The Loveless (1961)

This is very, very slow moving film. It is however a snapshot of life in general, in the nineteen-fifties. The plot centers around a group of rag tag bikers, trying to make their way to the Daytona bike rally. One of the bikes breakdowns along the way and they have to make a stop in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

The leader of the pack is a dry, sullen, emotionless character called Vance played by a very young William Defoe. Vance has recently been released from jail or “storage” as it is referred to in the film. The film portrays Defoe’s character as deeply damaged and to that degree they succeeded.

The film is a unique time capsule like peek into the past. It depicts the attitudes of small town USA (anti-biker scum), the music (very fifties), along with all the puffy and greasy hair styles. The clothes were true to the era, the cars were great and the bikes all were nailed perfectly. The bikers are barely rude and barely crude; in comparison to the way many people talk today, however for their time it would be right on the money. The lingo fits too a little beatnikish, yet follows along with the groups slow moving, no hurry, playful kind of behavior right up to the end where it goes a little sideways.

Sadly it appears that since the lead characters stint in “storage” he’s lost the ability to feel a damn thing, bummer for him. Where in the end he witnesses the same painful ending as the rest of us yet he remains emotionless. The other biker characters in the bar go psycho crazy but just for a moment. Thankfully the bad guy in the film isn’t a biker and he gets his due.

There were two real shockers in the film. The first was the sight of Defoe’s very white ass. Second was the full frontal nudity shown after the interrupted love scene! Wow, very risqué for 1961 I’d say! If you like authentic details and that kind of thing then it’s worth a look. If not it is slow, slow, slow and the plot is so, so.

This gets three shots for all the accurate tidbits throughout the film.