Red Asphalt

Last updated

Red Asphalt is a series of instructional driver's education films and videos produced by the California Highway Patrol, known for their graphic depictions of fatal traffic collisions in a shockumentary style. [1] Horrendously injured and dismembered bodies are shown, typically those of negligent drivers. The original film was produced in 1960, [2] and four sequels have been produced over the following decades. Over the years, many have questioned whether the film actually has a long-term impact on students' driving. [3]

Contents

Red Asphalt was originally conceived as Californian version of the similar 1959 film Signal 30 . [4] According to The Los Angeles Times, "The original [1960] 16-millimeter black-and-white version of Red Asphalt was compiled from newsreel footage. Screened in driver's education classes at a time when violence was rarely depicted in movies and never shown on TV, its graphic nature immediately turned it into a teenage classic." [2] Red Asphalt III, produced in 1989, showed "stomach-churning wreckage scenes and images of mangled bodies, crushed skulls and charred flesh." [5] The fourth version, produced in 1998, was a more "tasteful" affair, focusing on rescuers and family members rather than the original's graphic crash footage. [2]

The series was criticized in 2006 by the Los Angeles Times for its poor acting and being a "joyless ride" of gruesome images and statistics; the paper called Red Asphalt "the Reefer Madness of driving: Forget trying to reason with teenagers, just scare 'em." [4]

Installments

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Corman</span> American film director, producer, and actor (1926–2024)

Roger William Corman was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabian Forte</span> American singer and actor (born 1943)

Fabian Anthony Forte, professionally known as Fabian, is an American singer and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horst Buchholz</span> German actor (1933–2003)

Horst Werner Buchholz was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English-speaking countries for his roles as Chico in The Magnificent Seven (1960), as a communist in Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (1961), and as Dr. Lessing in Life Is Beautiful (1997).

<i>Faces of Death</i> 1978 American mondo horror film

Faces of Death is a 1978 American mondo horror film written and directed by John Alan Schwartz, credited under the pseudonyms "Conan Le Cilaire" and "Alan Black" respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Boulevard</span> Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States

Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollywood Hills and its eastern terminus is at Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz. Hollywood Boulevard is famous for running through the tourist areas in central Hollywood, including attractions such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Ovation Hollywood shopping and entertainment complex.

Irwin Allen was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. His most successful productions were The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He also created and produced the popular 1960s science-fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.

<i>Grand Prix</i> (1966 film) 1966 American action film by John Frankenheimer

Grand Prix is a 1966 American sports drama film directed by John Frankenheimer, produced by Edward Lewis, and written by Robert Alan Aurthur with uncredited story contributions by Frankenheimer and rewrites by William Hanley. It stars an international ensemble cast, including James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, Jessica Walter, Françoise Hardy and Antonio Sabàto. Toshiro Mifune has a supporting role as a race team owner, inspired by Soichiro Honda. The picture was photographed in Super Panavision 70 by Lionel Lindon, and presented in 70mm Cinerama in premiere engagements. Its unique racing cinematography is one of the main draws of the film.

Benjamin Robert Clark was an American film director and screenwriter. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was responsible for some of the most successful films in Canadian film history such as Black Christmas (1974), Murder by Decree (1979), Tribute (1980), Porky's (1981), and A Christmas Story (1983). He won three Genie Awards with two additional nominations.

<i>Where the Boys Are</i> 1960 film by Henry Levin

Where the Boys Are is a 1960 American CinemaScope comedy film directed by Henry Levin and starring Connie Francis, Dolores Hart, Paula Prentiss, George Hamilton, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Hutton, and Frank Gorshin. It was written by George Wells based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Glendon Swarthout. The screenplay concerns four female college students who spend spring break in Fort Lauderdale. The title song "Where the Boys Are" was sung by Connie Francis, who also co-starred in a supporting role.

<i>Traces of Death</i> 1993 mondo shockumentary film

Traces of Death is a 1993 Z movie mondo shockumentary that consists of various scenes of stock footage depicting death and real scenes of violence.

<i>Godzilla 1985</i> 1985 film

Godzilla 1985 is a 1985 kaiju film directed by R. J. Kizer and Koji Hashimoto. The film is a heavily re-edited American localization of the Japanese film The Return of Godzilla, which was produced and distributed by Toho Pictures in 1984. In addition to the film being re-cut, re-titled, and dubbed in English, Godzilla 1985 featured additional footage produced by New World Pictures, with Raymond Burr reprising his role as American journalist Steve Martin from the 1956 film Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, which itself was a heavily re-edited American adaptation of the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla.

Eric Red is an American screenwriter, director and novelist, best known for writing the horror films The Hitcher and Near Dark, as well as writing and directing Cohen and Tate.

Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as film, television, and video games. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated.

<i>405</i> (film) 2000 short film

405 is a three-minute film released in June 2000. It was produced by Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt on a US$300 budget, using significantly self-taught skills with personal computers. 405 is also one of the earliest viral videos. It immediately became notable as an early example of the revolution in digital filmmaking and the use of broadband Internet as a channel to distribute media, and the results rival that of many major film and television production studios at the time.

<i>Desert Blue</i> 1998 American comedy-drama film by Morgan J. Freeman

Desert Blue is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman, starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert and John Heard.

<i>King Dinosaur</i> 1955 American film

King Dinosaur is a 1955 science fiction film starring William Bryant and Wanda Curtis with narration by Marvin Miller. It was co-written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon, in his directorial debut. The film was featured on season 2 of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

<i>NBC Sunday Showcase</i> American TV series or program

NBC Sunday Showcase was a series of hour-long specials telecast in color on NBC during the 1959–60 season. The flexible anthology format varied weekly from comedies and science fiction to musicals and historical dramas. The recent introduction of videotape made repeats possible, and two 1959 dramas had repeats in 1960.

<i>Koyaanisqatsi</i> 1982 film by Godfrey Reggio

Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 American non-narrative documentary film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio, featuring music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke.

Signal 30 is a 1959 social guidance film made by the Highway Safety Foundation in the vicinity of Mansfield, Ohio. The film, shown widely to high school students across the United States during the 1960s through the 1980s, was produced by Richard Wayman and narrated by Wayne Byers, and takes its name from the radio code used by the Ohio State Highway Patrol for a fatal traffic accident.

<i>The Purple Gang</i> (film) 1960 film

The Purple Gang is a 1960 American period crime film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Barry Sullivan, Robert Blake and Jody Lawrance. It portrays the activities of The Purple Gang bootlegging organization in Detroit in the 1920s

References

  1. Smith, Martin J. (2017). Mr. Las Vegas Has a Bad Knee: and Other Tales of the People, Places, and Peculiarities of the Modern American Southwest. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 50. ISBN   978-1-4930-2845-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Pool, Bob (Jan 22, 1998). "Asleep at the Wheel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  3. Hubert, Cynthia (July 25, 2003). "Driver's Dread: For 40 years, Red Asphalt has been the gory core of traffic safety classes". Sacramento Bee. pp. E1–E2. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 Martin J. Smith (21 June 2006). "Thrills! Nausea! Bad acting!". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. Martín, Hugo (January 21, 2003). "Gore or Emotion -- What Moves Teen Drivers?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.