Return of the Secaucus 7

Theatrical Release Date: 1980 09 05 (USA) / 2002 04 12 (USA - Limited Rerelease)

UPC: 027616886484

Studio: MGM

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: College friends reunite for a New England summer weekend in this low-budget first feature by accomplished independent filmmaker John Sayles. A predecessor of the well-paced, character-driven films in Sayles' future, Secaucus Seven also looks ahead to the 1980s ensemble movies that it inspired, most notably Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill, which arrived in theaters three years later. As each friend arrives at the house (or travels to the house), characterizations build, dialogue expands, and the house (and film) are full of people getting reacquainted and re-examining themselves and each other. Sayles builds the plot by testing the characters' connections: Will these former radicals accept the uptight boyfriend of the well-loved politico? What happens when a couple splits up? How does the educated set treat the local blue-collars? Many critics cited Secaucus Seven in their decade-end list of the best films of the 1980s. ~ Norm Schrager, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: U.S. National Film Registry – Library of Congress Best Screenplay – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Second Place – Sundance Film Festival

Features: ccAudio commentary by John Sayles
Featurette with John Sayles and Maggie Renzi
Casa de los Babys trailer
English mono
English & Spanish language subtitles

Return of the Secaucus 7

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 09/16/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 104 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Mug Shots/Main Titles [6:14]
2. Catching Up [6:01]
3. Filling in the Blanks [8:13]
4. Charades [6:03]
5. New Memories [8:21]
6. Volleyball [5:34]
7. Girl Talk [6:54]
8. Pickup Game [5:31]
9. Splashdown [7:25]
10. Guy Talk [1:46]
11. Lyrics and Lines [4:28]
12. What Are Friends For? [7:38]
13. Bambicide [5:32]
14. Sprung [8:03]
15. Wrapping It Up [5:31]
16. Farewells/End Credits [5:05]

Michael Betzold

Iconoclastic writer-director John Sayles made his first impact in 1980 with this less commercial predecessor to The Big Chill (1983). Both films are about a group of radical friends from the 1960s who get together for a reunion some years later. In Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 hit, the principals are sliding into Yuppiedom. In Sayles's low-budget account, the characters are more realistic, their quandaries somewhat less dramatic, and the politics and dialogue less trendy. As would be his habit in future films, Sayles plays one of the parts himself. Thoughtful and rich in characterization, like his films to come, Return of the Secaucus Seven made few concessions to mainstream commercial movie-making, focusing instead on a low-tech, realistic, improvisational mood of affection mingled with regret. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Brian Johnson  Actor 
Marisa Smith  Actor 
Betsy Julia Robinson  Actor 
Jeffrey Nelson  Actor 
Carolyn Brooks  Actor 
Nancy Mette  Actor 
Steven Zaitz  Actor 
Mason K. Daring  Composer (Music Score) 
John Sayles  Director 
John Sayles  Screenwriter 
William Aydelott  Producer 
Jeffrey Nelson  Producer 
Bruce MacDonald  Actor 
Maggie Renzi  Actor 
Adam Le Fevre  Actor 
Maggie Cousineau  Actor 
Gordon Clapp  Actor 
Jean Passanante  Actor 
Karen Trott  Actor 
Mark Arnott  Actor 
David Strathairn  Actor 
John Sayles  Actor 

Country: USA