Lifeguard – Fun City Editions (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1976
Director: Daniel Petrie
Writer: Ron Koslow
Cast: Sam Elliott, Anne Archer, Stephen Young, Parker Stevenson, Kathleen Quinlan

Release Date: February 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: PG
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"At first glance, it looks as if Rick Carlson (Sam Elliott, Tombstone and The Big Lebowski) has it made. He's bright and good-looking. He's also the lifeguard on a stretch of California beach that has more than its fair share of tanned bodies and beautiful girls. But Rick is at the crossroads of his life. His friends and family are pushing him to get a "real" job but, at this point, Rick's not so sure what "real" is. It's an agonizing decision compounded on one side by an adoring beach groupie (Kathleen Quinlan, Apollo 13) and on the other side by a former high school flame (Anne Archer, Fatal Attraction) who's game for rekindling, but only if he's serious about trading in his swimsuits for three-piecers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "remastered from a 4K scan of its original camera negative".

Lifeguard comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29 GB

Feature: 27.2 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options; both are DTS-HD mono mixes in English with removable English SDH. There are two options, the main unaltered soundtrack and an alternate soundtrack that omits the words from the main and end credits music. Both audio tracks are in excellent shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise they both sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (promotional art/stills), an audio commentary with Jim Healy and Ben Reiser, double-sided wrap with legacy artwork, and a 12-page booklet (first pressing only) with an essay titled To Beach, or Not to Beach written by Cristina Cacioppo, and cast & crew information.

There are two Easter eggs: a radio spot (59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), which can be found when you click on the FCE logo on the main menu, and a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), which can be found when you click on the FCE logo on the extras menu.

Summary:

Daniel Petrie directed Lifeguard. He’s known for Sybil, The Betsy, and Resurrection.

A man in his 30s still working full time as a lifeguard starts to rethink his life after reconnecting with an old girlfriend at a high school reunion.

Though Sam Elliott’s character Rick is the protagonist, he is not the only character in a crisis. There is a teenage girl named Wendy, who recently has moved to town and becomes infatuated with Rick. Where Rick does not want to let go of his youth and grow up, Wendy is in a hurry to be an adult. Other characters central to Rick’s journey are a rookie lifeguard named Chris, whom he mentors, and Cathy, an old girlfriend, who pushes Rick to make changes in his life.

Watching a film like Lifeguard is like going into a time machine and visiting somewhere that feels so long ago. It is crazy how much the world, more specifically America, has changed over the last 50 years. And I am not talking about aesthetic things like clothes, architecture, and the arts; I am more focused on people's attitudes. The 1970s and into the 1980s were more carefree times than the jaded world we now live in.

Though there are some dark moments in Lifeguard, its ultimate message is positive. It is a film about remaining true to who you are. And when in doubt, never distrust your instincts. Lifeguard also explores society's role in how we view ourselves.

The most surprising aspect of Lifeguard is the performances, especially Sam Elliott’s (Road House) portrayal of Rick. He delivers a phenomenal performance that overflows with introspection. Another performance of note is Kathleen Quinlan's (Apollo 13) portrayal of Wendy, a young woman struggling to find where she fits in. Other notable cast members are Anne Archer (Narrow Margin), who portrays Rick’s high school girlfriend, and Parker Stevenson, who portrays a lifeguard, 13 years before he appeared in Baywatch.

Pacing is never an issue; the narrative is well-executed, allowing key moments to resonate. Another strength of Lifeguard is Daniel Petrie’s direction, which allows the characters to take center stage. If there is one area that Lifeguard does not come out unscathed, that would be its dated 1970s-sounding soundtrack. That said, this is not a deal breaker, and the soundtrack features a solid opening/closing theme titled Time and Tide written by Paul Williams. Another area that dates Lifeguard is its sexual innuendo-laced dialog. Ultimately, Lifeguard is a different kind of coming-of-age story that will have you feeling nostalgia.

Lifeguard gets an excellent release from Fun City Editions that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer