It has everything: Italian, basic cycling (the equivalent of the Lakers/Celtics playoffs in the early 80's), coming-of-age, buddy film, FANTASTIC shots of a race and what it feels like to be in one, and REFUNDS! And eventually...college. This should be shown to every post High School kid who doesn't know what to do with his/her life.
Nothing is what it seems. Everything is a test. Rule #1: Don't...get...caught.
I think American Flyers was a slightly better film about cycling (also written by Tesich), though I think Breaking Away is a better film overall (story, characters, etc). I love the race at the end of Breaking Away but I like the film more for the quarry scenes and the whole 70s summery feeling it evokes. Something I do think Breaking Away has over American Flyers is how it has scenes of Dave cycling by himself and shows it as a very solitary thing, which is how I see cycling myself. Sadly, no Walkmans or MP3 players back then though to enhance his experience. I'm sure Dave would have been listening to his Italian opera albums while he was out and about.
shareI agree about American Flyers being more about cycling--involving a well-known race (was it the Coors classic, and not the Red Zinger, right, since it happened after 1979?). Is there any film about the Tour de France?
Yes, the quarry scenes were great--especially the swimming race between Dennis Quaid and Hart Bochner, who realizes what a chump he is after Quaid bashes his head on a stone wall! But he still does nothing to help him (Probably afraid Moocher would clock him!).
Yes, that solitary thing is often the case, unless you bike with others, as I used to, usually on distance rides. I wish we'd had MP3 players then, so I didn't have to listen to my know-it-all friend pontificate about drafting, shifting, which route to take and so on! But I wouldn't use them otherwise; I like to hear what's coming behind me. It's saved my skin on more than one occasion!
Besides, you can always "play" your favorite music in your head! I usually had something by New Order or OMD going, to set a steady tempo.
I miss those long rides and races! (bad knees...)
Nothing is what it seems. Everything is a test. Rule #1: Don't...get...caught.
Strangely, I have the soundtrack album to American Flyers, but I've never played it on one of my cycling odysseys because its on vinyl album and I have no way to convert it to MP3 format. Hmmmm....I'm sure somebody must have put it online somewhere though....
I've just watched Breaking Away again. I wish I could go swimming in that quarry.
You could get a used turntable with an MP3 conversion capability--that's what my kid does.
Yes...that quarry is gorgeous! There's nothing better than clean lakes or even rivers. My favorite is the White River in VT. It's just off a great cycling route and has deep pools to jump into (if you're nuts), but you can look down 15-20 ft. in the larger pools and see giant trout swimming beneath you! Summer can't some soon enough...
Nothing is what it seems. Everything is a test. Rule #1: Don't...get...caught.
American Flyers was a bad film. Too melodramatic and utterly ridiculous in spots. If I was to pick a companion film for Breaking Away, it would be The Unknown Cyclist. That's also a character study like BA and also shows the sheer joy of cycling.
shareActually, Walkmans became available in 1979, for $150 (figure inflation and...).
I've had this movie on my list since it came out, to much, much approval from all who talked about it. Maybe I was expecting too much, having seen it for the first time just recently. I thought there would be more racing footage, and more realistic, please! The relay race was pretty much of a joke... his friends didn't even train. And all different sizes of guys riding the same klunky bike. ? What happened to his good bike? Yes, I KNOW he crashed, but that would not make it disappear. No explanation given, but then this new klunker appears, and come on...
It's a good movie for some of the lines, and overall standard coming of age plot, but not even a good movie about cycling. And some of his street riding was so stupid and irresponsible, expecting cars to look out for him, were downright disgusting to me. But it was a pretty good movie, if you're not all that interested in a movie about bicycle racing - which this movie really wasn't.
What happened to his good bike? Yes, I KNOW he crashed, but that would not make it disappear. No explanation given, but then this new klunker appears, and come on...
The relay race was pretty much of a joke... his friends didn't even train.
But it was a pretty good movie, if you're not all that interested in a movie about bicycle racing - which this movie really wasn't.
Re the different sizes of the riders on the Cutters team ... the plan was to have Dave do the entire race. The others signed up (and turned up) because Dave couldn't enter as a solo act; there had to be four names.
So of course they didn't train .... they expected to sit on the sidelines and cheer Dave in his glory.
Eh, it's probably more of just a coming of age movie, with biking as a backdrop.
I'm sure that a lot of real bikers probably rip the biking in this movie apart.
Ever been in a race? Listened to those gears whizzing and clicking? Ever had that high, that "buzz" that ran through your skin, not knowing whether you'd sail through a pack or end up on the pavement? Well I have. And I can tell you that this is an actual bike racer saying that "Breaking Away" is for real, that it would be either sacrilege, sour grapes or just plain STUPIDITY to rip this apart! I got a good idea about which one YOU are! Kind of like Nuke in "Field of Dreams" before he gets his ass handed to him.
Nothing is what it seems. Everything is a test. Rule #1: Don't...get...caught.
Huh, what?
I didn't say that I'm ripping the biking in this movie. I'm not a real biker.
I was just guessing that real bikers would rip it.
Sorry for that outburst--I did think you were ripping it apart and it means a lot to me. Even citizen racing takes a lot of training and dedication, just to stay in the race, much less come close to winning. The other thing about it is that it is usually a team sport, with 4 people on the course at a time, helping one another. The friendship of the 4 guys makes their participation in the Little 500 possible and brings them closer together. So, basically, they become better friends through bicycling, instead of hanging around doing nothing.
I didn't mean to come off so harshly--I had a bad day. You didn't deserve that kind of reply. I should have just said that all the real bikers I know love this film and see it as both a coming of age film and a film about cycling. Tesich's semi-sequel to it, "American Flyers", is much more about cycling, with some competition between two brothers. Sorry!
Nothing is what it seems. Everything is a test. Rule #1: Don't...get...caught.
Ha, that's ok. I figured that you thought that I was doing that.
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I just saw Breaking Away for the first time!!! I can't believe I missed this gem. I loved it but I also love American Flyers too! I say its a tie.
I do love all the Italian references in it (I am Italian) and I love Paul Dooley!
Wait! Wait! Where are you going? I was gonna make Espresso!
Dave: Ciao, Papa!
Mr. Stoller: I'm not your Papa--I'm your goddamm father!
Heh-heh...
Poor Papa, he has to change over to French at the end! Will Dave Stoller ever learn? Paul Dooley and Dennis Christopher played a (very disturbed) father and son on an episode of "Law & Order, Criminal Intent", ep. "Cherry Red" in 2003). Excellent ep. especially since the actors were reunited.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275140/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_58
Don't get me wrong...
It might be unbelievable,
But let's not say so long
LOL!! So funny!! I will have to watch the L & O, CI episode you mentioned! I love all the L & O's. Thank you for telling me!
Wait! Wait! Where are you going? I was gonna make Espresso!
As a life long Midwestern cyclist who puts about 3,000 miles a year on his road bike, let me say that this is by far the best biking film ever, IMO.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
I think it's the best, but I'm biased. In 1979 I watched this movie. Then I immediately went out - almost immediately, I had to wait for the exchange to open the next day - and bought a big, heavy, soft steel clunker. It had lots of gears, however.
A few years later I bought a CroMolly bike in Japan with Shimano groupo. It was one of only two years that Shimano made their original Dura-ace AX groupo with the pedal bearing races machined into the crankset. I started racing criteriums in Okinawa on that bike.
After that I went to undergraduate school in Tucson, a great bicycle city. But from there I moved to Florida, which sucks for bicycling. I soon fell out of the sport.
Anyway, of the huge number of American bicycling movies to choose from, this is the best. However, "The Triplets of Belleville," is the best if we include foreign language animation.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.
I really like the film, it is a classic of it's era. But... the cycling is not the best bit. If I wanted to teach someone how to ride in a cycle race I would not recommend this film. I imagine 'real' cycling techniques were regarded as too boring to portray accurately in a film designed for showing to an average film goer. For example, the final lap of the 500. Why doesn't he stay behind the lead rider until the final 150 metres to save energy and then blast past to take the sprint? That's just the first obvious example that springs to mind. I found myself criticizing the riding techniques throughout the film! I kind of expect that sort of inaccuracy from films of the era unfortunately. Now, let me tell you what DVD was still in my player when I opened the drawer to watch Breaking Away: The Program! You can't argue with the accuracy of the portrayal of cycle racing technique in THAT film!
shareAs far as fictional (non-documentary) movies about cycling are concerned, "American Flyers" was the worst ever, a cringe-worthy embarrassment. "The Program" was good. But "Breaking Away" is by far the best at conveying the joy and romance of the sport of road cycling.
shareI like the movie and I think it's the best of the two I've seen. The second being Tour de Pharmacy