The Inspiration To my Blog comes from .... my favorite Road Movie, directed by Monte Hellman. Plot Summary forTwo-Lane Blacktop (1971)
The Driver and The Mechanic are two car freaks driving a 1955 Chevy throughout the southwestern U.S. looking for other cars to race. They are totally dedicated to The Car and converse with each other only when necessary. At a gas station, The Driver and The Mechanic, along with a girl who has ingratiated herself into their world, meet G.T.O., a middle-aged man who fabricates stories about his exploits. It is decided to have a race to Washington, D.C., where the winner will get the loser's car. Along the way, the race and the highway metaphorically depict the lives of these contestants as they struggle to their destination.IMDb movie comment: a Road Movie Cut to the Core, Taylor and Wilson hustle the back roads with their '55 Chevy hot rod, get caught up in cross-country race against wacko Oates running solo in a spanking new GTO. That's pretty much all you need to know. I happened to catch this the night after I saw The Gumball Rally - the other Great Cross Country Movie - and I hadn't seen either one in 20 years. This is harsher and bleaker, not necessarily better or worse, than Gumball; in fact, I had (incorrectly) remembered this as being in black and white which says something about the film. To describe Taylor and Wilson as taciturn would be fair, maybe if these non-actors had more to say things wouldn't work. But they do just fine exuding a moody intensity in the lead roles and the film as a whole captures the real world in true 60's style.
