Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu Ray Review (Scorpion Releasing)
Aloha, Bobby and Rose is a 1975 road drama film written & directed by Floyd Mutrux (Dusty and Sweets McGee, American Hot Wax, The Hollywood Knights, & There Goes My Baby). Floyd Mutrux came up with the story for Mulholland Falls & produced Dick Tracy. Mutrux also wrote American Me & Blood In, Blood Out. Production began in 1973 but it didn’t get released until 1975. Aloha, Bobby and Rose was distributed by Columbia Pictures & it was made on the low budget of $60,000. It was a winner for them & performed way better than expected. It grossed 35 million at the box office, it was one of the most successful films of that year! It has a memorable soundtrack which includes songs from Emerson Lake and Palmer, The Temptations, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, & others.
Bobby Eckert (played by: Paul Le Mat from American Graffiti, Puppetmaster, & American History X) has a job as an auto mechanic in the daytime where he always shows up late. His real passion comes at night when he races his prized red 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. Plus he loves gambling on pool games to the wrong people! They give him a harsh warning for his recent loss. He has no ambition in life unlike his friend Moxey (played by: Robert Carradine from Revenge of Nerds series, Body Bags, Ghosts of Mars, Orca, & The Long Riders) who is going to school for a better future.
Bobby depends on his Uncle Charlie (played by: Noble Willingham from Tales from the Crypt, The Howling, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, & Walker, Texas Ranger) to save him from his problems because he lacks responsibility. Rose Miller (played by: Dianne Hull from Christmas Evil, The Arrangement, & Girls on the Road) is a single mother who works at a a car wash. Bobby tries to charm Rose but he gets rejected by her. Rose sees him later on struggling for a ride & decides to help him out. They end up connecting on their first date after spending some time together while enjoying a night in Hollywood. They go to convenience store & a prank goes terribly wrong that changes everything forever for the new couple.
They go on a road trip hoping for a fresh start in life. They learn more about each other as they try to find their paradise to forget the past. They meet characters like Buford & Donna Sue on their spontaneous journey. They are having a blast but Rose misses her son so they go back home to reconnect. Will their troubled past haunt them? Can they move on to a fresh start without facing harsh consequences?
The chemistry between the two leads were beyond natural in this. It felt so real watching Bobby & Rose go on their adventure to escape their problems for awhile. You grew to care about these two characters as they experience more life between each other. This is more than a Bonnie & Clyde clone. The couple on the road in trouble has been done many times before but this has it’s own unique spin on it. Los Angeles plays out more like a character in the film rather than just background or location during it’s scenes. Same for the music that hits the right notes at the perfect moments. I honestly think Cameron Crowe seen this & appreciated how Elton John’s Tiny Dancer was executed in this very film to motivate him to make it even more famous in his later effort.
You can tell everything was planned out precisely for these two important additions that give Aloha, Bobby and Rose more style than your typical version of this familiar story. It’s also well written & acted, each piece of this project was carefully crafted. You will notice a few talented faces that you have seen in many other films over the years in smaller roles. You can tell it was made from the love of film making rather than some quick cash grab at the time. Scorpion Releasing takes a break from their Italian releases to give us this slice of American cinema that has been left behind. This film is under-rated & I hope more will get the chance to appreciate it since it’s been resurrected in HD! I enjoyed all of the elements about Aloha, Bobby and Rose, it’s comes highly recommended from me!
Scorpion Releasing really delivered a top notch quality product with this one! This brand new 1080p high definition widescreen (1.78:1) scan from the original interpositive with extensive color correction looks AMAZING! All the Hollywood lights & all the locations really pop out in the night scenes from William A. Fraker’s (Rosemary’s Baby, Exorcist II, Tombstone, & WarGames) stylized cinematography. You also get an option to view the film with SDH English subtitles. The stereo audio track is very impressive, the memorable soundtrack shines through out the film. Those known tracks become connected to this forever after checking this out. Vehicles racing on the streets, each pool game at the bar, & that classic Camaro roars out of the speakers. It’s honestly one of the best sounding audio tracks I’ve ever heard from a 70s film in high definition!
Let’s discuss the special features provided by Scorpion Releasing on this new blu ray disc. You get a 23 minute interview with star Paul Le Mat.He talks about various things including meeting the director, getting the job based off American Graffiti, spending time with co-star Dianne Hull, & the production of the film. He tried to get his unknown actor friend at the time Harrison Ford the role of Buford in this but the director turned him down. He also talks about someone trying to kill him. His experience on the American Graffiti sequel, a certain role ruining his career, & many other things. This was a rare occasion because Paul almost never does extras for movies he has worked on. Next, there’s an almost 9 minute chat with actor Robert Carradine. He mentions how he started out acting by accident & the reason he got the role in this from his performance in The Cowboys. He says that Paul Le Mat wasn’t a good racer in real life. He tells a few stories about some of the cult movies he worked on in the past.
After that, you get a 13 minute conversation with director Floyd Mutrux. He tells you the inspiration on how he came up with the title. He says it basically was a remake of Breathless. He talks about the legendary soundtrack. He discuses about how Aloha, Bobby and Rose was supposed to be a throwaway film but ended up being a surprise hit for the studio. He goes into detail about the production of the film & his other work in cinema. Last not not least, you get trailers for the Scorpion Releasing catalog which includes Aloha, Bobby and Rose, Conduct Unbecoming, Nashville Girl, Go Tell the Spartans, Killer Force, & Trouble Bound. This great collaboration between Scorpion Releasing, Doppelganger Releasing, & Music Box Films continues, can’t wait to see what’s next! Aloha, Bobby and Rose is available everywhere right now, check it out!!!!
