Blow Out is a 1981 film by Brian DePalma starring John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effect technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-budget horror film, accidentally captures audio evidence of the possible assassination of the Pennsylvania governor who was planning to run for President. 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Brian De Palma (born September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American film director. ... John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American actor of Irish and Italian ancestry. ...

While John Travolta's performance is usually praised, the performance of his co-star Nancy Allen (in the role of Sally, a prostitute who was riding in the governor's limousine when he was killed) is considered to be the weakest part of the film. Also in the movie are Dennis Franz as sleazy private investigator Manny Karp, a Zapruderesque figure and John Lithgow as the coldblooded assassin Burke. Nancy Allen (born June 24, 1950) is an actress and a New York native. ... Dennis Franz (born October 28, 1944) is an actor best known for his roles as a gritty police detective in the television series NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues. ... Frame 150 from the Zapruder Film The Zapruder film is the 8mm home movie footage made by an assassination witness, Abraham Zapruder in Dallas, Texas within Dealey Plaza while standing next to the grassy knoll during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. ... John Lithgow (born October 19, 1945 in Rochester, New York) is an accomplished actor, best known for starring in the 1996-2001 NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. ...

The title and themes of the film are an homage to Antonioni's 1966 film Blowup. Michelangelo Antonioni (born September 29, 1912 in Ferrara, Italy) is an Italian film director, writer and painter. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 1966 films | British films | Italian films ...

Initial reaction to the film was mixed. Famously, Harlan Ellison walked out of a Writers Guild Film Society screening, stating that DePalma's movie "consciously and gratuitously debased the human spirit." However, in the 90s, Quentin Tarantino consistently promoted the movie, and listed "Blow Out" as one of his favorite three films, along with Rio Bravo and Taxi Driver. This endorsement has led to a critical reappraisement of the movie. Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific writer of short stories, novellas, essays and criticism. ... Quentin Tarantino, playing Mr. ... Rio Bravo (1959) is a western movie, directed by Howard Hawks. ... Taxi Driver is a 1976 American motion picture drama directed by Martin Scorsese. ...

The movie is also noted for its tragic ending. Jack races through Philadelphia's "Liberty Day" parade in an attempt to keep Sally from being killed by Burke, but he is unsuccessful. Because he has wired Sally for sound, he immortalizes her by using her scream on the soundtrack of a movie he has been editing.

External links

• Blow Out at the Internet Movie Database
• Extended review of DVD
• Making of Blow Out