PodBill Just what I expected

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

chrisdfilm Man, it is hard to digest some of the bile and acrid animosity of many of the comments here. I saw this when it first came out right as I was about to graduate high school in 1970, and I loved it. I had not read John Barth's novel, so I had no prejudice about the approach. I have watched the film a couple of times since on video (though it is virtually impossible to find) and must testify it more than holds up. Stacey Keach really gives a great, subtly nuanced performance (perhaps the best of his career when he was still getting 'serious' roles) as the guy plagued by occasional catatonia, and James Earl Jones is also fantastic as a brilliant, maverick innovator of psychiatry (think Wilhelm Reich by way of Malcolm X) who, at the end, may be a bit too godlike for his own good. I personally think Terry Southern is a wonderful writer, and I love all of the films from his work from the more favorably acknowledged, like DR. STRANGELOVE and MAGIC Christian, to the less so (CANDY, which is probably my favorite). There are some crazy juxtapositions here as well as absurd humor (that would do the 1920s-30s surrealists proud), but the humor is not stupid by any means. Director Aram Avakian and Terry Southern were a good pairing. It's too bad that they never did another film together. I can only guess that this dark, dark comedy that is about America in the sixties and about human vulnerability, hubris and arrogance touched many raw nerves with not only some of the IMDb commentators, but the few people who saw it on its initial release. A totally uncompromising picture with the courage of it's twisted convictions. The intention of director, screenwriter and cast was to rattle complacent, uptight people's cages -and, judging from the invective here, I'd say they succeeded in spades. I will echo: whomever owns the rights to END OF THE ROAD, put it out on DVD - NOW!

Lee Hill I would like to refute many of the negative comments about this film. It is the closest, I believe, that an American film of the period came to emulating the look and sound of late 60s' Godard or Bergman's Persona. End of the Road would be be a perfect companion to a series of films that might include Performance, the aforementioned Bergman, Mickey One (which director Avakian edited), or William Friedkin's adaptation of The Birthday Party. I am a big fan of Barth's novel, but I feel this radical adaptation extends the original in a way that is equally groundbreaking. The novel was more about the fifties, while the film is shaped by the explosive events of 1968 - Tet, the Kennedy and King assassinations, student riots, the rise of Nixon/Agnew - which take the whole idea of the novel's "politics of the personal" to another level. A DVD restoration of this misunderstood landmark is well overdue.

PenDrake-2 I saw this film when it was released and was totally mesmerized by the story and the performances. When I found it on video, (twenty years later) I immediately rented it and had a number of friends over to watch it. I couldn't believe how pompous and overdone the film was. My film recomendations to my friends have suffered ever since.

nick-201 Well folks,here it is,my nomination for the WORST movie ever made!I bought this movie in 1980.I had never seen it before,and a video store had it on sale for 4.99,when BLANK tapes were about 8 bucks or so,so how could I lose?I still have it,I give it to friends to see what they think about it,and they think it is pretty bad,if not worse than me.I never thought a movie with this cast could be this bad,but it is!Let's see,Stacy Keatch in a catatonic state,after his college graduation with a whole load of degrees.He goes into zombie mode at train station,stands there for a couple of days,dog pees on foot.Along comes Mr Jones,who sees Stacy is in trouble,says something like "Yo mama's t*t's as hard as cold cement!",and Stacy wakes up!Goes to "asylum" run by Jones,gets tour,sees guy SCREWING A CHICKEN,along with other sights!Then he begins "treatment"consisting of sound effects playing at earshattering levels,and lots of pictures of war,babies,naked girls,etc flashing on walls,while Jones makes faces and talks very strangely.He eventually is improved enough to leave,gets a job teaching english(I think),has affair with older woman,has occasional relapses,then has affair with boss's wife,gets her pregnant,Jones does abortion,she chokes on own vomit and dies during the procedure.What a flick!What a load of crap this thing is,it's so full of itself!It IS amusing if watched while drunk or drugged,but if you are sober,watch out!!!