Electra Glide in Blue (1973)

Electra Glide in Blue (1973) (Blu-Ray) (*)

$30.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Cannes Film Festival
Golden Globes

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
French ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( Blu-Ray/Region B )

Running Time:
114 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1973 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
James William Guercio

Written By:
Robert Boris

Actors:
Robert Blake ..... John Wintergreen
Billy Green Bush ..... Zipper (as Billy 'Green' Bush)
Mitch Ryan ..... Harve Poole (as Mitchell Ryan)
Jeannine Riley ..... Jolene
Elisha Cook Jr. ..... Willie (as Elisha Cook)
Royal Dano ..... Coroner
Hawk Wolinski ..... VW Bus Driver (as David J. Wolinski)
Peter Cetera ..... Bob Zemko
Terry Kath ..... Killer
Lee Loughnane ..... Pig Man
Walter Parazaider ..... Loose Lips
Joe Samsil ..... Sgt. Ryker
Jason Clark ..... L.A. Detective
Michael Butler ..... Truck Driver
Susan Forristal ..... Ice Cream Girl

Synopsis:

A police officer who would rather use his brains than his gun is put into a situation where neither can help him in this police drama. John Wintergreen (Robert Blake) is a sawed-off and street-smart Arizona motorcycle cop who dreams of climbing the ladder and becoming a police detective, but his ambitions are scoffed at by his partner, Zipper (Billy 'Green' Bush). Wintergreen's superiors tend not to take him seriously due to his short stature, but when he stumbles upon the site of a murder, he digs up enough relevant evidence to insure his advancement to detective status. However, after a few days on the job, Wintergreen begins to realize just how corrupt his superior Poole (Mitchell Ryan) truly is after Poole attempts to frame a local hippie, Bob Zemko (Peter Cetera), for a crime he didn't commit. Adding fuel to the fire is Poole's discovery that he and Wintergreen have been dating the same woman, dancer-turned-barmaid Jolene (Jeannine Riley). Electra Glide in Blue was the first directorial credit for James William Guercio. Successful in the music industry as a manager and producer, Guercio was best known for his association with the top-selling jazz-rock group Chicago; several members of the band appear in the movie, as does a young Nick Nolte in a bit part. On a note of sad irony, Terry Kath, the longtime Chicago vocalist who died in 1978 from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, plays a gun-wielding killer in this film.

The tension between a lonely policemen and the journeymen of the counter culture provides the subtext, and the stunning martian look of the Arizona mesa the backdrop, of a brilliant and influential debut feature by musician James William Guercio; the film is the missing link between The Searchers and No Country for Old Men. John Wintergreen is a diminutive motorcycle cop working the lonely highways of Arizona in the mid seventies. He works alone, but occasionally hooks up with his pal 'Zipper'. Wintergreen is conscientious and friendly, whereas Zipper is bored and argumentative, often holing up off the highway to read comic books rather than out on the road . Wintergreen is a native american and has ambitions to be a detective. So when Zipper and Wintergreen find a delerious and disoriented elderly man wandering in the desert, the trail of how he got there leads back to a deserted shack. Inside is the body of a man who has committed suicide with a shotgun. Wintergreen airs his suspicions about the death, first to the coroner who is keen not to get involved, and then to Harve Poole, an Arizona detective. Harve believes John Wintergreen's suspicions are right and takes him under his wing as his driver and protege. This seems like the break Wintergreen needs to leave the big Harley police bike behind and to walk tall as a detective, in fresh duds, boots and a stetson, dispensing wisdom. But tensions between the two mount over cocktail waitress Jolene ,and in differences of opinion over the murder, especially over some missing money, some hidden drugs and the suspected involvement of outlaw hippy bikers, whom Harve is keen to bust. Wintergreens own run-ins with the hippies on their way to and from California were mostly friendly. Some of his colleagues in the Highway Patrol, however, believe they are in a running battle with disrespectful, drug running, proto-terrorists. John is caught in the nexus of his loyalty to the police force, his ambitions to be detective, his companions distrust of the hippies, Harve's domioneering style, Zippers recidivism, Jolenes manipulation, his sense of responsibility and his own easygoing natural empathy with the people he meets. Something has to give.

A short Arizona motorcycle cop gets his wish and is promoted to Homicide following the mysterious murder of a hermit. He is forced to confront his illusions about himself and those around him in order to solve the case, eventually returning to solitude in the desert.

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 02 December, 2024.