Drive, He Said
Drive, He Said is a 1971 American independent film directed by Jack Nicholson, in his directorial debut, and starring William Tepper, Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Robert Towne and Henry Jaglom. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Jeremy Larner, the film follows a disenchanted college basketball player who is having an affair with a professor's wife, as well as dealing with his counterculture roommate's preoccupation with avoiding the draft in the Vietnam War. The film features supporting performances by David Ogden Stiers, Cindy Williams, and Michael Warren. The screenplay was adapted by Larner and Nicholson, and included uncredited contributions from Terrence Malick.
| Drive, He Said | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jack Nicholson |
| Written by | Jeremy Larner Jack Nicholson Terrence Malick (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Steve Blauner Jack Nicholson |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Bill Butler |
| Edited by | Donn Cambern Christopher Holmes Pat Somerset Robert L. Wolfe |
| Music by | David Shire |
Production companies | BBS Productions Drive Productions Inc. |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
Filming of Drive, He Said took place on the campus of the University of Oregon and other nearby locations. After screening at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was poorly received, the film faced more backlash from the Motion Picture Association of America for its profanity and sexual content, including numerous scenes featuring full-frontal male nudity.
The title comes from the poem "I Know a Man" by Robert Creeley, which a character recites in the opening scene. It also serves as a cryptic reference to basketball, the movie's dominant milieu.