The Wanderers | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Philip Kaufman |
Produced by | Martin Ransohoff |
Screenplay by |
Rose Kaufman Philip Kaufman |
Based on |
The Wanderers by Richard Price |
Starring |
Ken Wahl John Friedrich Karen Allen Toni Kalem |
Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
Edited by | Stuart H. Pappé Ronald Roose |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date
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Running time
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117 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $23 million |
The Wanderers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |||||
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First edition artwork
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | |||||
Released | April 12, 1989 | ||||
Recorded | 1959–1964 | ||||
Genre | Rock & Roll, Doo Wop, Pop-rock, R&B | ||||
Length | 27:71 | ||||
Label | Warner Bros. Records | ||||
Various chronology | |||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic |
The Wanderers is a 1979 American drama film; it was written and directed by Philip Kaufman, and stars Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Karen Allen and Toni Kalem. Set in the Bronx in 1963, the film follows a gang of Italian-American teenagers known as the Wanderers and their ongoing power struggles with a rival gangs such as the Del Bombers.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Price; its screenplay was written by Philip Kaufman and his wife Rose. The film had a troubled development stage; after unsuccessfully trying to obtain finance for The Wanderers from Alberto Grimaldi, Kaufman directed other films. After filming the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Kaufman went to New York and successfully pitched The Wanderers to Martin Ransohoff. The film's budget is unknown, but Kaufman said it was relatively low.
After an advance screening,The Wanderers premiered on July 13, 1979, to mostly positive reviews. The film was a financial success, grossing $23 million at the worldwide box office. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 89 percent. Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Kaufman's directing and the performances of Wahl and Tony Ganios.
The film's increasing popularity and cult status led to The Wanderers being given a theatrical re-release in the U.S. by Warner Bros. in 1996. According to Kaufman, "it took a long time for [the film] to find [an] audience".