The Wild One

The Wild One
by Laslo Benedek

List Price: ~~$14.94~~
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $4.95 (33%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $4.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details

Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD details

Actor: Jay C. Flippen, Lee Marvin, Marlon Brando, Mary Murphy, Robert Keith
Director: Laslo Benedek
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Hal Mohr
Editor: Al Clark
Producer: Stanley Kramer
Writer: Ben Maddow
Writer: Frank Rooney
Writer: John Paxton
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 79 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-11-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of The Wild One

DVD Review: Best Of The Bikers
Summary: 4 Stars

The was first famous "biker" movie and so it's dated, for sure, but still interesting. In fact, it's so dated in parts that it's charming. What surprised me was that some of the expressions of the day and the hand-slapping is still around today! I'll bet a lot of people did not know they didn't do these "hip" things so long ago.

Marlon Brando, as the lead character "Johnny Strabler," was fun to watch and Mary Murphy - an unknown actress to me - was very attractive as "Kathie Bleeker."

What looked strange was the bikers, in general. They looked so clean-cut it was almost laughable, hardly like the bikers since then. The gang member who did look the part was Lee Marvin as "Chino," who was a hoot the first time I saw this film but an overblown clown on subsequent viewings.

The movie had some nice film-noir photography, too, with some nice nighttime shots. 'The Wild One" is corny, but far better than many of the other '50s teen-rebellion stories.

DVD Review: Horribly dated by modern standards
Summary: 2 Stars

Two motorcycle gangs terrorize a small town, one of which is led by Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando), a rebellious but misunderstood young man who falls in love with the sheriff's daughter.

Back in 1953, when "The Wild One" was released, it was considered to be such a "dangerous" movie that it was banned in Britain (apparently censors feared that it would encourage teenagers to imitate Brando and his fellow bikers). By modern standards, however, it is hard to imagine an average teenager sitting through this film in its entirety, much less being inspired by it. "The Wild One" is yet another one of those films that you "should see" because of its historical importance rather than because it is actually a good film.

The script and acting in this film are, for the most part (Brando being the exception), on par with your average 1950's B-grade sci-fi movie. The storyline is all over the place and many of the characters' actions barely make sense. The story has little by way of an introduction (stuff more or less just happens) and the ending is awkwardly wordy. However, it is also the first film to show the youth culture of the time (or of any time) and for that reason is of interest. The message of the film: that we should try to understand the youth, rather than being frightened of them or condemning them, is one that has been repeated again and again ever since.

There are better films that have depicted the 1950's youth culture (I prefer "Blackboard Jungle"), but without "The Wild One", those films would never have existed. Anyone who is a fan of any such movies should, therefore, see "The Wild One", if only to have an idea of their origins.

DVD Review: I like Brando but....
Summary: 2 Stars

OK........Brando is pretty good being Brando towards the end of this film..Lee Marvin is good...the bikes are ok..but all those black and white,sound stage,Mayberry RFD,enclosed,interior shots of the outdoors,interior shots of bars,restaurants,that look, at best,sterile,cannot save an actor ,no matter how great he is...

DVD Review: A Classic That is Actually Good
Summary: 5 Stars

If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of biking culture, go elsewhere. If you can enjoy a movie and overlook people riding bikes on a soundstage, this video rocks!

I show this to my middle school students for Social Studies, and they love it. It's fun, and does not take itself too seriously. The stock characters and overacting start out great, but when the town descends into chaos and the inevitable vigilantism rises up they won't let me stop. I've seen it ten times, and still enjoy it.

The DVD itself is well done, and has stood the test of several viewings. I'm not a big Brando fan, but he does have a presence. Lee Marvin is hilarious.

DVD Review: The Best
Summary: 5 Stars

"The Wild One" and not "Easy Rider" is the classic of bad boy motorcycle flicks (Sonny Barger of the Hells Angels describes Easy Rider as a movie about two dope dealers, not about bikers).

This is a fun flick with the best part, IMHO, the viewer being able to retro back to the classic bikes and biker clothing of the 1950s. Brando and Lee Marvin play great little roles and as many believe it is Lee Marvin whose character is the forerunner of the 1960s outlaw motorcyclist in tenor and tone.

Well worth the money and a keeper for the DVD shelf library.

Description of The Wild One

Brando burns up the screen in this 50s classic as a moody supercool biker leader whose gang terrorizes a small town. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/04/2005 Starring: Marlon Brando Run time: 79 minutes Rating: Nr

This is the original motorcycle movie, starring Marlon Brando as the brooding leader of a biker gang that invades a small town. The film always looked like one of those synthetic Hollywood ideas of subculture life in the 1950s, which means it looks even more artificial today. But it is an actor's piece more than anything, and toward that end Brando's performance really is an important one in the context of his revolutionary reinvention of film acting during that decade. Directed by L?sl? Benedek (Namu, the Killer Whale) and produced by the socially conscious Stanley Kramer. --Tom Keogh

General DVDs

DVD Video

Bestsellers in General DVDs

The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $17.69
Price in other shops: ~~$35.99~~

Taken (Extended Cut)
Release date: 2009-05-12; DVD
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops: ~~$29.98~~

Gran Torino (Widescreen Edition)
Release date: 2009-06-09; DVD
Best price: $17.49
Price in other shops: ~~$28.98~~

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-04-07; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Bedtime Stories
Release date: 2009-04-07; DVD
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Australia
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-03; DVD
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

The Wrestler
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops: ~~$29.98~~

Quantum of Solace
Release date: 2009-03-24; DVD
Best price: $8.85
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Caprica
Universal; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $13.50
Price in other shops: ~~$26.98~~

Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Universal; Release date: 2009-03-21; DVD
Best price: $14.45
Price in other shops: ~~$32.99~~

Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs

In Search of History - Hell's Angels (History Channel)
A&E; Release date: 2005-09-27; DVD
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops: ~~$24.95~~

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
Harley-Davidson; Release date: 2001-02-06; DVD
Best price: $3.52
Price in other shops: ~~$14.98~~

Rebel Without a Cause (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Release date: 2005-05-31; DVD
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops: ~~$26.98~~

Bikers From Hell, Triple Feature: Run Angel Run/ Hell's Angels 69/ Hell's Bloody Devils
Media Blasters; Release date: 2006-01-31; DVD
Best price: $12.59
Price in other shops: ~~$19.95~~

The Wild Angels/ Hell's Belles
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2005-02-15; DVD
Best price: $7.81
Price in other shops: ~~$14.98~~

A Streetcar Named Desire (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-05-02; DVD
Best price: $7.97
Price in other shops: ~~$26.98~~