The Outsiders: The Complete Novel -- Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film adaptation of the renowned S.E. Hinton best seller -- arrives September 20 from Warner Home Video (WHV) as a restored Two-Disc DVD.

Coppola, a five-time Academy Award®-winner, has added 22 minutes to The Outsiders, including a new beginning and an ending which is more true to the book and enriches the characters' relationships.

Said Coppola, "The Outsiders is a teenage epic, beloved by so many young people -- junior high school students especially -- and it's often their first important experience with literature. It's always bothered me that, in the rush to distribution, so much of the novel was edited out. Once, after showing the original version to my granddaughter's high school class, where so many kids asked 'but what about the other parts of the story?' -- I resolved I would restore it to be the complete novel. I just felt the film would be better if it played much longer. Warner Bros. agreed with this thought, and we both became excited to bring the entire story to the screen."

Coppola has also added a brand new rock ‘n' roll soundtrack with six songs from Elvis Presley and from Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, The Marketts, Sandy Nelson and others. "I had always hoped the film could have an all Elvis Presley score," noted Coppola, "which turned out not to be possible at the time. Now we have reconceived the score, based on what these characters would be listening to, while still retaining the movie's great original song, ‘Stay Gold' by Carmine Coppola and Stevie Wonder."

The impressive array of young actors who starred in The Outsiders include C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise and Leif Garrett. "So many of the young and talented cast have gone on to great success that I think the new length will be that much more fascinating to audiences," Coppola added.

The idea for The Outsiders began with a letter to Francis Ford Coppola from a school librarian in Fresno, California, stating that the faculty and students had nominated the director to make a movie of their favorite novel; the letter was personally signed by 110 students. "What I am most proud of in this new release is that the film is now the truest expression of the novel. And of course, that I was able to be responsive to these kids' letter," said Coppola.

S.E. Hinton's book has sold 12 million copies to date and has been translated into 21 languages. It is taught in schools nationwide and continues to find new fans with each new generation. The Outsiders was first published in 1967, when Hinton was only 17. Her other popular titles are Rumble Fish (Coppola's second Hinton adaptation), That Was Then, This Is Now and Tex.

The movie version of The Outsiders -- like the book -- struck a powerful chord with audiences, capturing the intense feelings of being caught between childhood and adulthood, and not belonging anywhere. A classic coming-of-age story, The Outsiders is set in gritty Tulsa, Oklahoma during the early 1960s and centers on a teen rivalry between two opposing groups: the Greasers (poor kids) and the Socs (socials, the rich kids).

C. Thomas Howell stars as Ponyboy, the youngest of three orphaned boys who are members of the Greasers. When Ponyboy and his friend Johnny (Ralph Macchio) get into a deadly confrontation one night, the two are forced to flee from the law and must grow up quickly. Matt Dillon stars as the tough-as-nails leader of their group and Patrick Swayze appears as Ponyboy's oldest brother.

The Outsiders: The Complete Novel will be in widescreen and will be filled with previously unavailable bonus content, including new commentaries by the director and several of the actors; three new documentaries, three featurettes, deleted scenes and more. The Outsiders: The Complete Novel will be available for $26.99 SRP.

Limited theatrical engagements will begin September 9 in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Minneapolis.

DVD Details

Disc 1: The Movie

- All-New Digital Transfer from Restored Picture Elements

- All-New Soundtrack Score Remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1

- "Watch The Outsiders: The Complete Novel with Francis Ford Coppola

- New Introduction and audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola

- "Watch The Outsiders: The Complete Novel with the Greasers and a Soc"

- New Introduction and Commentary by C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze

- Languages: English

- Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (Feature Film Only)

Disc 2: Special Features

- "Staying Gold"- A look back at The Outsiders

- "S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa"

- "The Casting of The Outsiders" - Features producer Fred Roos

- "Readings" - Seven cast members do readings of Hinton's descriptions of the characters they played.

- Deleted Scenes

- "The Outsiders Started by Student Petition" - Filmed segment from NBC's The Today Show featuring librarian Jo Ellen Misakian and many of the students from the Lone Star school, plus coverage of a special Fresno student screening attended by some of the film's cast.

- Original Theatrical Trailer

- New 2005 Trailer

The Outsiders: The Complete Novel

Street date: September 20, 2005

Pricing: $26.99 SRP

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 114 Mins

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