Out of the Blue
**”Out of the Blue” is being rereleased in a new, 4K restoration on Wednesday, November 17, for its 40th Anniversary.
Dennis Hopper tapped into the zeitgeist with “Easy Rider.” It’s a very good film, but it’s also a relic of its time. The film caught fire, though, and ushered in the ‘70s, where directors were given the chance to do anything they wanted. The stories of his next film, “The Last Movie,” are legendary, and it put him in “director’s jail” until he took control of a small indie film in the early ‘80s, and made his mark again.
“Out of the Blue” is a sobering film, like someone struggling to go clean after years of excess and burned bridges, trying to put their life together. The freedom felt by the characters in “Easy Rider” is now confined by responsibilities, and the realization that things aren’t going to be the same going forward. At the center of the film is Cebe, played by Linda Manz, whose distinctive voice and manner in Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven” is famous. In “Out of the Blue,” she’s a young woman, alienated by life and longing for the care free memories she had with her father, Don (played by Hopper), before he went to jail for a horrific bus accident that killed many kids. He’s about to get out; it’s time to reconnect.
Music is a fundamental part of “Out of the Blue.” For Cebe, she has the soul of the modern punk movement, though she also longs for Elvis, who died while her father was in jail. We see her skip school and go to the city for punk show and listen to Elvis on a radio. The film’s title is taken from “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” by Neil Young and his band, Crazy Horse. The song is a haunting reflection of the state of rock and roll at the time. The decade had taken many greats from us, and the modern sound was transforming. It’s an elegy to the spirit that had been lost throughout the ‘70s. Hopper was inspired in listening to it as he rewrote this film, and it’s one of the richest uses of a song in film history.
There are times when it seems as though Cebe is left on her own, but she does still live with her mother, Kathy (Sharon Farrell), who’s been with another man while Don has been in prison. She’s not much of a mother, however; she tries to assert herself in the role, but her drug addiction makes connection a struggle. Like Cebe and Don, who can’t really reconnect with the community after his release, she’s disconnected from the society around her, and especially with her family. That’s a painful feeling that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Here, it points to a conclusion that feels inevitable, but no less heartbreaking.
Manz is a fascinating performer. Her voice sounds like it belongs to a 30-something, and projects a wisdom, or at least life experience, beyond her years. Hopper created a great vehicle for her talents in “Out of the Blue,” while also carving out a rich character for himself. Hopper isn’t interested in out shining Manz, though; he understands what he has in her. This might be a better film to highlight her than “Days of Heaven” is. I’m glad it’s finally getting a second chance to make a first impression.
