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Breaking Away [DVD]

Dennis Christopher (Actor), Dennis Quaid (Actor), Peter Yates (Director) Rated: Suitable for 12 years and over Format: DVD
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 619 ratings
IMDb7.7/10.0
£11.99
Format PAL
Contributor Dennis Christopher, Peter Yates, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 37 minutes
Colour Colour

Product description

Peter Yates' Oscar-winner is a heart-warming coming-of-age story that has also taken its place as the greatest sports movie about cycling ever made. Funny, moving and inspiring, Breaking Away is one of the most loved feel-good films in cinema history. Four friends graduate from high-school and find themselves looking at an uncertain future in small-town America. Dave's passion is cycling and his dream is to be a world-class champion like the Italians he idolizes. Despite being disillusioned when he finally races against his heroes, his passion for cycling takes on new meaning when he and his friends face a team from the local college in the town's annual bike race, the Little 500. Looked down on by the students Dave faces his greatest challenge yet, one that will test his endurance and spirit to the limit. NOMINATED FOR 5 OSCARS - AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON DVD.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 16:9 - 1.78:1
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.6 x 13.4 x 1.4 cm; 81.65 g
  • Manufacturer reference ‏ : ‎ 5028836031789
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Peter Yates
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ PAL
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 37 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ 28 Jun. 2010
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Second Sight
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003H6Z194
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 619 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
619 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Smudge
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love this movie!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2024
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    This movie is a real classic from the 1970s. It’s a coming of age movie About a cycling enthusiast and his college buddies finding their way in adult life after leaving high school. So impressed by this movie I have also bought the soundtrack on CD.
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  • Sepulveda
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to watch
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2024
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    Nice movie to watch with the family
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  • Dan
    3.0 out of 5 stars Coming of age story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 September 2023
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    It’s good but a bit slow.
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  • Huck Flynn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic, charming and memorable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 June 2006
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    What a completely disarmingly brilliant film. Just when you expect a lightweight rom-com along comes a delightfully witty masterpiece with real heart, great acting and wonderful dialogue. OK, it's a coming-of-age, feel-good, boy-meets-girl, college drama but it avoids most of the usual cliches and leaves some great lines and scenes indellibly etched on your memory. The plot - a quartet of old school chums (none academically gifted) have left school and are pondering their future - the prospects are stark - either university or stone masonry - as "Cutters" in the single local industry. Hero Dave is drifting and, inspired by the Italian Champion cycling team, dreams about becoming a world cycling champion when he bumps into a lovely college girl. His efforts to court the girl lead eventually to a mismatched cycling contest - the Cutters against The College Brats. Along the way we follow the trials and tribulations of the four friends and find out how their future plans will cause their paths to diverge. We've all been there, leaving school, college, job etc - it's an emotionally charged time and this film captures the poignancy really well. There are some excellent comic conflicts between Dave and his well meaning but bewildered parents - excellent acting by all concerned. So, yes, it is another story about growing up and the loss of innocence but it'll have you at the edge of your seat laughing, cheering, feeling self-righteous indignation, embarrassment and the kind of bittersweet feeling in the stomach that only lovesickness or a really good film/book can give you. Enjoy again and again.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Mrs L Simmons
    4.0 out of 5 stars Gift
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 June 2024
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    Bought as a gift - they loved it
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  • Lynda D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Light hearted film about cycling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 March 2024
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    Follow cycling tours all around the world so thought I'd give this film a go. It's an old film but a great light hearted look at a young man and his passion for cycling.
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  • MR A H WALMSLEY
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic rite of passage film...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 February 2024
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    I visited Bloomington last year and was recommended this film by a colleague. Overall it was charming and I particularly enjoyed the operatic sound track.
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  • Andrew
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great film.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 December 2012
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    I remember seeing part of this film when I was a young teenager and loving it. I looked for it in listings for years afterwards waiting to video it but was never able to find it. Now, 30 years on, I remembered back and did a search for it on Amazon. I was a little worried that my memories of the film would be selective and that it wouldn't have aged well; maybe best to leave it alone. Well I went ahead and ordered it anyway, partly due to the positive reviews here, and have just finished watching it. I should not have worried, this film is a true classic. I am not a great reviewer, so I will leave that to the others on here that have already written great reviews, but I will say that this is film is a testement to a time when film makers could create great films without the use of sex scenes, gratuitous violence or any special effects whatsoever. This ability seems all but lost nowadays.

    A true feel good film.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Sanjay Kothary
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding movie and outstanding Blu ray release
    Reviewed in the United States on 3 December 2019
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    My all time favorite movie of all time. And all the more endearing since I studied at Indiana university Bloomington. Every time I watch the movie it brings back wonderful memories of my student years there. The movie has captured the feel of the university and town life there beautifully. Highly recommended both the movie and the twilight time Blu ray release.
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  • octaveparango
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fuer alle Radsportfans aus den 70ern und 80ern ein Muss
    Reviewed in Germany on 18 October 2013
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    Eine rührende Geschichte über einen anfangs italophilen Radsportfan aus der Arbeiterklasse der 70er, dessen Bild von Italien und seinen Bewohnern beim ersten Aufeinandertreffen mit denselben jäh zerstört wird.
    Der Radsport dient als Rahmen für eine Hommage, dass man als Elter das „Anders sein“, speziell im Erwachsen werden zulässt und seine Kinder nicht in eine Form presst, in die man selber gerne hineingepasst hätte.
    Deshalb ist die grundsätzliche Botschaft dieses Filmes für unsere Zeit passender denn jäh.
    Prädikat „muss man gesehen haben“,(speziell wo sich doch auch Tyler Hamilton in seinem Buch auf den Film bezieht.)
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  • cats34
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good family film
    Reviewed in France on 15 October 2013
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    I love this film. I lived in Bloomington when they were making this film and at the time I though,t "How could anyone make an interesting film about this place?" Was I surprised. The characters really reflected Bloomington and its good and bad aspects. This is the story of real people who can be just as passionate and interesting as any of your usual Hollywood characters.
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  • Amanda
    5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking Away
    Reviewed in the United States on 6 December 2011
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    "When you're 16, they call it `Sweet Sixteen,' when you're 18, you get to drink, vote, and see dirty movies. What the hell do you get to do when you're 19?" That's the main question the four protagonists of the movie-Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher- try to figure out. Breaking Away was released in 1979 and filmed by English director Peter Yates, who also directed the Steve McQueen movie, Bullitt. Although the movie did poorly in the box office, it received critical acclaim and ended up being nominated for Best Picture in the 1980 Academy Awards, and won Best Original Screenplay. Breaking Away centers on these four friends as they struggle to come to terms with life after high school, and an inner desire to be somebody.

    The plot plays out like this: Dave Stoller and his friends have just graduated from high school having no intentions of going to college and not worrying about the future whatsoever. They live in the small, college town of Bloomington, Indiana, home to Indiana University, Bloomington. To the college kids, the four guys are called, "Cutters" the nickname given to the townies of Bloomington. There's a rivalry between the townies and college kids that is seen throughout the movie, especially to Mike, who sees them as "rich" kids who get everything they want. The film mainly focuses on Dave, who is a cyclist and becomes obsessed with the Italian bicycling team, as he himself attempts to turn himself Italian, which drives his parents insane.

    Breaking Away is an engaging coming of age movie that tells a story of a group of friends living in a small town, and are unsure of whether they actually want to "break away" from their small town lives. The film gives the audience something relatable; points in life where we ask the questions: Where does life take us after high school? Am I really ready to be an adult? Where do I belong in the world? Through the point of view of these four friends, especially Dave, the audience sees these characters try to find an identity and a place to belong. Their plan is to "waste their lives together," they soon recognize that eventually things do change.

    Writer by Steve Tesich, who won Best Screenplay in 1980, gave Breaking Away that witty, smart and heartfelt charm that makes it the great movie it is. There are so many quotes I can pick from, but yet don't know where to start! I like the scenes where the friends hang out in the quarry, their usual meeting place, and just joke around with each other. In the beginning, Cyril stomps on the stone and says, "STOP...It was somewhere along here where I lost all interest in life...AHA! It was right here, this is where I saw Delores Rineky and Fat Marvin! WHY DELORES WHY!" Or another great quote from Cyril, after Mike asks him how he got so stupid, is, "I don't know... I guess I just have a dumb heredity. What's your excuse, Michael?" Anything Cyril says cracks me up (which I will get to later!)

    The heartwarming scenes definitely come from Dave's parents, who play an integral part of the film. They are bewildered by Dave's desire to be Italian. Most importantly, Ray, Dave's dad, is worried about Dave and his future. A line that always gets me is, "When I was young, I was tired and miserable." A shot that is so heartbreaking is the look on Dave's face when the Italians cheat in the big race in Indianapolis. One of the Italians used a stick to hit Dave's bike, causing him to fall. Dave is heartbroken and distraught; he can't believe that his idols have done something like this. Upon coming home, Dave, all teary-eyed, says to his dad, "Everybody cheats. I just didn't know it." It's a realization for Dave, and his father starts to understand how important this race was for him.

    The bike scenes are great moments, too. Whenever Dave races, the same song always plays (`Symphony No. 4 in A major (Italian Symphony), Opus 90') and it intensifies the scene. The camera focuses on Dave and particular the movement of his legs, which shows how dedicated Dave is to bicycling. The ending is by far the best racing scene, you just want them to beat the college students so bad, and I end up cheering every time they win!

    The movie wouldn't be great without these four characters, each one serves a purpose and audiences can find something in common with. Dennis Christopher (Dave), a very young Dennis Quaid (Mike), Daniel Stern (Cyril), and Jackie Earle Haley (Moocher) give notable performances. And Dave's parents, Barbara Barrie as Evelyn Stoller and Paul Dooley as Ray Stoller, also provide terrific performances. Dave acts as the determined and dedicated friend, Mike is the rebel and no-nonsense guy of the bunch, Cyril is the witty and smart guy, who mainly serves as the comic relief, and finally Moocher is the optimistic and easy-going guy (but don't call him "Shorty!") Dave's passion is cycling. Ever since he won an Italian bike in a race, he practically transformed himself to be Italian. He starts to speak Italian, listen to Italian music, sings Italian songs-the whole nine yards. He even pretends to be an Italian exchange student to impress a college girl he likes! Mike is the guy who takes no gruff from anyone; he does not care about his plans whatsoever and does what he pleases. A part of him though is scared of what he is going to become. As I said before, Cyril is the comic relief, usually trying to make situations lighthearted. (I must add another line of what he says! After Mike's older cop brother asks how the guys are doing, Cyril replies, "Well, we're a little disturbed by developments in the Middle East, but..."). And lastly, there's Moocher. Moocher is a short guy, and all his life he has been made fun of as a midget. If someone calls him "shorty," he will immediately start a fight! But otherwise, I think Moocher is the only one who has his mind straight of what he wants to do. He marries his high school sweetheart, Nancy, and realizes that they all have to go on their own ways. In the course of the summer, the guys figure out together where they belong and search for an identity.

    The main themes that are presented in Breaking Away are growing up, identity, and friendship. The four guys are so confused about what they want to do; they would rather just do nothing and stick together until the end, since that's their only plan they have so far. Cyril puts it best, as he says, "I wouldn't mind I was somebody myself" as the guys try to be `a somebody.' I think their feeling of being someone stems from the college students of IU, who to them, are seen as kids "who've got it made," but Mike says, "that's because they're rich." Mike is definitely the one who wants to prove to these college kids that the "cutters" are somebody; to prove that they are better. Mike was somebody in high school; he was a football quarterback. He's tired of reading about some hot-shot college kid in the newspaper every day, and that it's never going to him. He puts it best by, "Cutters...to them it's a dirty word...to me it's something I never got the chance to be." Cyril also deals with that fact that his father thinks he's a failure. Cyril thought he was going to get a basketball scholarship, but didn't, his dad "loves to be understanding when he fails.

    Dave is probably the most disillusioned of them all, as he becomes Italian! I think Dave does this because he thinks Italians are winners, and he wants to be a winner, too, so if he acts Italian, he will be somebody. But acting Italian makes him lose a sense of who he is. When he meets Kathy, Dave says his name is Enrico, and speaks in an Italian accent. He is afraid that she wouldn't like him because he is a townie. Being a "townie" I think makes the four friends afraid in a sense they'll stay there for the rest of their lives and not live out to be something greater.

    There's this scene of when the guys are in the quarry and they argue about the future. Moocher screams at Mike, "You're not the quarterback here, Mike!" Mike says, "At least I was one! Better being a midget my whole life!" This brings that Mike is afraid of the college kids, now that high school is over; his shot of being "someone" is over. He detests the college students because they are smart and successful. The guys realize that their dream of "wasting the rest of their lives together" will not last for long, and that eventually they have to grow up and go their own ways sometime.

    In the end though, the guys know that they'll always be each other's friends and they will have each other's backs, At the Indy 500 race, Moocher, Mike, and Cyril agree to help Dave win the race. All four of them participate in the race, with Dave of course, winning it for them. In that moment, they were somebodies. They helped each other out and pushed each other to achieve that moment of victory and triumph. The moment they stand up on the podium, receiving that trophy, was a feeling of defiance; they proved that they were proud to be "cutters." For them, "cutters" is who they are, and all along they were somebody.

    Breaking Away is that little film that is not widely popular, but upon discovering it, it's a piece of cinema that strings your heart and takes you to a place in life where you felt like a Dave, or a Mike, a Moocher, or a Cyril. Peter Yates' vision and Steve Tesich's writing present a film where life does go on after high school. It's a terrifying and exciting journey, a journey that helps you find your niche in the world and individuality. Somewhere along the way though, there's recognition that in life, you have to grow up and settle down.
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  • Javier
    1.0 out of 5 stars Me la como con patatas
    Reviewed in Spain on 10 May 2013
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    LA PELICULA NO TIENE AUDIO EN ESPAÑOL COMO DICE LA INFORMACION DE AMAZON Y ADEMAS TIENE RESTRIGCIONES REGIONALES CON LO CUAL ES MAS COMPLICADO REPRODUCIRLA EN NUESTRO PAIS, UNA MUY MALA COMPRA.
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