers how to reach Jay Mountain. He claims that he's playing "army" and "needs to report to base."
an alternate scene in the church where Ponyboy imagines that both Sodapop and Darry are present.
a short scene where Ponyboy splashes some water on his face outside the church while Johnny is out buying supplies.
a scene in the church where Ponyboy and Johnny become emotional over the events of the past 24 hours.
extended reading of "Gone With the Wind" in the church.
a short scene where Ponyboy finds Tim sitting on his couch in the morning.
a small extension to Ponyboy and Two-Bit at the hospital where a doctor allows them access to Johnny's room after being denied entrance by a nurse.
a short scene where Two-Bit and Ponyboy encounter Johnny's mother at the hospital.
Following the death of Dally, Darry lashes out at the cops while Ponyboy faints. Later, we see Sodapop and Darry caring for him in bed while Ponyboy asks if someone is sick, not realizing that he is.
A courtroom scene where Cherry, Randy, and Ponyboy all make statements. In the end, Ponyboy is acquitted and left in the custody of Darry.
A scene where Ponyboy runs into Cherry at school, but she walks away from him. Ponyboy's teacher also informs him that he is flunking, but allows him to write a paper on a personal experience in order to raise his grade.
A dinner scene where Sodapop becomes angry that he's always stuck in the middle between Ponyboy and Darry's tug of war and runs away. When they eventually catch him, they agree to stop fighting all the time.
Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Tom Cruise: The Star Next Door (1990)
Soundtracks Stay Gold Sung by Stevie Wonder Music by Carmine Coppola Lyrics by Stevie Wonder Courtesy of Motown Record Corporation Recording Engineer: Gary Olazabal Assistant Recording Engineer: Bob Harlan

User reviews 436

PeachHamBeach
Jul 11, 2004
Why is Dallas such an angry and violent person?
What does Pony mean when he calls the Socs "White trash with Mustangs and madras"?
Why is there a "complete novel" edit of the film, and why is there new music?
March 25, 1983 (United States)
United States
Los marginados
Admiral Twin Drive-In, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Zoetrope Studios
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$10,000,000 (estimated)
$25,837,195
Mar 27, 1983
$25,839,182

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 31 minutes
Dolby Stereo

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The outsiders.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 37 Reviews
Kids Say 158 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Carly Kocurek , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Coppola's take on classic book has strong violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Frequent drinking and smoking among teens. Some of the teen characters appear an

Storylines revolve around fighting and 1950s gang violence. A character is stabb

Occasional profanity: "damn," "son of a bitch," "bastar

A teen girl rejects the drunken sexual advances of her boyfriend while they'

Cans of Budweiser beer clearly marked.

Any Positive Content?

While the circumstances are not the best, it's strongly implied that Ponyboy

Through their experiences, some of the characters begin to question, and in some

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Frequent drinking and smoking among teens. Some of the teen characters appear and act drunk.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Storylines revolve around fighting and 1950s gang violence. A character is stabbed to death. Three of the characters save the lives of children who are trapped in a burning abandoned church; the children are screaming and the three characters sustain serious injuries requiring hospitalization. Fighting with knives, bottles, and fists. Armed robbery, gun to the face of the clerk, who fires his own gun at the assailant as he makes his escape; this same assailant dies of gunshot wounds when surrounded by the police. Talk of physical abuse from parents.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Occasional profanity: "damn," "son of a bitch," "bastards," "wiseass." Middle-finger gesture.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A teen girl rejects the drunken sexual advances of her boyfriend while they're at a drive-in movie theater. At this same drive-in, a clearly drunk teen raises the skirt of a teen girl, exposing her panties. A "greaser" teen asks a teen girl with red hair, in so many words, if her pubic hair is the same color.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive role models.

While the circumstances are not the best, it's strongly implied that Ponyboy has changed for the better as a result of his experiences as a "greaser" from the wrong side of the tracks in constant battle with the "Soc" rich kids on the other side of town. Johnny also sees the meaninglessness of teen gangs fighting over "turf," in the bigger picture. Teen characters struggle amid tremendous obstacles: parents who died tragically, parents who are abusive and neglectful, poverty, and bullying.

Positive Messages

Through their experiences, some of the characters begin to question, and in some ways reject, the shallow divisiveness of high school cliques. Characters resort to violence as a solution to their problems, with consequences.

Parents need to know that The Outsiders is the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film adaptation of a novel detailing the coming-of-age of "greaser" teens in 1950s Tulsa as they contend with not just bullying and physical attacks from the rich kids on the other side of the tracks but also abuse and neglect from their parents at home, poverty, and bleak future prospects. Characters drink, smoke, get in fights, harass schoolchildren, use knives and guns, and commit murder. One character is severely burned and dies. Additionally, the film deals frankly with class stratification. A teen girl rejects the drunken sexual advances of her boyfriend while they're at a drive-in movie theater. At this same drive-in, a clearly drunk teen raises the skirt of a teen girl, exposing her panties. A "greaser" teen asks a teen girl with red hair, in so many words, if her pubic hair is the same color. Occasional profanity includes "damn," "son of a bitch," "bastards," and "wiseass," and expect to see the middle-finger gesture. Note: The original cut of the movie was rated PG in 1983, before the PG-13 rating existed. The edited/extended cut released in 2003 carries the PG-13 rating. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (37)
Kids say (158)

Based on 37 parent reviews

Messages aren't worth the costs

What's the story.

The Curtis brothers and their friends run with a pack of wrong-side-of-the tracks greasers who smoke endless packs of cigarettes and spend most of their time looking for trouble. When Ponyboy Curtis ( C. Thomas Howell ) and Johnny Cade ( Ralph Macchio ) have a run-in with a pack of Socs after a drive-in movie, Johnny stabs one of the Socs. At the advice of their friend Dallas ( Matt Dillon ), they hide out in an abandoned church, but a tragic chain of events has already begun to unfold.

Is It Any Good?

THE OUTSIDERS, Francis Ford Coppola's inspired adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel , combines a talented ensemble cast with an engaging story. It's in some ways a scare film. Characters suffer for their bad behavior, and occasionally the treatment seems a bit heavy-handed. Coppola's direction is brilliant, as evidenced by his attention to detail. In particular, the soundtrack manages to contribute to the drama without feeling manipulative.

The collaborative work of the young cast also serves as a testament to the director's skill. Coppola even wrenches a convincing performance out of Patrick Swayze as the oldest Curtis brother. As the pretty, popular cheerleader Cherry, Diane Lane manages to avoid coming across as condescending. The real stars of the show, however, are Howell as the sensitive Ponyboy and Dillon as the time bomb Dallas. The special-edition DVD entitled The Outsiders - The Complete Novel features several extras, including over 22 minutes of original, cut footage, a new soundtrack featuring songs by Elvis Presley, and a news segment on the student petition that started it all.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about class divisions. Why does Cherry tell Ponyboy that she can't talk to him at school? What makes the division between the Socs and the greasers readily apparent? What can explain the origin of the rivalry between the two groups?

Why do you think people -- and teens in particular -- feel a need to form cliques, gangs, and social groups that stand apart from others? How does this movie attempt to show the camaraderie but also the big-picture absurdity in being involved too closely with cliques, gangs, and social groups?

In what ways is this movie a powerful example of a coming-of-age movie? What do you think is the timeless appeal of "coming-of-age" movies? What are some other examples of this genre?

Movie Details

In theaters : January 1, 1983
On DVD or streaming : November 20, 1998
Cast : C. Thomas Howell , Matt Dillon , Ralph Macchio
Director : Francis Ford Coppola
Studio : Warner Home Video
Genre : Drama
Topics : Book Characters , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , High School
Run time : 114 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : violence
Last updated : April 21, 2024

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The Outsiders (film)

By francis ford coppola.

The Outsiders (film) Summary

The film opens with the protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis , beginning to write the story of the film in a composition book for school, thus establishing that the narrative will be from his perspective. His story begins with him and his other young friend spending the evening with an older member of their Greaser gang, Dallas. Dallas has recently been released from jail and is looking for a good time. Their evening adventures leads them to the drive-in movie, where they meet Cherry Valance and her friend Marcia , two girls who are members of the rival Soc gang. After Dallas offends Cherry with his crass and disrespectful behavior, Cherry strikes up a friendship with the more sweet-natured Ponyboy. After the movie, Two-Bit (another Greaser), Johnny, and Ponyboy walk home with Cherry and Marcia, but they are discovered by Marcia and Cherry's Soc boyfriends, the heavy-drinking Bob and his friend Randy. Livid that his girlfriend is hanging out with Greasers, Bob begins to challenge the Greasers to a fight, but Cherry agrees to go with them and the tension is relieved.

The Greasers go home. Johnny expresses grief about his abusive and unstable household, before Ponyboy says his goodnights. Upon arriving home at 2 AM, Ponyboy is met with anger by his strict oldest brother Darry, whose anger escalates into abuse. After Darry hits him, Ponyboy runs from the house, finds Johnny still asleep in a nearby park, and the two boys go for a walk. At a playground, they run into Bob and Randy, who are looking for a fight. The Socs descend on Ponyboy, and Bob pushes his head into a fountain, attempting to drown him. Recognizing Bob as the Soc who slashed his face with his rings a few nights before, Johnny pulls out a knife and saves Ponyboy from drowning by stabbing Bob.

When Ponyboy awakens, he sees the violent scene nearby, and he and Johnny run to find Dallas for advice. Dallas tells them to take a freight train to a nearby town and hide out in an abandoned church until he figures out what they should do next. They follow his instructions and set up camp at the church, cutting and dying their hair, reading Gone with the Wind aloud, and watching the sunrise. Dallas eventually comes and finds them to bring them back, giving Ponyboy a note from his older brother Sodapop. Johnny says he wants to turn himself in, in order to get off easier, which upsets Dallas, who doesn't want to see his young friend go to jail. After going out for lunch, the trio returns to the abandoned church only to find it on fire. A school group was looking at the church, and we learn that several children are still trapped in the church. Against the urging of the teachers and Dallas, Johnny and Ponyboy go into the burning church to save the children. Eventually Dallas joins them, and Ponyboy manages to get a few children out and safely escape the church. Johnny is not so lucky, enduring major burns.

Back in town, Johnny is in the hospital in bad condition, Ponyboy is reunited with his older brothers, who welcome him back with open arms, and the trio—Dallas, Johnny and Ponyboy—are celebrated as local heroes. Meanwhile there is a rumble planned between the Socs and the Greasers. Ponyboy manages to get his older brother Darry to allow him to participate, since there will be no weapons used. The Greasers arrive at the lot where the rumble will be. The two gangs fight hard in the pouring rain, and the Greasers eventually win. After the rumble, Dallas and Ponyboy go to visit Johnny and tell him about the fight, but he tells them that fighting won't solve anything, before dying in his hospital bed. Dallas becomes angry about the tragic, unfair death of the young Johnny, and runs away. He holds up a convenience store clerk with an unloaded gun, and then the police pursue him, believing him to be a dangerous criminal. As the rest of the Greasers arrive at the location where the police have apprehended Dallas, they yell that he is holding an unloaded gun and is not a threat, but the police gun him down anyway.

Ponyboy reads a letter from Johnny in the wake of the violence surrounding him, urging him that there is still a lot of good in the world, and that Ponyboy needs to keep encouraging people to look at the sunset, and "stay gold."

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The Outsiders (film) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Outsiders (film) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What major events happened in chapter 3 in the outsiders

As they approach the abandoned church, they see it is on fire, and a schoolbus full of kids is gathered around it. Driving up to the burning church, they see a school group gathered outside. Against Dallas’ urging, Ponyboy jumps out to get a...

why was cherry's dream didn't come true?

I think this had to do with watching the same sunset on both sides of the tracks. She has hopes that the mindless conformity of the Socs would one day end and that the antagonism between the Socs and Greasers would one day cease. I don't think...

Who is Mickey Mouse in The Outsiders?

Mickey Mouse was Soda's horse.

A long time. I tried writing about Soda's horse, Mickey Mouse, but I couldn't get it right; it always came out sounding corny.

Study Guide for The Outsiders (film)

The Outsiders (film) study guide contains a biography of Francis Ford Coppola, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

About The Outsiders (film)
Character List
Director's Influence

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The Outsiders

Where to watch.

Rent The Outsiders on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

The cracks continue to show in Coppola's directorial style, but The Outsiders remains a blustery, weird, and fun adaptation of the classic novel.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Francis Ford Coppola

Matt Dillon

Dallas Winston

C. Thomas Howell

Ponyboy Curtis

Ralph Macchio

Johnny Cade

Patrick Swayze

Darrel Curtis

Sodapop Curtis

'OUTSIDERS,' TEEN-AGE VIOLENCE

By Vincent Canby

March 25, 1983

IT'S as if someone had handed Verdi a copy of ''The Hardy Boys Attend a Rumble'' and, holding a gun to the poor man's head, forced him to use it as a libretto. Or, try to imagine a ''West Side Story'' that is set in Tulsa, Okla., in the 1960's, with no dancing or singing, but with a lot of not-super Carmine Coppola soundtrack music replacing the Leonard Bernstein score. Or, think of a remake of ''Rebel Without a Cause'' directed by someone under the delusion he's D.W. Griffith shooting ''The Birth of a Nation.''

If you still don't get the picture, you may have to go see Francis Coppola's ''Outsiders,'' which, coming on the heels, so to speak, of ''One From the Heart,'' leads one to suspect that Mr. Coppola is no longer with us, but up with his entourage observing the world from a space platform.

''The Outsiders,'' which opens today at the Criterion and other theaters, isn't conventionally bad. It is spectacularly out of touch, a laughably earnest attempt to impose heroic attitudes on some nice, small characters purloined from a ''young-adult'' novel by S.E. Hinton, the woman who wrote the novel on which ''Tex'' was based.

''The Outsiders'' is not an accident. Even though the continuity is sort of jumpy, and even though some principal characters seem to have become minor in the cutting room, it looks to be exactly the movie Mr. Coppola wanted to make. To those of us who can't buy Mr. Coppola's inflated attempts at myth making, it's a melodramatic kidfilm with the narrative complexity of ''The Three Bears'' and a high body count.

Like ''Tex,'' a far more successful, far less pretentious film, ''The Outsiders'' means to be about the world as it appears to its teen-agers, kids who are orphans or whose parents have abandoned them. It's about two opposing social groups, the poor boys who live on the wrong side of the Tulsa tracks and defiantly call themselves ''greasers,'' after the foreign substance on their hair, and the ''socs,'' pronounced ''soshes,'' the rich society kids who live in big white houses on hills.

More specifically, it's about three ''greasers.'' They are Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell), whose parents are dead and who's being raised by his older brother; Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio), a hysterical Sal Mineo type, who can't go home because his parents are such drunken slobs, and Dallas Winston (Matt Dillon), who plays a James Dean role with more early Marlon Brando mannerisms than Dean ever thought of using.

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Screen Rant

The outsiders: 15 big differences between the movie & the book.

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Every Francis Ford Coppola Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Every change to the original godfather part iii in coppola's new cut, why coppola combined & recut the first two godfather movies in chronological order in 1977.

The Outsiders: The Complete Novel 4K remaster includes scenes that were cut from the original movie, providing a more faithful adaptation of the book.
The movie focuses more on Dally's character and his relationship with Johnny and Ponyboy, giving Matt Dillon a bigger role.
While the movie captures the core themes of the book, the omission of certain scenes and details from the novel affected character development and depth in the adaptation.

The differences between The Outsiders book and movie are crucial to how the Brat Pack coming-of-age film subgenre developed in the '80s. After establishing himself as an icon in the New Hollywood era, director Francis Ford Coppola worked with author S. E. Hinton to adapt Hinton's 1967 novel of the same name into the screenplay for The Outsiders. Coppola's epic cinematography and visual storytelling proved to be the perfect match for Hinton's harsh but gripping deep dive into teenage gang culture in the '60s. Thanks to the performances of The Outsiders cast members like Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Rob Lowe, Hinton's characters have become cult cinema icons.

To celebrate the beloved 80s movies and the book that inspired it, Coppola released a 4K remaster of the movie in 2017 in time for the 50th anniversary of S. E. Hinton's novel. Apart from its improved resolution, The Outsiders: The Complete Novel features scenes that Coppola had to cut for time, with the DVD format allowing for a much more faithful adaptation of the novel - in stunning 4K. There are some notable differences between The Outsiders book and the movie's original cut, along with whether they've been included in the 4K remaster or not.

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Rent The Outsiders on Apple TV.

15 Ponyboy's Introduction Scene

Ponyboy's first scene was getting jumped by socs.

Among the many differences in the adaptation and source material, the most glaring omission from the novel is Ponyboy's book introduction. The novel begins with Ponyboy getting jumped by the Socs alone until the Greasers show up to save him. However, in the movie, Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) is with Dally (Matt Dillon) and Johnny (Ralph Macchio) and doesn't really interact with the Socs at all . The introduction of Ponyboy in the book and in the movie are completely different, which seems like a strange decision. However, with The Outsiders: The Complete Novel now including this introductory scene from the book, it seems that it was shot but then cut for running time.

14 The Curtis Boys' Parents

The deceased parents were mentioned a lot more in the novel.

C Thomsa Howell, Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze in The Outsiders

Throughout S. E. Hinton's book, Ponyboy heavily discusses his parents, who died in a car crash and left the three siblings to fend for themselves. Ponyboy constantly thinks and talks about them and tends to compare himself and his two brothers to their mother and father. The film doesn't really mention their parents and instead focuses on where the boys are now, without much mention of their past when their parents were alive. This may seem like a small detail and not needed as much of the movie is about the relationship between the brothers, but it would've given much more context to the circumstances and decisions of these characters.

13 Darry's Role Is Smaller

The movie presents the older brother as more distant.

Patrick Swayze as Darry standing with his gang at night in The Outsiders

Darry (Patrick Swayze) is Ponyboy's eldest brother, who has acted as a surrogate father to him and Sodapop (Rob Lowe) after their parents died. Darry is a stern but constant presence in Ponyboy's life, and he talks about him and their rocky relationship frequently throughout the book. Unlike in the movie, the book lays out their difficult relationship and how Ponyboy truly thinks that Darry hates him. What truly makes this a notable change is that it makes the reunion between Darry and his brother at the hospital a much more emotional affair in the book than in the film.

12 Greaser Side Vs Soc Side

The book highlights the class difference between the rival gangs.

Ponyboy and Randy inside a car in The Outsiders

The main fighting and hatred between the Greasers and the Socs is just as strong in the movie as it is in the book, but the details about the locations of the groups are changed for the movie. The book describes the Greasers as controlling the poorer East side of town while the Socs control the wealthier West side . Meanwhile, the movie says the Greasers are on the North side of town and the Socs are on the South side of town. While it is another small difference between The Outsiders book and movie, the source material seems to further highlight the economic divide between these gangs.

11 Sandy And Soda's Relationship

Soda's girlfriend doesn't appear in the movie.

Sodapop looks concerned in The Outsiders

One of the main recurring side plots in the novel is Sodapop's relationship with Sandy, who doesn't even appear in the movie. Sodapop was sure he and Sandy would get married, but when Sandy becomes pregnant , she's sent to live with her grandmother, and they never reunite. It's a catalyst for a lot of Sodapop's issues, including his frustration about being stuck between Darry and Ponyboy's constant fighting, as he no longer has a person outside the family to turn to when he needs to vent. It's one of the more unfortunate omissions from the movie as it would've led to a more explosive start for Rob Lowe's movie career.

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10 Darry Fighting For Custody

The movie downplays the threat of the brothers being broken up.

Despite their differences, The Outsiders book and movie are, at their core, about brotherly love. However, in the novel, a main concern of the eldest Curtis brother is being able to keep custody of his two younger brothers, and this plot line is hardly mentioned in the movie. There are a few scenes where Darry voices his concerns about being unable to provide for Soda and Pony, along with worries about Child Protective Services taking them away. However, the movie never fully shows this struggle, though it was crucial to Darry's arc in the book . It's a pity, as it would've only made Patrick Swayze's performance better.

9 Ponyboy's School Project

The narrative device is not mentioned in the movie.

C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy and Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit standing outside a store in The Outsiders

The book makes it clear that Ponyboy is writing his story for a school project, but the movie never specifies why Ponyboy is telling the audience his story. The book even emphasizes the fact that Ponyboy's a great writer and student , which includes a storyline dedicated to a teacher reaching out to Ponyboy to support him and make sure he's able to finish his assignment after the fire. The movie ignores all this, and it's one of the more contested changes. On one hand, the film format somewhat negates the need for the assignment premise. On the other hand, it would've given C. Thomas Howell's Ponyboy some more character development.

8 The Courtroom Scene Finale

The movie chooses a different ending.

Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe hugging in The Outsiders

The book ends in the courtroom , where Ponyboy takes the stand regarding Johnny killing Bob the Soc, and about his home life with Darry and Sodapop. The film mentions that, after the killing in self-defense and the fire, the only thing that the authorities really cared about was making sure that Ponyboy had a stable home life living with his brothers. However, it doesn't show any of the ending courtroom scenes where Ponyboy explains he's happiest with his brothers. This is decidedly one of the biggest differences between The Outsiders book and movie and takes away from the more emotional conclusion.

7 Blonde Hair Vs Black Hair

The movie creates a visual distinction between greasers and socs.

The book describes the Greasers as having all types of hair colors. Some even have blonde hair, including Dally whose hair is described as almost white . However, the movie chooses to give more distinction between the Greasers and the Socs by giving the Greasers dark black hair and the Socs lighter hair colors. It's not a significant difference to the plot and visually on the screen, and it makes sense as a further representation of the rivalry between the two groups, but it's still odd reading Dally's description and comparing Matt Dillon's movie look to Dally in the book. Nonetheless, it's one difference between The Outsiders book and movie that's easily forgiven.

6 Sodapop's Significance To Ponyboy

Deleted scenes add more moments of their closeness.

Rob Lowe as Soda Pop comforting C. Thomas Howell as Pony Boy in The Outsiders

The film focuses more on Ponyboy and Johnny's relationship than focusing on Ponyboy's relationship with his older brothers. Notably, Ponyboy has a strained relationship with Darry but is incredibly close to Sodapop. This is clear in the movie, but not like in the book, much of which is dedicated to Ponyboy writing about his love and admiration for his brother . The Outsiders: The Complete Novel actually remedied this by including the full scene of Sodapop cuddling his baby brother in bed and Ponyboy asking him big life questions. It's just one of the deleted Sodapop scenes returned in the 4K remaster, which somewhat makes up for this huge change.

5 Clearly Explaining Johnny's Past

Johnny's rough home life is a bigger part of the novel.

The book spends a long time discussing Johnny Cade's (Ralph Macchio) life and past events, particularly being jumped by a group of Socs in a blue Mustang, one of them being the same Soc he stabs to protect Ponyboy . Understandably, this has turned Johnny into a nervous wreck. The film alludes to this event, and to his abusive home life that leads to his nervous demeanor, but it's not as clear as it is in the book. In fact, the little clues in the film might be missed if the viewer isn't familiar with his backstory. It is another small example of removing something that simply adds a little more character development.

4 Dally's Role Is Bigger

Matt dillon's star power made for a bigger role.

The Outsiders movie version focuses more on Dally (Matt Dillon) and his relation to Johnny and Ponyboy as he helps them go on the run after Johnny kills Bob the Soc. All the events that happen when the two go to Dally for help happen in the book as well, but since the film doesn't focus on Ponyboy's brothers Darry and Sodapop as much, Dally gets a much brighter spotlight than in the novel. This is actually one of the changes that works the best as it only gave Matt Dillon more opportunities to flesh out one of the coolest characters from the '80s.

3 No Rodeos

The movie ommitted the small yet emotional subplot.

C Thomas Howell as Ponyboy, Tom Cruise as Randy, and Rob Lowe as Sodapop in The Outsiders

The book mentions local rodeos multiple times and talks about how Sodapop wanted to own a horse called Mickey Mouse , and how he was crushed when the horse was sold to another farm. The stories work to contextualize the Oklahoma setting of the story, but the rodeos are never mentioned in the film. Although it's a small detail, it did provide characterization for Sodapop and provided a strong sense of location. On the other hand, out of the many differences between The Outsiders book and movie, this one is part of what makes the movie more universally relatable than the book.

2 Ponyboy Shutting Down After The Fire

The effects of johnny and dally's deaths have a bigger impact in the novel.

Johnny Cade and Ponyboy in The Outsiders

In the book, after learning that not only did Johnny die from his injuries during the fire, but also that Dally was killed by the police, Ponyboy shuts down and becomes sick both physically and mentally . Ponyboy becomes distraught, sleeps for days, and continually claims that he was the one who killed Bob, not Johnny. However, the film hurries things along by showing Ponyboy physically hurting from his injuries, but then quickly fighting through it, so he can go to the rumble with the Socs. It is a change that arguably hurt Ponyboy's complexity as a character.

In 1977, The Godfather Saga was released, bringing together the first two movies in chronological order, with extra scenes and some censored ones.

1 Ponyboy's Narration And Missing Moments

Little moments helped to make the novel a more fulfilling story.

The Outsiders movie does provide a lot of narration from Ponyboy, but it misses some insightful moments that the book covers through Ponyboy's inner thoughts. It's part of why the film struggles to use Ponyboy as the narrator at times . Moreover, small but compelling moments from the novel are left out of the film, like Ponyboy breaking a glass bottle to threaten a Soc, but then picking up the glass after so no one gets a flat tire. Whether they were cut for time, budget concerns, or Coppola's creative preferences, these omissions from the book kept the adaptation from achieving so much more.

To be fair, The Outsiders remains iconic and faithful to the core themes of S. E. Hinton's story even without these book scenes. However, considering the novel's depth, it's clear that The Outsiders should've stayed closer to Hinton's words. For those who've read the book and may want a deeper, more faithful adaptation of the novel, Francis Ford Coppola did a good job of filling in many of the missing book elements in The Outsiders: The Complete Novel.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Outsiders — A Critical Analysis Of The Movie The Outsiders

A Critical Analysis of The Movie The Outsiders

Categories: Movie Review The Outsiders

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Published: Mar 18, 2021

Words: 2806 | Pages: 6 | 15 min read

Santrock, J. W. (2018). A topical approach to life-span development (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill
Coppola, F. (Director), & Hinton, S. E. (Screenwriter). (1983). The Outsiders [Motion picture on DVD]. United States.

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The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

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The Outsiders movie review & film summary (1983)
Crime. 91 minutes ‧ PG ‧ 1983. Roger Ebert. March 25, 1983. 3 min read. It's unfortunate that Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders" opens on the same day as "Bad Boys.". That makes the contrast all the more dramatic between the high-energy realism of "Bad Boys" and Coppola's stylized, over-careful, deadening approach to ...
THE OUTSIDERS
The novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is widely read in secondary schools across the nation. It is appropriate for readers over the age of 10 although some of the themes in the book are mature. The novel is regarded as an American classic. This Learning Guide applies to both the movie and the book.
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The Outsiders - Movie Worksheet I. While watching the movie, write down at least five similarities ... 3. 4. 5. II. After watching the movie, write a review in which you respond to these questions. 1. What did you like better about the film vs. the novel? Why? 2. Briefly explain what was good and bad about the movie. 3. What parts weren't ...
The Outsiders (1983) THEATRICAL CUT : Francis Ford Coppola : Free
The original 91 minute cut of 1983's The Outsiders. The book by S E Hinson adapted well to the screen. Coppola did, of course, an excellent job directing and the casting was perfect.There is a longer version through different editing techniques for those viewers who wanted more clarity in the fights, the reasons, the importance of the threat of reform school.
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PDF TEACHER'S PET PUBLICATIONS LitPlan Teacher Pack
To review the main ideas of chapters 5-6 2. To preview the study questions for chapters 7-9 3. To read chapters 7-9 Activity #1 Ask students to get out their books and some paper (not their study guides). Tell students to write down ten questions (and answers) which cover the main events and ideas in chapters 5-6.
The Outsiders (1983)
The Outsiders: Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. With C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze. In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.
PDF THE OUTSIDERS Unit Plan
THE OUTSIDERS Unit Plan. Grade 8. Unit Title: The Outsiders: Identity, the Individual, & the Group. Duration: Twelve 82 minute lessons. Global Rationale: S.E. Hinton has written a novel that deals with the changes youth experience during adolescence. Youth can relate to the themes and identity of characters in The Outsidersbecause of the ...
The Outsiders Movie Review
Parents say (37 ): Kids say (158 ): THE OUTSIDERS, Francis Ford Coppola's inspired adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel, combines a talented ensemble cast with an engaging story. It's in some ways a scare film. Characters suffer for their bad behavior, and occasionally the treatment seems a bit heavy-handed.
The Outsiders (film) Study Guide
The Outsiders was filmed in 1983 and was helmed by the acclaimed film director Francis Ford Coppola.Despite a cast made up of up-and-coming young screen stars such as Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and others, and the direction of the man behind the iconic Godfather trilogy, the movie was only a moderate success, garnering mixed reviews, and being deemed one of Coppola's lesser ...
PDF The Outsiders
Your task is to write a review of the film. You will need to include details and examples from the film to write a good review. Use the following questions to help you write a good movie review. You will need to give examples to support your points. Note: Write this review as if you were trying to
The Outsiders (film) Summary
The Outsiders (film) Summary. The film opens with the protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis, beginning to write the story of the film in a composition book for school, thus establishing that the narrative will be from his perspective. His story begins with him and his other young friend spending the evening with an older member of their Greaser gang, Dallas.
PDF The Outsiders Final Assignments
Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay" plays a prominent role in the story The Outsiders. Johnny and Ponyboy are both touched by a spectacular sunrise, and Frost's words say what the boys cannot. Complete these activities in a booklet form. • Rewrite the poem from the story on a piece of A4 paper and decorate it.
The Outsiders
NEW. A teen gang in rural Oklahoma, the Greasers are perpetually at odds with the Socials, a rival group. When Greasers Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) and Johnny (Ralph Macchio) get into a brawl that ...
PDF The Outsiders
Darry is six-feet-two, and broad-shouldered and muscular. He has dark-brown hair that kicks out in front and a slight cowlick in the back—just like Dad's—but Darry's eyes are his own. He's got eyes that are like two pieces of pale blue-green ice. They've got a determined set to them, like the rest of him.
The Outsiders Movie Review Teaching Resources
5.0. (2) $2.50. PDF. Using the film "The Outsiders" students will review the film, as well as make connections to the novel. An excellent activity to complete a novel study of the book "The Outsiders". An activity is included during viewing to focus students attention.
The Outsiders Movie
The_Outsiders_Movie - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The document provides materials for students to analyze the characters, conflicts, and slang terms from the novel and film The Outsiders. It includes a character chart to record details about main characters, a Venn diagram template to compare the Greasers and Socs gangs, and a list of 35 slang ...
The Outsiders (film)
The Outsiders is a 1983 American coming-of-age crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.The film is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton and was released on March 25, 1983, in the United States. Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, and her students were responsible for inspiring Coppola to make the film.
PDF The Outsiders Novel and Movie Writing Assignment
Action 2. Action 3. OPTION TWO: Taking in the scenery: S.E. Hinton's novel takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965. The 1983 movie, was filmed in Oklahoma with costumes, sets, and music to bring viewers back to the 1960s. While the books is based on Ponyboy's first person narrative, the movie uses sound, lighting, special effects and camera ...
'OUTSIDERS,' TEEN-AGE VIOLENCE
Out West Story. THE OUTSIDERS, directed by Francis Coppola; screenplay by Kathleen Knutsen Rowell, based on the novel by S.E. Hinton; edited by Anne Goursaud; music by Carmine Coppola; produced by ...
The Outsiders: 15 Big Differences Between The Movie & The Book
The differences between The Outsiders book and movie are crucial to how the Brat Pack coming-of-age film subgenre developed in the '80s. After establishing himself as an icon in the New Hollywood era, director Francis Ford Coppola worked with author S. E. Hinton to adapt Hinton's 1967 novel of the same name into the screenplay for The Outsiders. ...
A Critical Analysis of The Movie The Outsiders
Introduction: Ponyboy Curtis, a fourteen-year old narrator, and orphan, lives with his older brothers Sodapop and Darry, after their parents passed away in a tragic automobile accident.Since their passing, Sodapop and Ponyboy are allowed to stay under Darry's guardianship as long as they behave themselves. They are all members of a lower-class group called Greasers, meaning they are viewed ...
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