Vanishing Point Forever
book
design, print production
Vanishing Point (20th Century Fox, 1971) is a classic car chase movie written by Guillermo Cain. The story follows a Vietnam War veteran on the run in a Dodge Challenger. The film is more than just a high-speed adventure; it’s a modern Western, dystopian allegory and tribute to muscle cars. Vanishing Point Forever explores the profound impact of the movie across popular media, the arts, and the car world, and it is also a cult classic paid homage to by Tarantino, Spielberg, Springsteen, and countless others.
The book includes a complete reproduction of the film’s final shooting script, location scouting photos, production and publicity stills. It details how the movie came to life, from the stars Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, and Charlotte Rampling to the groundbreaking stunts coordinated by Hollywood legend Carey Loftin. Robert M. Rubin’s tribute includes insights, interviews, and quotes from essential voices like Prince, Kaminski, Chandler, Kerouac, and others.
design The design incorporates different types of paper, screen resolutions, and various grids and fonts to structure and separate its diverse contents. The book’s core is the complete movie script, accompanied by AI-enhanced stills from the film. The script is surrounded by four sections titled “Exploitation,” “Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “The Kowalski Car,” and “The Jam,” each separated by a silver-striped page opener that captures the spirit of the early 70s. Transcripts are printed in blue, and the book opens with close-ups of the production schedule, followed by the introduction and the main essay.
reviews “This book is going to put Vanishing Point on its own map. That map should be available in every gas station between Colorado and California.”
– Richard Prince
“Not only a great book, but a great book /object!”
– Jim Hoberman
“Amazing! The design is incredible. Congratulations.”
– John Menick & Agnieszka Kurant
“The unusual layout and design of the book, with its rich colors and variation in the textures of its paper stocks, reminds me of something Gypsy Lou and John Webb of Loujon Press in New Orleans might have created decades ago. It’s the type of book that can literally take your breath away, especially if you’re into muscle cars and film history!
– Jerry Cimino, The Beat Museum
collaborators
RideWithBob / Film Desk Books, publishers
Robert M. Rubin, author
Jana Martin, editor
J. Hoberman, foreword
Marc Gijzen, color separator
ZwaanLenoir, printer and color separator