The Pursuit of Happiness **½ (1971, Michael Sarrazin, Barbara Hershey, Robert Klein, Ruth White, E G Marshall, Arthur Hill) – Classic Movie Review 4943

Michael Sarrazin (1940–2011).

‘I don’t want to run anymore…’

Michael Sarrazin stars in the 1971 crime drama The Pursuit of Happiness as a radical young college student, William Popper, who is jailed for his part in a road accident in which he killed a pedestrian. But he escapes and finds himself, with his girlfriend Jane Kauffman (Barbara Hershey), on the run from the police to evade serving his full prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter.

The ideals of youth are shattered and left on the roadside in this intriguing, serious-minded 1971 melodrama by former TV director Robert Mulligan.

But unfortunately the film loses track of its aims half-way through, and descends into chasing after the protagonist along his long-winded and aimless route. In aiming so high and failing, Mulligan has produced an interesting but disappointing mishmash of ideas, which fails both to touch its audience and to deal with the issues it raises.

However, the stupendous cast work hard and expertly to bring it to life and it is valuable in so resonantly capturing the zeitgeist of 1970. It is a good looking movie, excitingly filmed by cinematographer Dick Kratina in and around New York City. Sarrazin makes his poetic drifter character compelling.

Also in the great cast are Robert Klein, Ruth White, E G Marshall, Arthur Hill, Sada Thompson, Barnard Hughes, Rue McClanahan, William Devane, Ralph Waite, Charles Durning, David Doyle, Peter White, Tom Rosqui, Gilbert Lewis, and Albert Henderson.

Jon Boothe and George L Sherman’s screenplay is based on the novel by Thomas Rogers.

The producers are David Susskind and Ronald H Gilbert and the associate producer is Alan Shayne. The score is by Dave Grusin.

There is some sexuality, nudity, drug content and brief violence.

The Pursuit of Happiness is directed by Robert Mulligan, runs 98 minutes, is made by Talent Associates, is released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Jon Boothe and George L Sherman, based on the book by Thomas Rogers, is shot in Eastmancolor by Richard C Kratina [Dick Kratina], is produced by David Susskind, Ronald H Gilbert and Alan Shayne, scored by Dave Grusin and designed by George Jenkins.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4943

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