‘On the Road’: New trailer from Walter Salles

There’s a new trailer for Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles‘ “On the Road” based on Jack Kerouac‘s classic homonym book.

Salles, known for such great films such as “Central Station“, nominated for two Academy Awards, and “Diarios de Motocicleta” starring Gael García Bernal, will release the film on December 21st, but not before we get some visuals via the second trailer.

The two main characters of the book are the narrator, Salvatore “Sal” Paradise, and his new friend Dean Moriarty, much admired for his carefree attitude and sense for adventure, a free-spirited maverick eager to explore all kicks and an inspiration and catalyst for Sal’s travels. The novel contains five parts, three of them describing road trips. The narrative takes place in the years 1947 to 1950, is full of Americana, and marks a specific era in jazz history, “somewhere between its Charlie Parker Ornithology period and another period that began with Miles Davis.”

The novel is largely autobiographical, Sal being the alter ego of the author and Dean standing for Neal Cassady. The epic nature of the adventures and the text itself creates a tremendous sense of meaning and purpose for the themes and lessons. Kerouac provides not only the story of a literal journey but also that of an intense internal quest and a pursuit of freedom and self-determination.

Spanish language actors Viggo Mortensen and Alice Braga are part of the cast and I like to think they’re the best part of the movie. Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart  and Sam Riley form the central trio of the adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel.

IFC Films will release “On the Road” in December. Take a look at the movie…