DIRECTOR: Richard C. Sarafian.
Directed by Richard C. Sarafian, “Vanishing Point” stars Barry Newman as Kowalski, a car delivery driver, who wagers he can deliver a white 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in under 15 hours. Fueled by amphetamines, he speeds across highways, pursued by police and highway patrol. Along the way, Kowalski meets a variety of eccentric characters – a blind DJ named Super Soul (Cleavon Little), who becomes his spiritual ally, broadcasting Kowalski’s journey as a symbol of rebellion; hitchhikers, including a naked biker woman; and other drifters who embody countercultural freedom. Glimpses of Kowalski’s past reveal he is a disillusioned ex-cop, ex-race car driver, and ex-husband, haunted by personal losses.
In the movie’s most memorable yet nauseating scene, he is briefly held captive at gunpoint by two exceptionally sleazy-slimy queers played by gay British actor Arthur Malet (“Mary Poppins”) and the ultra-creepy Anthony “the skull” James, whose visage is pictured above.
James, who comes across as pure evil, had just come off a memorable role as the diner counterman in “In the Heat of the Night,” which, strangely enough, also featured Malet as the town’s undertaker. After a few minutes, Newman overpowers these pitiful excuses for human beings, resulting in a knee-jerk standing ovation by the spoon-fed audience.
The cinematography by John Alonzo (“Chinatown”) is praiseworthy, and the movie has developed a cult following over the years. From a queer-view, however, this movie can only be rated F.
Original screenplay by Guillermo Cabrera Infante (credited as Guillermo Cain) from a story outline by Malcolm Hart.
The film also stars Charlotte Rampling.
CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING. AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON ON DVD.
Seventy Queer Films Made Under the Hays Code (1934-1967)
https://thebrownees.net/seventy-queer-films-of-the-new-hollywood-1967-1981
