Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
John Sayles began his commendable directing career with this terrific portrait of 1960s counterculture survivors, now teetering on the brink of turning 30. A homegrown movie all the way, Return of the Secaucus Seven was made for around $60,000 of Sayles's own money (earned writing horror pictures such as Piranha). An effortlessly funny and thoughtful ensemble piece, Secaucus unmistakably provided the template for the bigger-budgeted The Big Chill: old friends reunite for a weekend to sort through fond memories, old resentments, and new problems. Sayles, longtime producing partner Maggi Renzi, and then-unknown David Strathairn are among the actors. The marvelous back-and-forth patter of the characters and the sprightly pacing show Sayles already had a sure sense of what he wanted on screen, and his mastery of the running gag is in place (the name Dwight won't ever sound quite the same again). This is the definition of "low-budget classic," from an indie pioneer. --Robert Horton
Product Description
Seven friends who were political activists are reunited during a weekend gathering. The changing course of their various lives provides insight into each of their personalities and evolving adult identities. After spending several years writing B-movie scripts (PIRANHA, LADY IN RED) for Roger Corman's New World Pictures, John Sayles directed his debut feature, THE RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN, on a budget of $60,000. Because the budget dictated that the film employ few technical frills, Sayles decided to create an ensemble piece, like Robert Altman's NASHVILLE, so that the characters' interweaving stories would carry the film along.
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Return of the Secaucus 7
Starring: Mark Arnott , Cora Bennett , Carolyn Brooks , Gordon Clapp , and Maggie Cousineau Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD  General
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Friends
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General
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Vietnam War
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Clapp, Gordon
| ( C )
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Lefevre, Adam
| ( L )
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Renzi, Maggie
| ( R )
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Strathairn, David
| ( S )
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( R )
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ASIN: B00009Y3N3 Release Date: 2003-09-16 |
Amazon.com
John Sayles began his commendable directing career with this terrific portrait of 1960s counterculture survivors, now teetering on the brink of turning 30. A homegrown movie all the way, Return of the Secaucus Seven was made for around $60,000 of Sayles's own money (earned writing horror pictures such as Piranha). An effortlessly funny and thoughtful ensemble piece, Secaucus unmistakably provided the template for the bigger-budgeted The Big Chill: old friends reunite for a weekend to sort through fond memories, old resentments, and new problems. Sayles, longtime producing partner Maggi Renzi, and then-unknown David Strathairn are among the actors. The marvelous back-and-forth patter of the characters and the sprightly pacing show Sayles already had a sure sense of what he wanted on screen, and his mastery of the running gag is in place (the name Dwight won't ever sound quite the same again). This is the definition of "low-budget classic," from an indie pioneer. --Robert HortonDescription
The visionary writer-director behind such films as Passion Fish, Lone Star and Sunshine State, OscarÂ(r)nominee* John Sayles has been at the forefront of the independent film movement for more than twenty years. In this, his 'triumphant directorial debut (Los Angeles Times), Sayles delivers an utterly engaging (Time) look at seven friends who reunite ten years after their radical college days for a dramatic, poignant and revelatory weekend. Hailedby critics as delightful (The Washington Post), irresistible (The Boston Globe) and a minor miracle (The San Francisco Examiner), Return of the Secaucus 7 inspired the later hit film The Big Chill and heralded the arrival of a brilliant new force in independent cinema. *1996: Original Screenplay, Lone Star; 1992: Original Screenplay, Passion FishDVD:
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