bkoganbing Growing up in Brooklyn in the 50s people like the 4 guys who are our protagonists here were a common sight, they were the older generation by a half for someone born in 1947. The Lords Of Flatbush were Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler and Paul Mace. Every high school had them, kids like these who populated The Blackboard Jungle. As you will note two of the four had some substantial careers on the big and small screens. For Henry Winkler this part was a dress rehearsal for Arthur Fonzarelli. And Rocky was in the distant future for Sylvester Stallone.Part of it in the 50s is that many thought there was no future as the threat of nuclear annihilation stood over us. So just go out and have a great old time because there will be no responsibilities for you to assume. That underlay a lot of the thinking then.There's no real plot in Lords Of Flatbush, it's a a character study of four knockabout guys who can't see a future beyond their good times. At least one of them does in the end, I will not say who.One really glaring fault was the scene at the drive-in movie. First of all From Here To Eternity was out five years earlier than 1958 when this film is supposed to take place. Secondly though there were no drive-ins in the Borough of Brooklyn, I can attest to that. In that same year I was introduced to the concept of the drive-in, but I had to go upstate to experience it.Susan Blakely also got her first notice in The Lords Of Flatbush. What she tells Perry King in the end if the message if any this film has.

Poseidon-3 Made on a shoestring budget, by Hollywood standards, this slice-of-life, coming-of-age drama depicts the lives of four Brooklyn youths (whose gang name provides the film's title.) King is the handsome lothario who uses one girl (Paris) for quickie sex while pursuing another, more refined one (Blakely) who is new to their school. Stallone is a working class lug who is faced with new responsibilities when his girlfriend Smith informs him that she's pregnant. Winkler is the introspective one who considers life beyond their fish bowl existence. Mace is a bit of a misfit, who strives to be friends with the others. Though there is a progression of sorts, from the start of the film in a classroom to the finale at a wedding, the film doesn't contain a considerable amount of plot. It's more a series of vignettes from the era, coming along episodically, augmented with songs intended to evoke the time and shot with a camera and film which are intended to capture the verisimilitude of 1950's Brooklyn. King does a very fine job with his role and is, as ever, charming and attractive to watch. Stallone does very well, also, and has what has become one of the film's most praised scenes in which he grapples with the purchase of an engagement ring for his karat-conscious fiancé. Much of his dialogue (some of it written/improvised by himself) is rather unintelligible thanks to both the sound quality and to Stallone's legendary mumbling. Winkler, of course, went on to play the iconic Fonzie on "Happy Days", but that character is actually more like King's or Stallone's than the one he portrays here. Mace is not given the amount of focus that the others get, though he does partake in a memorable game of pool. Blakely, like most of the actors, is not believable as a high school student, but succeeds in bringing most of the qualities of one to the role. Her dramatically changing hair length is an indication of some re-shoots that took place after filming had wrapped in order to improve some scenes. Smith and Paris provide authentic and frequently amusing spins on their somewhat tacky characters. Fans of "Gimme a Break" will enjoy seeing Sweet as Stallone's father. Only an archaeologist could effectively dig up Assante in his alleged appearance as a wedding guest. The movie starts with a vivid and discomfiting scene in Neuman's homeroom, effectively showcasing the juvenile delinquency that began to take hold in the 50's when disrespect for authority started to blossom. Though several sequences after that are memorable and engaging, not a whole lot really happens before the film meanders to its conclusion. (The ending was re-cut in order to be more upbeat than whatever was originally intended.) This is less a dramatic story than a character study focusing on a specific time, place and type of neighborhood. Stallone apparently got to know and appreciate several of the actors from this film because he used them in his later vehicle "Paradise Alley."

edwagreen Absolutely inane film dealing with a bunch of street hooligans who show their immaturity and lack of respect.The only good thing about this farce is that there is no violence.Perry King, who has gone on to become the king of television movies, plays Chico, riding around on his motorcycle and going nowhere quickly as is the case with this film.Talk of stereotyping. The film is demeaning to Italian-Americans. Annie and Frannie are the 2 prototypes for LaVerne and Shirley.Sylvester Stallone is gifted at playing hunks with IQ's around 2.The plot here is thin and the writing is even worse. The sound sounds like it is coming out of your local luncheonette.Topics such as teen pregnancy, fighting, unruly behavior in school, and the coming of age are poorly dealt with.Frannie wants to marry the Stallone character so they can watch American Bandstand together. The film suffers from a complete lack of maturity and should define itself as the coming of ignorance.

jmorrison-2 A good, decent film about leaving adolescence behind, and the threshold to adulthood.Sylvester Stallone is very good as Stanley, the pug of the gang, who is facing fatherhood and marriage, and tries to amiably go along. He's not too bright, but he understands there is much more out there. His scene on the roof with Perry King is his way of trying to communicate that the world they have been living in is coming to an end, but, through their dreams and imagination, they can go places and experience other things. Things are changing for him, and he instinctively realizes there is much more to the world than their little corner of Brooklyn.Perry King's Chico, on the other hand, is brighter than he lets on, and he understands all too well what is out there and is waiting for them. The trouble is, in the adult world, he will never again have the freedom and power that he has running the streets with the Lords. Growing up is not something he looks forward to. He resents what he sees as the end of the road. He wouldn't mind living out the rest of his life with the Lords, prowling the streets, knocking up girls, fighting with the clean cut kids. In this world, he is powerful and respected, but he senses it coming to an end. His argument on the roof with Stanley is his rejection of dreaming or imagining something, or somewhere, else. His unfortunate episode with Susan Blakely is his inability to relate to her as another human being. To him, she is still just a chick to be laid, not someone he may have to relate to. Everyone around him is growing up and passing him by, and Chico resents it. He basically wants things to stay just as they are.The final rumble at the football field is an example of the Lords in their element, when they are at their happiest. The aftermath of the fight (the accident) is a further reminder that this life is at an end, and adulthood awaits, whether they are ready for it or not.A decent, entertaining movie. Quite an interesting character study, well-acted, especially by King and Stallone.