Lifeguard (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Oct 28, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
-
Director
Daniel PetrieRelease Date(s)
1976 (February 26, 2025)Studio(s)
Paramount Pictures (Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian Blu-ray import.]
Lifeguard is a leisurely look at a man facing the conflict between his personal happiness or giving in to society’s notion of success. The film follows the day-to-day doings of a thirty-ish lifeguard on the beaches of Southern California as he contemplates his current life and tries to figure out what his future will be.
Rick Carlson (Sam Elliott) has been a lifeguard most of his life. He enjoys the job and he’s good at it. Every day, he checks out swimmers and monitors tides to assure the safety of beachgoers. Periodically, he has to swim out to rescue a distressed swimmer, a task most would regard as heroic but for Rick, it’s just part of the job. Rick enjoys the gaze of young women who admire his deep tan and fit body, and spends his nights in bars that usually wind up with one-night hook-ups.
This summer, Rick has been been assigned a much younger lifeguard, Chris (Parker Stevenson), to assist with the seasonal crowds. The two bond and Rick becomes a mentor/father figure to Chris. Rick runs him through the ropes and tells him to keep his eyes on the water at all times. Their job includes rescuing swimmers, breaking up fights, checking the tides, and handling complaints about a flasher.
When pretty teenager Wendy (Kathleen Quinlan) becomes attracted to Rick, he returns her affection and, even though she’s underage, they have sex. While Rick regards this as just another casual hook-up, Wendy believes she’s fallen in love with him. Their mismatched expectations put Rick in a difficult position.
At the beach one day, Rick meets old high school pal Larry (Stephen Young), now a successful Porsche dealer. Larry is surprised that Rick is still lifeguarding and suggests he apply for a job as car salesman. Larry believes he’d do well. He also reminds Rick of their upcoming 15th Alumni Reunion and mentions that Rick’s former high school girlfriend Cathy (Anne Archer), now divorced, will be there.
At the reunion, Rick becomes uncomfortable when repeatedly asked what he does for a living. Everyone else has “normal,” respectable jobs. Meeting Cathy and rekindling an old flame causes him to think seriously about his future. Will he continue in the dead-end job and hedonistic lifestyle he loves, or become a responsible adult and get a suitable job?
Back in the 1970s, Sam Elliott became a sex symbol largely because of Lifeguard. Bare chested for most of the picture, with a sly smile that suggests “I know I’m a hunk,” Rick is a man who has never really grown up. To Rick, the beach is home—familiar, comfortable, predictable. Whether basking in the sun, rescuing a distressed swimmer, exchanging small talk with teenagers, or balancing his relationship with lovestruck Wendy, he’s in his element. The reunion, Larry’s offer, and reconnecting with Cathy cause him to reassess of his life and his future.
Quinlan has an innocent charm as Wendy. She conveys vulnerability, loneliness and sadness, and has a winning smile. She would go on to a rich career in feature films.
Lifeguard was Parker Stevenson’s fourth feature film. He would soon appear in the TV series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. Stevenson doesn’t have much to do other than look good in his lifeguard trunks and serve as contrast to Rick. A college kid earning extra money during the summer, Chris is age-appropriate while Rick is a man in his thirties. Stevenson has a few good moments but mostly serves as a visual contrast to Rick.
Unlike the other characters, Anne Archer’s Cathy has an ethereal, rarefied quality. Cathy is a gainfully employed divorcee and has a child, so she’s far more adult than Rick. Though he’s successfully sparked a long dormant flame, Cathy hopes for a more mature relationship. Archer’s delivery is warm, with undertones of sensuality.
Director Daniel Petrie has fashioned a fairly bland romance. Rick’s rescues could have been made more dramatic and Elliott’s performance lacks nuance. He’s laid back for the entire film except in one brief scene when Rick yells at a rude customer in the art gallery where Cathy works. It’s hard to empathize with Rick. He’s likable to a degree but makes light of sleeping with a minor. So his moral compass isn’t functioning as it should.
The beach scenes are beautifully filmed and help us to understand why Rick enjoys his job so much. He is one with nature, unbothered by the outside world, not ambitious, unattached, and content. The question raised is, “Is this enough for an adult?”
Lifeguard was shot by director of photography Ralph Woolsey on 35mm film with Panavision cameras and lenses, processed by Consolidated Film Industries, Hollywood, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Imprint Films’ Blu-ray features a new 4K restoration of the film and the quality is very good, particularly in the outdoor scenes that dominate the film. A sweeping helicopter shot of the beach opens the film starting from way up and gradually coming close to earth as we make out beachgoers sunbathing or splashing in the ocean. You can almost feel the sun on the expansive beach and the spray from the ocean. The photography puts the viewer right into Rick’s milieu. Scenes at the high school reunion feature subdued lighting as alumni mingle, enjoy refreshments, and dance.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 LPCM. Optional subtitles are included in English SDH. Dialogue is clear throughout and well balanced with waves lapping on the shore. Lots of swimming sounds and cheering are heard during a lifeguard competition. Soft music plays during scenes between Rick and Cathy. Moon River, a popular melody from their high school days, heightens the romance. The score, written and conducted by Dale Menten, adds excitement during the lifeguard swimming competition and provides a jaunty, carefree feel to scenes on the beach.
Bonus materials on the Region-Free Blu-ray release from Imprint Films include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Scout Tafoya and Daniel Kremer
- Theatrical Trailer (2:31)
Audio Commentary – This commentary from 2024 is shared by film historian Scout Tafoya and film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer. They note that Lifeguard provided the formative role that put Sam Elliott on the map. Paramount was in the black at the time, yet held several 70s pictures from release for a while. Lifeguard, made in 1975, was one of them. The studio understood that money was to be made by gearing films to the counterculture. At the time, Paramount was the most critically successful of the major studios. Daniel Petrie belonged to a “clique” of directors that included Norman Jewison, Ted Kotcheff, Arthur Hiller, and Sidney J. Furie. Lifeguard may have been the inspiration for Magic Mike, since the characters in both are dealing with existential problems. Petrie’s most famous film is A Raisin in the Sun. As a director, he was more interested in actors’ performances than in the stories themselves, and treated his films with theatrical intensity. That’s why many actors he directed, including George C. Scott and Rock Hudson, liked working with him. Petrie’s films presented styles of American masculinity. Lifeguard is a “fascinating time capsule” in terms of casting, since it featured early roles for many cast members. The commentators note that “1976 was the year of PG nudity,” pointing out a few scenes in Lifeguard that would receive stronger ratings today. Though The New York Times dismissed it, the L.A. Times called Lifeguard one of the best pictures of the year. The film was made for approximately $90,000.
Not included from the Fun City Editions Blu-ray release is an audio commentary with Jim Healy and Ben Reiser, an image gallery, a radio spot, and a pair of TV spots.
With the exception of the sex scenes, Lifeguard seems more like a TV movie than a theatrical feature. There isn’t enough conflict in the film. Rick seems to be a likable guy, but also an unexceptional one. He never thinks about his future until prompted by an old friend and an old flame. In one sense, it’s admirable to be happy with your job and lifestyle, but Rick isn’t forward-thinking enough to see himself in years to come. Ultimately, he’s just an easygoing fellow who guards other people’s lives and never takes control of his own.
- Dennis Seuling