Free Republic

In the late '60s and early '70s, the open roads of America — particularly the American West — became a kind of shorthand for two things: white-knuckled driving movies and the concept of freedom itself. Richard C. Sarafian's Vanishing Point, which premiered on March 13, 1971, exemplifies this as well as any film of the era. Once regarded as a pretty dull affair — the New York Times' reviewer called it "a movie about which I can think of almost nothing good to say" — Vanishing Point has now ascended to that hallowed realm of "cult movie," coming in at...

When you are under a highway overpass like the one above, it is hard to believe there are 6 lanes of traffic overhead like the one below. When you are driving on the highway, it seems very wide and you don't even realize when you are going over a bridge (overpass). But if you were to go under the overpass and look up, you would be surprised how narrow tha strip actually is.

Richard C. Sarafian, a Hollywood director best known for the speed-addled saga of squealing brakes and existential angst chronicled in the 1971 cult film "Vanishing Point," died Wednesday. He was 83. Sarafian was recovering from a broken back when he contracted pneumonia, family members said. He directed numerous films and, earlier in his career, TV shows that included episodes of "Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone" and "Batman." He also acted, appearing as hitman Vinnie in the Warren Beatty satire "Bulworth" and gangster Jack Dragna in Beatty's "Bugsy."