Return of the Secaucus 7 [DVD]

Bruce MacDonald (Actor), Maggie Renzi (Actor) Rated:
R
Format: DVD
IMDb7.0/10.0
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
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Return of the Secaucus 7 — —
Format Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, Subtitled, NTSC
Contributor Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Jean Passanante, Marisa Smith, Maggie Cousineau, Mark Arnott, Karen Trott, David Strathairn, Adam LeFevre, Gordon Clapp, Amy Schewel, John Sayles See more
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 44 minutes
UPC 027616886484

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Product Description

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

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 details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ John Sayles
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, Subtitled, NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 44 minutes
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ MGM (Video & DVD)
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00009Y3N3
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ John Sayles
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:

Customer reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars
3.3 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

B. Nottingham
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film Then, Still Absorbing
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2008
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RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN .... If you sort of enjoyed The Big Chill, then this is the "progenitor" of what The Big Chill SHOULD have been; the original recipe. Amazingly, this special, consistently-flowing, 1979-produced film, with engaging character development, does not seem extremely "dated" today, (with a refreshing absence of cell phone scenes, overplayed drug scenes, but including those "short-shorts" on the basketball & volleyball court scenes).

The production was quite advanced in its style of filming, you are mixed into the group dynamics via the unobtrusive and intimate camera work, devoid of the typical pretext, or presentation hoopla often used to force-feed viewers with some sort pre-packaged message, music, or mood set-up. Rather, simply, it's like you are a fly on the wall, and its director John Sayles lets his characters flourish in both humor and angst in a natural flow; it's almost as if the film was done in just one masterful take. Maybe it almost was. (It would be great to find out what those actors and actresses are up to now, my guess is that they largely took up interesting roles in real life decades later, not necessarily acting.) If any you are out there and link to this site, please chime in somewhere ! Director Sayles, who played one of the characters, (I won't reveal which one) went on toward critical acclaim and success in many later directorial projects.

I was fascinated with this film as originally shown with small audience draw in theaters nationally, and I tried to obtain a video copy about ten years later, as it was such a cult film, the video cost something like $40-50 to obtain then. Now, it's back into the "attainable" range. I still love this film, it is a pleasure to own the DVD, and I will enjoy it repeatedly every few years, now.

The coolest thing is, such perfection (IMHO) in filmmaking flew almost completely under the "popular" radar when it was new. If you came of age during the 70s and experienced at least a year or so of college, and got swept up in the pre-aids relationship pleasure/angst culture, (if not the politics), you'll love this "reunion" film. (Of course the reunion occurred at the end of the 70s, of characters originally meeting in the late 60s-early 70s maelstrom. Warning, filmed in peaceful rural Vermont, so don't get your heart set on scenes or glimpses of bygone New Jersey, though the characters will remind you of friends from the NE. Have a glass of wine, darken all the windows, set your phone on vibrate and enjoy getting lost in this timeless time capsule !

Brad Nottingham
12 people found this helpful
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Marci Sudlow
2.0 out of 5 stars Abysmal - scenes cut
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021
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Time was, if you were disgusted with a movie being edited (ostensibly "for time") on television, you bought a video tape or DVD so as to see ALL the content, often including "special features." Now it seems manufacturers, if they even bother to release a movie to DVD form, it is worse even than the old televised versions. This DVD is a prime example.
3 people found this helpful
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Stanley M. Gilbert
1.0 out of 5 stars Put-put Film Making at Best
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2013
Often compared with "The Big Chill", and getting numerous stars in many reviews, this film simply isn't even in the same universe with Kasdan's. Any comparison is like rating a go-cart on par with a Ferrari. One is not much more than a home movie and the other is a world class work with all cylinders cranking in unison.
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Jeremy Baltimore
5.0 out of 5 stars Most accurate depiction of middle class New England
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2022
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This is a wonderfully detailed portrait of a certain character type that comes from the area north of I-90 in New England and upstate New York (and possibly nowhere else)

These are very complete human beings with well-rounded abilitues and a high amount of confidence, who take pride in both physical prowess and verbal intellectual sparring. They are very liberal in their politics (sometimes to the pount of obsession) but ferociously protective of their own little circle, and do not suffer fools - hanging around a group like this is like trying to join the Special Forces. (Like "Chip" in this movie, I also got coached beforehand on how to act and what to say... but unlike Chip, I still got instantly pegged as a poseur snd frozen out)

Oh and one thing they cannot do very well (except in extremely rare cases) is perform musically... but this doesn't stop them from thinking of themselves as another Judy Collins or James Taylor, and grimly plugging away at their dream by lugging a guitar case everywhere and caterwauling acoustic folk songs at every captive audience they can find.

This movie captures all these details and others, such as that New England has as much French-Canadian culture as any other. It's definitely not for everyone, but it has a very high truth-factor, and if you "get it", you could find yourself watching it 20 times or so. To see the real New England, forget all those other movies about Richie-Rich types or gangsters - this film is the real deal.
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C. Johnson
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2014
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I liked it better in 1979 but it is nice to own...
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Clare Quilty
4.0 out of 5 stars Chillin' with the Seven
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2004
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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."
41 people found this helpful
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