'Outsiders' author thrilled with new DVD

TULSA, Okla., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- S.E. Hinton says she is thrilled with a new DVD version of "The Outsiders" because it is more faithful to her novel than the original 1983 film was.

Directed by "The Godfather" filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and starring Tom Cruise, Thomas Howell" class="tpstyle">C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Patrick Swayze, "The Outsiders: The Complete Novel" hits video stores Tuesday.

The two-disc DVD restores 22 minutes of footage cut from the 1983 film and features a new rock 'n' roll soundtrack and interviews with the cast, director and author.

"I danced a jig," Hinton told UPI with a laugh in a recent phone interview. "I was thrilled to see it put back together. ... We shot the whole book. I was there for the filming, so when I saw it in the theater, I was shocked. I almost thought if you hadn't read the book it wouldn't make sense. I didn't say anything to Francis because it was his movie. But I had the same experience he did--receiving letter after letter saying, 'Great cast, I love the movie, but where's the rest of the book?'"

Coppola has said he put the scenes back in the film because he wants to please the many fans of Hinton's classic young adult novel.