| Breaking Away | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Yates |
| Written by | Steve Tesich |
| Produced by | Peter Yates |
| Starring | Dennis Christopher Dennis Quaid Daniel Stern Jackie Earle Haley Barbara Barrie Paul Dooley Robyn Douglass |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Edited by | Cynthia Scheider |
| Music by | Patrick Williams |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.3 million[2][3] |
| Box office | $20 million[4] |
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 (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 Best Picture and 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 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 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.[5][6]
As the film's young lead, Christopher won the 1979 BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer and the 1979 Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actor, as well as getting a Golden Globe nomination as New Star of the Year.
Tesich was an alumnus of Indiana University Bloomington. The film was shot in and around Bloomington and on the university's campus.
- ^ "BREAKING AWAY (A)". British Board of Film Classification. May 24, 1979. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p259
- ^ A Hot Director Breaks Away From the Mainstream By SHAUN CONSIDINE. The New York Times, 15 July 1979: D17.
- ^ Breaking Away, Box Office Info. The Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ American Film Institute (June 17, 2008). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on August 18, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ "Top 10 Sports". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 18, 2008.