The Sugarland Express
THE SUGARLAND
EXPRESS (PG)
D: Steven Spielberg
Universal (Richard D. Zanuck & David
Brown)
US 1974
110 mins
Crime/Adventure
W: Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins & Steven
Spielberg
DP: Vilmos Zsigmond
Ed: Edward Abroms & Verna Fields
Mus: John Williams
Goldie Hawn (Lou Jean Poplin), William
Atherton (Clovis Michael Poplin), Ben Johnson (Capt. Harlin Tanner), Michael Sacks (Maxwell Slide)
The Sugarland Express is the first film Steven
Spielberg directed specifically for cinema release, and it demonstrates some fine traits which the director became accustomed to, particularly with its framing of action sequences and
the broken family theme, which became more prevalent with Spielberg's subsequent movies.
Goldie Hawn plays Lou Jean Poplin, a convict's
wife who persuades her husband to escape prison and go on the run to prevent their baby from being adopted. The law is on the chase, but the rest of the country supports the couples
race against authority.
Stylishly handled, with an unusually downbeat
ending. It's not amongst Spielberg's finest work, but it's a good sign of things to come.
6/10
