Customer Reviews
Trophy
Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin were two of my favorites back in the day this Stanley Kramer rebel film was conceived, and I still don't know why I didn't see it then - because it was highly advertised as a controversial picture and I tried to go to them all, hoping to see something really shocking. Times have changed.
Anyway, the story starts out with the bikers arriving en-masse into the sleepy little town and they immediately manage to disrupt a legitimate cycle competition that is going on. One of them lifts a trophy and presents it to Brando as a trophy of another sort. Of course, it's conceptual story line is obviously dated, movies being what they were allowed to be then vs. the artistic liberty afforded them now; the pack of leathered up hoods come off like a bunch of mischievous choirboys twisting off on a forbidden lark rather than the two dangerous opposing gangs of outlaws they're supposed to be - of which Brando and Lee Marvin head up as rowdy, rascally rivals who meet again in the little Podunk town and liven it up for a few hours.
The action starts and several of the town fathers get their feathers ruffled over having to host the gangs and suffer the property damage as well as the aggravation of having them in town. Their own reactions become as prejudiced and out of control as the bikers themselves; vigilante justice is served up but not overly so.
The necessary "almost-love story" peeks through the clouds between Brando and his of-the-moment conquest, Mary Murphy, who plays the part of a waitress he decides to fancy; he does not know her father is the Chief of Police just yet. When he discovers this later on, he decides this chick is definitely not going to be his type, but he wavers; she decides he is not really going to be in her future either, but she wavers; love doesn't conquer all after all and Brando rides off down the street into the sunset after cracking the first rusty smile he delivers in the film as he leaves Mary with a tiny piece of his heart and the trophy he didn't win; but he does win, in a way - because he takes a piece of her heart with him too - and that truly was a "trophy of another sort" he might have been looking for.
There is a meaningless scene insert - a former lover of Brando's who's only role at first glance seems designed solely for the purpose of showcasing a pair of big boobs. She's immaculately clean and coiffed, too, for a biker chick. He keeps flicking her off like a fly, but on second thought, my take was that it was meant to add not only intrigue but the biker sex routines suggestion that couldn't otherwise be be detailed quite so easily then.
Several of the scenes are very good and capture fleeting feelings of love mingling with mistrust; especially the tender/tough one of Brando and Murphy racing away together on the bike after he heads off a tragedy that threatens to befall her partly because of who he is and what he has brought with him.
If you like old movies, Brando and Marvin, you'll probably enjoy this one well enough just for old time's sake if for no other reason. That's why I did it, mainly, and don't regret it.
Best Of The Bikers
The was first famous "biker" movie and so it's dated, for sure, but still interesting. In fact, it's so dated in parts that it's charming. What surprised me was that some of the expressions of the day and the hand-slapping is still around today! I'll bet a lot of people did not know they didn't do these "hip" things so long ago.
Marlon Brando, as the lead character "Johnny Strabler," was fun to watch and Mary Murphy - an unknown actress to me - was very attractive as "Kathie Bleeker."
What looked strange was the bikers, in general. They looked so clean-cut it was almost laughable, hardly like the bikers since then. The gang member who did look the part was Lee Marvin as "Chino," who was a hoot the first time I saw this film but an overblown clown on subsequent viewings.
The movie had some nice film-noir photography, too, with some nice nighttime shots. 'The Wild One" is corny, but far better than many of the other '50s teen-rebellion stories.
A Classic That is Actually Good
If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of biking culture, go elsewhere. If you can enjoy a movie and overlook people riding bikes on a soundstage, this video rocks!
I show this to my middle school students for Social Studies, and they love it. It's fun, and does not take itself too seriously. The stock characters and overacting start out great, but when the town descends into chaos and the inevitable vigilantism rises up they won't let me stop. I've seen it ten times, and still enjoy it.
The DVD itself is well done, and has stood the test of several viewings. I'm not a big Brando fan, but he does have a presence. Lee Marvin is hilarious.
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