MovieChat Forums > Lifeguard (1976) Discussion > Beautiful movie

Beautiful movie

posted 15 years ago by LightningLad
6 replies | jump to latest

What can I say, I was stunned by such a sweetly sad, non-judgemental but also not idealizing portrait of a guy who can't be changed. It was very reminiscent of those westerns about gunslingers past their time of relevance, depicting the beach as just as much an iconic setting as the old west, except I found this to be more affecting as it didn't have the haze of historical nostalgia. A different kind of beach movie. Watch a couple Frankie and Annette classics, then this "ten years later" wake-up, and it becomes a historical and sociological experience, as well as emotionally powerful in its quiet way. Rick is a very touching performance by Elliot. And as a seventies-phile, It was fun for me to see the period elements in the foreground and background.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] kwalstedt-1 14 years ago

I agree. I caught the last half hour of this only but I loved every minute of it. Of course I'm dying to see the full film now. I'll watch any movie from the 70s and each new one I didn't know about that I discover is like a huge gift from the heavens. Loved the themes, Sam Elliot was mega yummy, loved the gorgeous beach that reminded me of visiting Santa Barbara, Goleta and Laguna Beach as a child in the mid 70s before we went home to humdrum New Jersey. I wanted to walk right into the screen and live the rest of my life there.

[–] tomloft2000 14 years ago

it was definitely a different time:less traffic,less housing,and fewer people on the beach.although i certainly wouldn't call it a great movie,it has always stuck with me.Sam Elliott plays it with such conviction that i wonder if he was having the same thoughts as his character.

[–] bmeadow1 11 years ago

I don't understand why this movie has been so overlooked. I've seen it twice and each time was impressed by how realistic this portrayal of an aging lifeguard was.

It's an age-old story: When does a man decide to grow up? And what does growing up mean? And Lifeguard tells it beautifully.

Please, please see this movie. And don't be put off by the marketing campaign which totally misinforms the audience about the nature of this film.

[–] jl-39962 7 years ago

11-13 years later, but otherwise correct.

I'm tempted to watch "Beach Party" now.

[–] activista 7 years ago

Just caught this nice little film on the MOVIES channel--interesting to see that it wasn't a film noir or action flick. I stumbled across it about maybe barely a half-hour,mainly because of Sam Elliot---I can think of very few '70s movies I've seen him in, so it was a trip to see him as a young dude running on the beach looking good. Plus it was a nice laid-back at people just living their lives---something '70s directors specialized in.