Working through the Family Pictures Podcast backlog of posts with lucky episode number 13 featuring the film that brought the joy cycling to a whole generation of Americans: Breaking Away (1979). I don’t necessarily like cycling and all its lycra accessories (even after living in Italy for almost a decade), but I did enjoy revisiting this movie 40+ years later.* As I mention in the podcast, Breaking Away is deeply connected with the popularization of cycling in the American imagination. In the early 80s my older brother got a European bicycle—a Motobécane to be specific—complete with a turned-up brim cycling cap as a direct result of this film. My other brother and I would make endless fun of him for being a Europhile, but turns out he was tapped into the coming zeitgeist: just four or five years later, in 1985, he would be on his way to Kona, Hawaii to run his first Iron Man Triathlon.
Iconic shot from Breaking Away that brought the cycling craze to North America
The element of this film that I didn’t pick up on as an eight or nine year old was the class struggle at the heart of the story. Is this the elusive ground-zero film for all those John Hughes’ productions that would shape my personal politic? The working-class kids at the center of the movie are known as “cutters” given how closely their families’ livelihood, and eventual lack thereof, is tied to the local limestone industry. The quarry, now a swimming hole, is one of the major backdrops where the tension between the locals and invading college kids plays out.
“This hole, this quarry hole is mine!”
The other setting for this town and gown showdown is campus, which was shot at the University of Indiana Bloomington. The “cutters” are clearly unwelcome at the university despite their families having built the limestone halls of learning that become the trademark of these institutions. In a nuanced parallel, the campus buildings everywhere aspire to a European sense of culture that our Italian-loving protagonist both imitates and exploits to pass as an exchange student and blur the town/gown divide. Decades after this film made a huge splash as an ambassador for European cycling, the class struggle at the heart of this coming-of-age tale and its impact on the high school films of the 80s remains its real legacy.
Also, I kinda love the scene where our Europhile protagonist learns the hard way about the cheating Italians Sicilians he’s been idolizing.
As has been the case over the last five months or so, the Family Pictures Podcast provides a reason to both return to and, more importantly, reflect on movies. I love movies. I love talking to MBS about movies. Hence, I love the Family Pictures Podcast. Do yourself a favor and lock it in!
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*With all apologies to the great Andy Rush who gets a well-deserved shout in this one given his love of both this movie AND cycling!
OK, so of course I’ll be watching your latest episode, and will share some thoughts later – somewhere. I’ll just put out there that I think Breaking Away is the Christmas Story of cycling movies (haha). Obviously you know how deep a personal favorite this film is, and I too launched my “cycling career” after watching this when I was a sophomore in high school. It’s probably time I blogged about its influence on me 🙂
Andy Rush,
You know I couldn’t help but think of you with this one. Much like you, MBS is a both big fan of the film (it was his choice) and cycling. Returning to his movie after decades brought me back to some very specific time and place memories from my childhood, which is always a treat for this nostalgic old man.
Kinda makes sense you would catch the cycling bug like my brother given you’re both the same age. I imagine the impact of this film on the kids just a wee-bit older than me would have been that much greater, and their life-long love of cycling (something I never inherited given skateboarding would be my alt-sport of choice) might argue with my re-focusing of the influence of this film towards social class, but that’s why I blog and link, because I want you to say “No bava, you’re wrong!”
I too will comment before listening to the cast cause I have loved the film for a long time, back to late/teens or early twenties when I found the love of long distance road biking. My wife and I rewatched this maybe two years ago, a stretch as she lovingly rolls eyes at my joy of old movies. Can’t get her near a spaghetti western.
Along with the town/gown thing, it appealed as the story of misfits who find their fit together, there’s also and and of innocence thing with their exit form the structured society of high school and having to learn to Adult. It’s the thing too i remember from finally finding ones “tribe” in high school and then having to go out and away from it.
Along with the class thing, it’s represented too in the scenes of Dave’s dad shady car sales business, and Dave’s growth to understand what his dad does and yet to interject his own youth values.
But the real thing and why I’d think it’s in the series is the family dynamic- the overbearing Dad refusing to accept (but then coming around to it) his sons interests, the mom playing the subtle power of moderating, and even how Dave and his dad battle but grow to grok each other.
I love this movie so much!