Product Details

• Actors: Mark Arnott, Cora Bennett, Carolyn Brooks, Gordon Clapp, Maggie Cousineau
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: September 16, 2003
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009Y3N3
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,399 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Return of the Secaucus 7" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

John Sayles began his commendable directing career with this terrific portrait of 1960s counterculture survivors, now teetering on the brink of turning 30. A homegrown movie all the way, Return of the Secaucus Seven was made for around $60,000 of Sayles's own money (earned writing horror pictures such as Piranha). An effortlessly funny and thoughtful ensemble piece, Secaucus unmistakably provided the template for the bigger-budgeted The Big Chill: old friends reunite for a weekend to sort through fond memories, old resentments, and new problems. Sayles, longtime producing partner Maggi Renzi, and then-unknown David Strathairn are among the actors. The marvelous back-and-forth patter of the characters and the sprightly pacing show Sayles already had a sure sense of what he wanted on screen, and his mastery of the running gag is in place (the name Dwight won't ever sound quite the same again). This is the definition of "low-budget classic," from an indie pioneer. --Robert Horton

Product Description

The visionary writer-director behind such films as Passion Fish, Lone Star and Sunshine State, OscarÂ(r)nominee* John Sayles has been at the forefront of the independent film movement for more than twenty years. In this, his 'triumphant directorial debut (Los Angeles Times), Sayles delivers an utterly engaging (Time) look at seven friends who reunite ten years after their radical college days for a dramatic, poignant and revelatory weekend. Hailedby critics as delightful (The Washington Post), irresistible (The Boston Globe) and a minor miracle (The San Francisco Examiner), Return of the Secaucus 7 inspired the later hit film The Big Chill and heralded the arrival of a brilliant new force in independent cinema. *1996: Original Screenplay, Lone Star; 1992: Original Screenplay, Passion Fish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chillin' with the Seven, February 21, 2004

By	Clare Quilty (a little pad in hawaii) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If you know only one thing about "The Return of the Seacaucus 7," you've probably heard that this obscure little $40,000 home movie from 1980 was shamelessly ripped off three years later by Lawrence Kasdan's hit "The Big Chill."

Both movies tell the story of a gang of former 60's activists who reunite for a long weekend, but "Chill," with its bigger budget, name actors and excellent soundtrack, became a cultural touchstone. "Seacaucus," on the other hand, has remained largely unseen for 25 years and, though it marked screenwriter John Sayles' directorial debut, it only recently emerged on DVD.

On the disk's commentary track, Sayles rightly puts to rest "Chill" comparisons, pointing out that the two films have the same format but are intrinsically different. Unlike the affluent yuppies of "Chill," Sayles' characters are crucially younger and less successful; overeducated and underemployed, they're blinking into the headlights of both the Reagan era and their 30's, which are rapidly approaching.

Shot on weekends with money Sayles earned writing Roger Corman horror movies ("Pirhanna" and "Alligator"), "Seacaucus" is a rough gem. His amateur cast isn't too comfortable in front of a camera and their lines feel stagey, but Sayles' writing was good even then. Despite its occasional clunkiness, this early homegrown film paved the way for much better later efforts, like "Matewan," "The Secret of Roan Inish" and the truly great "Lone Star."

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Warmth that the Big Chill Left Out in the Cold, June 30, 2002

By A Customer

John Sayles is a wonderful storyteller, especially on film, and knows how to put together an ensemble of actors who can convey the spirit of his characters. "Return of the Secaucus 7" is far from a perfect movie and is really rough around the edges, but it is my favorite movie about a group of boomers coming together and affirming why they like or at least feel safe around one another and keep the connection. There is no cool nostalgic soundtrack just a ukalele and a barroom trio. The humor is sublte and charming. The plot focuses on what is rather than what was. It is as intimate as helping polish off as many eggs as possible around the small formica table and hoping that Katie and Mike invite you to stay one more night.
That is where Sayles came from and check out other movies like "Brother from Another Planet" and "Lone Star" to see where he is going as a very independent filmmaker.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like seeing old friends again, September 24, 2003

By	C. DEAN (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved this movie when I first saw it in 1982, I was fresh out of college and it was like being part of the ideal reunion: many laughs, some drama, lots of people you'd like to see again. On DVD I was suprised at how much of the movie I remembered, how many lines seemed real, how much fun it would've been to be reunited with a bunch of old pals, and how like old pals these characters were. It's low-key, low-budget, and very real. Some of the performances weren't as good as I'd've liked (like Maura's) and some were better (like Mike and Katie). John Sayles' comment track was very interesting, so were the interviews. One little quibble: there are three scenes missing, all involving Lacie, their actress friend (two onstage, and the backstage meeting), couldn't they have been restored as well as the rest of the film has been? Overall, however, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better movie about friendship and the passage of time.