Editing Breaking Away

{{Short description|1979 film by Peter Yates}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Breaking Away
| image          = Breaking away (film poster).jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Peter Yates]]
| producer       = Peter Yates
| writer         = [[Steve Tesich]]
| starring       = [[Dennis Christopher]]<br />[[Dennis Quaid]]<br />[[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]]<br />[[Jackie Earle Haley]]<br>[[Barbara Barrie]]<br>[[Paul Dooley]]<br>[[Robyn Douglass]]
| music          = [[Patrick Williams (composer)|Patrick Williams]]
| cinematography = [[Matthew F. Leonetti]]
| editing        = [[Cynthia Scheider]]
| distributor    = [[20th Century-Fox]]
| released       = {{Film date|1979|07|13}}
| runtime        = 101 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 100:36--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/breaking-away-1970-2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107072245/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/breaking-away-1970-2 | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 7, 2014 | title=''BREAKING AWAY'' (A) | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=May 24, 1979 | access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $2.3 million<ref>Aubrey Solomon, ''Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History'', Scarecrow Press, 1989 p259</ref><ref>A Hot Director Breaks Away From the Mainstream
By SHAUN CONSIDINE. ''The New York Times'', 15 July 1979: D17.</ref>
| gross          = $20 million<ref name=TheNumbers>[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1979/0BRAW.php ''Breaking Away'', Box Office Info.] The Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2012.</ref>
}}
'''''Breaking Away''''' is a 1979 American [[coming of age]] [[comedy-drama]] film produced and directed by [[Peter Yates]] and written by [[Steve Tesich]]. It follows a group of four male teenagers in [[Bloomington, Indiana]], who have recently graduated from high school. The film stars [[Dennis Christopher]], [[Dennis Quaid]], [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]] (in his film debut), [[Jackie Earle Haley]], [[Barbara Barrie]], [[Paul Dooley]], and [[Robyn Douglass]].

''Breaking Away'' won the 1979 [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] for Tesich, and received nominations in four other categories, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] ([[Barbara Barrie]]). It also won the 1979 [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Film (Comedy or Musical) and received nominations in three other Golden Globe categories. The film was ranked eighth on the [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers|List of America's 100 Most Inspiring Movies]] compiled by the [[American Film Institute]] (AFI) in 2006. In June 2008, the AFI also announced its [[AFI's 10 Top 10|10 Top 10]]—the best ten films in ten classic American film genres—after it polled over 1,500 people from the creative community. In that poll ''Breaking Away'' ranked as the eighth best film in the sports genre.<ref>{{cite news | author = American Film Institute | author-link = American Film Institute | title = AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres | work = ComingSoon.net | date = 2008-06-17 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072 | access-date = 2008-06-18 | archive-date = August 18, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080818100312/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Top 10 Sports | url = http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=4 | publisher= [[American Film Institute]] |access-date= 2008-06-18}}</ref>

As the film's young lead, Christopher won the 1979 [[BAFTA Award]] for [[33rd British Academy Film Awards#Most Promising Newcomer|Most Promising Newcomer]] and the 1979 [[Young Artist Award]] for [[Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film|Best Juvenile Actor]], as well as getting a [[Golden Globe]] nomination as [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|New Star of the Year]].
{{TOC limit|2}}

==Plot==
Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher are working-class friends living in the [[university town]] of [[Bloomington, Indiana]]. Now turning 19, they all graduated from high school the year before, are not sure what to do with their lives, and consider attending university unrealistic. They spend much of their time together swimming in an abandoned water-filled [[Indiana Limestone|limestone]] quarry. They sometimes [[town and gown|clash]] with the more affluent [[Indiana University Bloomington|Indiana University]] students in their hometown, who refer to them disparagingly as "cutters," referring to the locals' common work in the [[limestone]] industry. (The term was invented for the film because the real-world pejorative "stonies" was deemed unusable for its perceived link to marijuana.)<ref>{{cite web
|title=Breaking Away
|first=Yaël
|last=Ksander
|date=February 5, 2007
|access-date=May 10, 2019
|url=https://indianapublicmedia.org/momentofindianahistory/breaking-away/
|publisher=Indiana Public Media. Minute of Indiana History
}}</ref>

Dave is obsessed with [[road bicycle racing|competitive bicycle racing]], Italian racers in particular, because he recently won a [[Masi Bicycles|Masi]] bicycle.<ref>{{cite web |title=Retro review: recreating the 'Breaking Away' Masi bike |url=https://www.ridemedia.com.au/product/retro-review-recreating-the-breaking-away-masi-bike/ |website=Ride Media |access-date=23 March 2021 |date=31 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Behind the Scenes: Dennis Christopher Talks "Breaking Away," Part I {{!}} RKP |url=https://redkiteprayer.com/2016/08/behind-the-scenes-dennis-christopher-talks-breaking-away-part-i/ |website=redkiteprayer.com |access-date=23 March 2021}}</ref> His down-to-earth father, Ray, a former stonecutter who now operates (sometimes unethically) his own used car business, is puzzled and exasperated by his son's [[Italophilia|love of Italian]] music and culture, which Dave associates with cycling. However, his mother, Evelyn, is more understanding and prepares Italian dishes for the family, to Ray's annoyance.

Dave develops a crush on a university student named Katherine and masquerades as an Italian exchange student to romance her. One evening, he serenades "Caterina" outside her sorority house by singing [[Friedrich von Flotow]]'s aria ''[[Martha (opera)|M Apparì Tutt' Amor]]'', with Cyril providing guitar accompaniment. Her boyfriend, Rod, and his fraternity brothers beat Cyril up because they mistake him for the suitor. Cyril wants no trouble, but Mike, a former high school football quarterback, insists on tracking down Rod and starting a brawl. The university president (played by real-life President Dr. [[John W. Ryan]]) reprimands the students for their arrogance toward the "cutters" and, over the students' objections, invites the town to field a team for the annual Indiana University [[Little 500]] race.

When an Italian cycling team comes to town for an exhibition race, Dave is thrilled to compete with them. However, the Italians are annoyed by his challenge to their preordained victory and force him to crash, which disillusions him. He subsequently confesses his deception to Katherine, who is heartbroken.

Dave's friends persuade him to join them in racing the [[Little 500]]. Ray privately tells his son how, when he was a young stonecutter, he was proud to help provide the material to construct the university though he never felt welcome on campus. Later, Dave runs into Katherine, who is leaving for a job in [[Chicago]]. They patch things up.

Dave, the only skilled cyclist among his friends, rides most of the Little 500 without a break unlike the other teams, which switch riders periodically. Nonetheless, he gains a small lead, but is injured in a crash and comes in for a [[pit stop|change]]. Mike, Cyril, and Moocher take turns to the best of their ability, but the team falls behind. Finally, Dave has them tape his feet to the pedals, which commits him to finish the race himself, and makes up lost ground. On the last lap, he overtakes Rod (who is riding for the favored fraternity team) and wins.

Ray is proud of his son and takes to riding a bicycle himself for his health. Dave later enrolls at the university, where he meets a pretty French student. Soon, he is extolling to her the virtues of the [[Tour de France]] and of French cyclists.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Dennis Christopher]] as Dave Stohler
* [[Dennis Quaid]] as Mike
* [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]] as Cyril
* [[Jackie Earle Haley]] as Moocher
* [[Paul Dooley]] as Ray Stohler, Dave's Father
* [[Barbara Barrie]] as Evelyn Stohler, Dave's Mother
* [[Robyn Douglass]] as Katherine
* [[Hart Bochner]] as Rod
* [[P. J. Soles]] as Suzy
* [[Amy Wright]] as Nancy
* [[John Ashton (actor)|John Ashton]] as Roy, Mike's Older Brother
}}

==Production==
===Inspiration===
The bicycling team is based on the 1962 [[Phi Kappa Psi]] Little 500 champions, which featured legendary rider and Italian enthusiast [[Dave Blase]], who provided screenwriter and fellow Phi Kappa Psi team member Steve Tesich the inspiration for the main character in the movie.<ref name=IAM>{{cite web |url=http://alumni.indiana.edu/magazine/issues/200003/little500.shtml |title=Pedaling Through 50 Years of Little 500 History |author=Jim Schwarb |publisher=Indiana Alumni Magazine |access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref> Blase, together with team manager Bob Stohler, provided the name of this character: Dave Stohler.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/070503 |title=Nothing little about IU's Little 500 |author=Jim Caple |publisher=[[ESPN]] Sports |date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> In the 1962 race, Blase rode 139 out of 200 laps<ref name=IAM/> and crossed the finish line as the victor, much like the main character in the film. Blase appears in the movie as the race announcer.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Breaking 50 in Bloomington, Ind., The Little 500 Bicycle Race Outpaces Even Its Own 'Breaking Away' Myth.|last=Zoroya|first=G.|date=7 April 2000|work=USA Today|page=01D}}</ref>

The working title of the movie script was ''Bambino'', written in 1978, which originally had Dave's family name as "Blase," which was later changed to "Stohler" for the film.<ref>[https://thescriptlab.com/wp-content/uploads/scripts/Breaking-Away-fka-Bambino-by-Steve-Tesich.pdf ''Bambino'' by Steve Tesich. 1978. ''The Script Lab.'' Retrieved 22 June 2023.]</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Lincoln Street South, 756, Breaking Away House, Bryan Park SA.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Dave's house]]
[[File:SandersQuarryIndiana.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Rooftop Quarry, originally named Sanders Quarry, near Bloomington]]
Location filming in and around Bloomington<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |title=Breaking Away (1979) |author=Janet Maslin |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 18, 1979 }}</ref> took place during the summer of 1978. 

The abandoned limestone quarry in which Dave and his friends swam, called Rooftop Quarry by locals, is at the end of East Empire Mill Road, off the old [[Indiana State Road 37|State Road 37]], in [[Perry Township, Monroe County, Indiana|Perry Township]], south of Bloomington.<ref>{{cite news |title=These New Photos Show Rooftop Is Inaccessible But Not Destroyed |url=https://www.limestonepostmagazine.com/these-new-photos-show-rooftop-is-inaccessible-but-not-destroyed/ |access-date=2 January 2019 |work=Limestone Post Magazine |date=May 16, 2016}}</ref>

=== Editing ===
[[Cynthia Scheider]], one of the few women in film editing during that time, got her first job as chief film editor on Breaking Away.<ref>Scott, Vernon (October 20, 1986). "Scheider at his wife's Mercy". ''UPI''. Retrieved 2025-03-13.</ref>

==Reception==
The film received positive reviews upon its release. [[Roger Ebert]] called it "a wonderfully sunny, funny, goofy, intelligent movie that makes you feel about as good as any movie in a long time. It is, in fact, a treasure... Movies like this are hardly ever made at all; when they're made this well, they're precious cinematic miracles."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/breaking-away-1979 |title=Breaking Away |author=Roger Ebert |date=January 1, 1979}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]''{{'}}s [[Janet Maslin]] wrote that, even though "the cast is unknown, the director has a spotty history, and the basic premise falls into this year's most hackneyed category ... the finished product is wonderful. Here is a movie so fresh and funny it didn't even need a big budget or a pedigree."<ref name=NYT/> A ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine review concluded that "though its plot wins no points for originality, ''Breaking Away'' is a thoroughly delightful light comedy, lifted by fine performances from Dennis Christopher and Paul Dooley."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1978/film/reviews/breaking-away-1200424526/ |title=Review: 'Breaking Away' |publisher=Variety magazine |date=December 31, 1978}}</ref> Critic [[Dave Kehr]], however, gave a later, somewhat dissenting opinion: "Released at a time when any small-scale film earned critical favor simply by virtue of its unpretentiousness, Breaking Away probably looked better in context than it does now."<ref name=Kehr>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/breaking-away/Film?oid=3910131 |title=Breaking Away |author=Dave Kehr |newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]]}}</ref> However, he conceded that "Peter Yates lends the film a fine, unexpected limpidity, and the principals are mostly excellent."<ref name=Kehr/>

On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 42 reviews, with a rating average of 8.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "At once a touching, funny coming-of-age story and a compelling sports film, ''Breaking Away'' is a delightful treat."<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/breaking_away/ "Breaking Away (1979)"]. [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Retrieved September 2, 2019.</ref> On [[Metacritic]]—which assigns a weighted mean score—the film has a score of 91 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Breaking Away Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/breaking-away |access-date=December 1, 2022 |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]]}}</ref>

The film grossed approximately $20 million in North America.<ref name=TheNumbers/>

''The New York Times'' placed the film on its ''Best 1000 Movies Ever'' list.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080612032429/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.] ''[[The New York Times]]'' via [[Internet Archive]]. Published April 29, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2008.</ref>

The February 2020 issue of ''[[New York Magazine]]'' lists ''Breaking Away'' as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html|magazine=[[New York Magazine]]|access-date=March 17, 2025}}</ref>

[[NBC]] paid $5 million to screen the film on television on May 5, 1980, bypassing [[HBO]] and significantly shortening the normal window between theatrical release and screening on broadcast television, which was generally three years at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=April 16, 1980|title=NBC Pays $5 Mil For Fox' 'Breaking Away' In Hopes Of Bolstering Its Ratings|page=1|last=Fabrikant|first=Geri}}</ref>

==Accolades==
<!---PLEASE CITE A RELIABLE SOURCE (NOT IMDB) WHEN ADDING AWARDS TO THIS TABLE--->

{| class="wikitable"
! Award
! Category
! Recipient
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[52nd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Peter Yates]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="5"| <ref name="Oscars52">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980 |title=52nd Academy Awards|access-date=31 March 2013|work=Oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Barbara Barrie]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen]]
| [[Steve Tesich]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score]]
| [[Patrick Williams (composer)|Patrick Williams]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[33rd British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles|Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles]]
| [[Dennis Christopher]]
| {{won}}
| <ref name="BAFTA33">{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1980/film|title=33rd BAFTA Awards|access-date=31 March 2013|work=BAFTA.org}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[37th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[37th Golden Globe Awards#Best Film - Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="4"| <ref name="GoldenGlobes37">{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=/year/1979|title=37th Annual Golden Globe Awards|access-date=31 March 2013|work=GoldenGlobes.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523180121/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=%2Fyear%2F1979|archive-date=May 23, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| Peter Yates
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Motion Picture]]
| Steve Tesich
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|New Star of the Year – Actor]]
| Dennis Christopher
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[32nd Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen]]
| Steve Tesich
| {{won}}
| <ref name="LATimes">{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/678719022.html?dids=678719022:678719022&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+04%2C+1980&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=WRITERS+GUILD+CONFERS+AWARDS&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630041528/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/678719022.html?dids=678719022:678719022&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+04,+1980&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=WRITERS+GUILD+CONFERS+AWARDS&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2013|title=Writers Guild Confers Awards|date=4 April 1980|access-date=31 March 2013|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[1st Youth in Film Awards|Young Artist Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Featuring Youth
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2"| <ref name="Young Artist Awards 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms1.htm|title=1st Annual Youth in Film Awards|access-date=31 March 2013|work=YoungArtistAwards.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film|Best Juvenile Actor in A Motion Picture]]
| Dennis Christopher
| {{won}}
|-
| [[AFI's 10 Top 10]]
| colspan="2"| Sports films
| {{draw|8th Place}}
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=4 |title=AFI's 10 Top 10: Top 10 Sports |publisher=American Film Institute}}</ref>
|-
| [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]]
| colspan="2"| Most inspiring films of all time
| {{draw|8th Place}}
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/100years/cheers.aspx |title=AFI's 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time |publisher=American Film Institute}}</ref>
|}

==Legacy==
A short-lived television series based on the film, also titled ''[[Breaking Away (TV series)|Breaking Away]]'', aired in 1980–1981 and starred [[Shaun Cassidy]].  Barrie, Haley and Ashton reprised their roles in the prequel series.

The film inspired the song "One for the Cutters" by [[The Hold Steady]], which appeared on their 2008 album ''[[Stay Positive (album)|Stay Positive]]''.

The 1992 [[Bollywood]] film ''[[Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar]]'', starring [[Aamir Khan]], has certain similarities to ''Breaking Away''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.filmfare.com/features/we-list-down-7-bollywood-films-inspired-from-hollywood-27295.amp|title=We list down 7 Bollywood films inspired from Hollywood}}</ref> However, the director, [[Mansoor Khan]], stated that he became aware of ''Breaking Away'' only after the likeness had been brought to his attention. Both films have several thematic similarities, including friendship, class barriers, bicycle racing, and parental relationship, but they are distinctly different films, with different narratives, characters, motivations, treatment, and racing rules.<ref>{{cite web|title=Classic Revisited: Aamir Khan's coming-of-age in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/column/classic-revisited-aamir-khans-coming-of-age-in-jo-jeeta-wohi-sikandar/20141113.htm|website=[[Rediff]]|access-date=13 November 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films about bicycles and cycling]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0078902|Breaking Away}}
* {{TCMDb title|69621|Breaking Away}}
* [https://thescriptlab.com/wp-content/uploads/scripts/Breaking-Away-fka-Bambino-by-Steve-Tesich.pdf Original screenplay by Steve Tesich with the title Bambino, June 9, 1978. thescriptlab.com.]
* {{AFI film|id=68139|title=Breaking Away}}
* {{mojo title|breakingaway}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|breaking_away|Breaking Away}}
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?rls=en&q=39.084908%2C%20-86.524592&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl Google Maps view of the limestone quarry]

{{Peter Yates}}
{{GoldenGlobeAwardBestMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1961-1980}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breaking Away}}
[[Category:1979 films]]
[[Category:1979 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1970s coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s sports comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American sports comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Cycling films]]
[[Category:English-language sports comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Films about fraternities and sororities]]
[[Category:Films about social class]]
[[Category:Films adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter Yates]]
[[Category:Films scored by Patrick Williams (composer)]]
[[Category:Films set in Indiana]]
[[Category:Films shot in Indiana]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film winners]]
[[Category:American women film editors]]