2022 Blind Spot Series: The Bigamist

 

Directed by Ida Lupino and screenplay by Collier Young from a story by Lawrence B. Marcus and Lou Schor, The Bigamist is the story of a traveling salesman from San Francisco who has a life there but another life in Los Angeles where an adoption agent discovers this man’s immoral act. The film is an exploration of a man caught between two lives as well as the fact that he’s in love with these two women. Starring Edmond O’Brien, Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, and Edmund Gwenn. The Bigamist is a riveting and somber film from Ida Lupino.

The film is the story of a traveling salesman from San Francisco whose wife wants to adopt a child where an adoption agent becomes suspicious and learns that this man has another wife and a child in Los Angeles. It is a film with a simple premise as it also has a unique structure in Collier Young’s screenplay where the first 20 minutes is about this traveling salesman in Harry Graham (Edmond O’Brien) as he is meeting this adoption agent in Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn) who notices something is off about Harry during their meeting that included Harry’s wife Eve (Joan Fontaine). Mr. Jordan goes to Los Angeles to know more about Harry in his business trips to the city where he finds a name similar to Harry in an address where he makes this discovery.

It is where the film’s tone becomes a reflective one where Harry tells his story to Mr. Jordan about the fact that he has another wife in Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino) whom he had met at a bus tour as they just clicked despite not romantically being interested in one another. During the course of the film, Harry struggles to do the right thing for both women but circumstances beyond his control as it relates to Eve’s own family issues and Phyllis’ health forces him to be with both whenever he can as both women are unaware of each other’s existence.

Lupino’s direction is largely straightforward in its visuals though there are bits that do play like a noir film of sorts though it is largely a dramatic film set and shot in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. While there are wide shots to establish some of the locations, much of Lupino’s direction is intimate as it play into the drama with the usage of medium shots and close-ups. Lupino also maintains this tense atmosphere in the conversation between Mr. Jordan and Harry with the latter talking about how he met Phyllis and how their relationship only began slowly because both of them were lonely with Harry often feeling secondary to Eve who is dealing with her ailing father. Lupino’s direction showcase the conflict that Harry is dealing with where he thinks about leaving Eve because she’s been distant in order to be with Phyllis but then Eve calls him to be more involved emotionally as things get more complicated. Even in the third act where Mr. Jordan processes Harry’s story where Lupino showcase how complicated things are as its ending is heartbreaking not just for the women but also for Harry who knew things weren’t going to end well. Overall, Lupino crafts a compelling yet haunting film about a man who is married to two women.

Cinematographer George E. Diskant does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography where it is largely straightforward for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of some lights for some of the scenes at night. Editor Stanford Tischler does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some nice usage of transitional dissolves to play into the drama. Art director James W. Sullivan and set decorator Edward G. Boyle do fantastic work with the look of the home that Graham lives with Phyllis as well as the Chinese restaurant where Phyllis worked at. The sound work of Dick Tyler Sr. and Howard Wilson is terrific for its natural approach to the sound from the way some noise is presented at a party to the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Leith Stevens is wonderful for its lush orchestral score that ranges from its dramatic and somber themes to suspenseful themes with the string arrangements to play into Harry’s plight.

The film’s superb ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from George Lee as the Chinese restaurant head waiter Sam, John Maxwell as the judge in the film’s final scene, Lilian Fontaine as Phyllis’ landlady, Peggy Maley as a phone operator that works in the L.A. building where Harry would work at, Jane Darwell as Mr. Jordan’s cleaning lady Mrs. Connelley, and Kenneth Tobey as Harry’s lawyer Tom Morgan. Edmund Gwenn is brilliant as Mr. Jordan as an adoption agent who is suspicious about Harry as he tries to figure him out as he would later listen to Harry’s story where he makes his own assessment revealing to be a man who has a job to do but is sympathetic to Harry’s issues. Joan Fontaine is amazing as Eve as Harry’s wife/business partner as a woman who was emotionally-detached for a time due to her ailing father as she is someone who is always good to him and hopes adopting a child would bring them closer.

Ida Lupino is amazing as Phyllis as a woman who works at a Chinese restaurant as she befriends Harry through mutual loneliness as they have a tryst that at first meant nothing until she realizes she is pregnant while also realizing how much they care for each other. Finally, there’s Edmond O’Brien in an incredible performance as Harry Graham as a traveling salesman who is in love with two women as he puts himself in an awful situation as it is largely driven by uncertainty and loneliness where O’Brien displays that vulnerability of a man who knew he had done something wrong but couldn’t help but try to make things right for these two women.

The Bigamist is a phenomenal film from Ida Lupino that features great performances from Lupino, Edmond O’Brien, Joan Fontaine, and Edmund Gwenn. Along with its simplistic presentation as well as its study of bigamy and a man’s conflict in the decisions he’s made. It is a film that definitely explore a subject matter with great sensitivity while also knowing the implications it would cause in the lives of three people. In the end, The Bigamist is a sensational film from Ida Lupino.

Ida Lupino Films: (Not Wanted) – (Never Fear) – Outrage (1950 film) - (Hard, Fast, and Beautiful) – The Hitch-Hiker - (The Trouble with Angels)

© thevoid99 2022

2021 Blind Spot Series: The Hitch-Hiker

 

Directed by Ida Lupino and written by Lupino and Collier Young from a story by Daniel Mainwaring and adapted by Robert L. Joseph, The Hitch-Hiker is the story of two friends who pick up a hitch-hiker unaware that he’s a sociopath who has taken them hostage as the two friends try to escape from this man. Based on the real-life killing spree by Billy Cook as it is a suspense drama that play into two friends who deal with the presence of a man who is intent on bringing fear. Starring Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, and William Talman. The Hitch-Hiker is a riveting and chilling film from Ida Lupino.

The film is about a hitch-hiker who is on a killing spree as he kills those who pick up him as he is then picked up by two men who are in Mexico on a fishing trip as they become aware of who they just picked up as they cope with the situation they’re in. It is a film with a simple premise as it play into these two men who find themselves picking up a sociopath with a gun as he orders them to do thing they’re not comfortable with in a land where barely anyone speaks English. The film’s screenplay by Ida Lupino and Collier Young is straightforward yet it opens with a montage of the series of murders committed by Emmett Myers (William Talman) who kills his victims whenever they resist, take their money, and their car until the car runs out of gas and then hitch-hikes to be picked up by anyone else who would become victims.

For Roy Collins (Edmond O’Brien) and Gilbert Bowens (Frank Lovejoy), picking up Myers and then realizing who he is would be a decision these two men have to cope with. Even as they realize how controlling he is and how they can’t even escape whenever they’re sleeping as it adds to the dramatic suspense. There is also a subplot involving U.S. and Mexican police forces trying to find Myers as well as discovering that Collins and Bowens are taken hostage as the Mexican police would ask locals as it would lead to some major discoveries.

Lupino’s direction does bear some style from the opening sequence of images of faceless victims lying dead as well as stock footage of police cars on the chase as it play into the severity of the situation that Collins and Bowens are to face. Shot largely on location in desert areas in California, Lupino does use some wide shots to play into the scope of the locations yet maintains a simplistic approach to play into the sense of terror that occurs in the film through medium shots and close-ups. Lupino’s usage of medium shots for the scenes of the three principle characters in the car doesn’t just play into the suspense along with scenes outside the car where Myers is often seen from the overhead looking at Collins and Bowers sleeping on their sleeping bags as the two men watch in fear.

Lupino also uses the locations such as the desert to play into the setting that is unforgiving as it adds to the drama where Myers maintains a sense of control while Collins and Bowers are dealing with injuries, lack of resources, and being threatened with death. Even in scenes set in the night as it play into the suspense that include the film’s climax as it relates to the destination that Myers wanted to go into as adds to the tension. Notably as it play into Myers being this man of threat and treating Collins and Bowers horrifically to the point that the two men deal with the fact that he is a madman that needs to be stopped. Overall, Lupino crafts a gripping and unsettling film about two men who are taken hostage by a scary hitchhiker.

Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it play into its low-budget aesthetics with its somewhat-grainy presentation that does add to the sense of terror and realism into the film for much of the exterior scenes in the day and night. Editor Douglas Stewart does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense along with bits of transition wipes and dissolves to add to the drama. Art directors Albert S. D’Agostino and Walter E. Keller, with set decorators Harley Miller and Darrell Silvera, do fantastic work with the look of the grocery stores and cantinas that the three men stop at as well as the gas station and the port in the film’s climax.

The sound work of Roy Meadows and Clem Portman is superb for the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of gunfire and such that add to the suspense. The film’s music by Leith Stevens is amazing for its soaring orchestral score that play into the suspense and sense of terror with loud and bombastic strings as it adds to the film’s unsettling tone.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from radio announcer Wendell Niles as himself, Jean Del Val as an inspector, Clark Howat as a government agent who works with the Mexican authorities, Natvidad Vacio as a man named Jose who gives Myers the name of a boat he can use, and Jose Torvay as Captain Alvarado as the leader of the Mexican police in the search for Myers. Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy are incredible in their respective roles as Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen as two men who are going on a fishing trip until they pick up Myers where they deal with their situation as well as try to escape with O’Brien as the more sensible Collins who is able to speak Spanish while Lovejoy as the latter is a skilled mechanic who would also deal with the brunt of Myers’ physical abuse. Finally, there’s William Talman in a phenomenal performance as Emmett Myers as this sociopathic serial killer who hitch-hikes his way to Mexico as he brings terror to these two men as well as being someone that isn’t a fool while can also do things to instill fear as he is one of the most chilling figures to ever grace the cinema.

The Hitch-Hiker is a tremendous film from Ida Lupino that features great performances from William Talman, Edmond O’Brien, and Frank Lovejoy. Along with its eerie visuals, minimalist premise, a haunting music score, and its sense of terror, the film is definitely a neo-noir film that doesn’t play by convention while being a study of two men being held hostage by a madman. In the end, The Hitch-Hiker is a spectacular film from Ida Lupino.

Ida Lupino Films: (Not Wanted) – (Never Fear) – Outrage – (Hard, Fast, and Beautiful) – The Bigamist – (The Trouble with Angels)

© thevoid99 2021

The Other Side of the Wind

Directed and co-edited by Orson Welles and written by Welles and Oja Kodar, The Other Side of the Wind is the story of the last day in the life of a filmmaker who is trying to complete his comeback film at a screening party. Shot from 1970 to 1976 sporadically, the film that was meant to be Welles’ return to narrative-based filmmaking is a satire of European cinema and New Hollywood as well the Hollywood of old in this multi-layered film that play into the struggles of a man trying to get back in the game. Starring John Huston, Oja Kodar, Bob Random, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg, Lilli Palmer, Norman Foster, Edmond O’Brien, Mercedes McCambridge, Cameron Mitchell, Paul Stewart, Gregory Sierra, Tonio Stelwart, and Dan Tobin. The Other Side of the Wind is a rapturous and evocative film from Orson Welles.

Set in what would be a man’s last day, the film revolves a filmmaker trying to finish his film entitled The Other Side of the Wind as he would screen at his home for his 70th birthday which would also be a screening party. Surrounded by an entourage that includes his collaborators, a protégé, a documentary film crew, and many others, the man discusses the film and ponders if it will ever be seen to a wide audience. The film’s screenplay by Orson Welles and Oja Kodar does follow a straightforward narrative as it relates to the life of filmmaker J.J. “Jake” Hannaford (John Huston) whose career had been in decline as he’s trying to create a comeback through this film that would be shown as it relates to a young man who meets a mysterious woman as they fall in love and later follow her through a desert. Throughout the course of the film, Hannaford is having a party with this barrage of guests including filmmakers, film buffs, a documentary film crew, Hannaford’s collaborators, colleagues, the mute starlet (Oja Kodar), and film critic/journalist Juliette Riche (Susan Strasberg).

Yet, the one person that is missing which had complicated the final days of production is its star John Dale (Bob Random) whom Hannaford discovered in Acapulco when he saw Dale attempted suicide. Many wondered where Dale is while Hannaford is also trying to get funding to do more work in finishing the film as he even turns to his protégé in filmmaker Brooks Otterlake (Peter Bogdanovich) for help only for things to fall apart. Especially as those who are part of Hannaford’s entourage including collaborators and close friends try to figure out the man who is starting to unravel through alcohol while contemplating the idea of making a film that he could be proud of.

Welles’ direction is definitely stylized in terms of its presentation where it dwell into many ideas that was prevalent in the 1960s/1970s as it is shot mainly at a house in Phoenix, Arizona as Reseda, California, Beverly Hills at Peter Bogdanovich’s home, Connecticut, France at Welles’ own home, and other locations in Europe and Southwest America. The scenes of Hannaford being documented and having his party is shot in a mixture of black-and-white film stock and color as it’s presented in a 1:37:1 full-frame aspect ratio in a cinema verite style with a documentary film crew often being shown. There’s a looseness to the direction with its usage of hand-held cameras where Welles would play into the raucous atmosphere of the party while including moments of Hannaford’s entourage talking to each other with appearances from filmmakers wanting to meet Hannaford. There are also these moments through the editing by Welles, along with additional work by Bob Murawski in the 2017 edits that was overseen by Bogdanovich and producer Frank Marshall who was a unit production manager during its filming, which play to the chaos where Welles would create these rapid cuts for the conversations or make a strange transition of a footage shot in black-and-white to a shot in color.

The scenes of Hannaford’s film The Other Side of the Wind is presented in an entirely different aspect ratio in a widescreen format and in full color reminiscent of some of the European art-house films of the 1960s/1970s with Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point being the obvious influence. The usage of the wide shots would play into the striking compositions that play into this air of mystery relating to these two characters played by Random and Kodar as they never say a word in the film. The film The Other Side of the Wind that Hannaford is making has no plot as it is about these two people who meet, meet again at a club, have sex in a car, and then go into the desert for more sex and intrigue. It’s Welles playing up the pretentious elements of European cinema with its methodical approach to long shots and editing as well as the idea that there isn’t much to explain.

Welles would move back and forth into Hannaford’s party and clips of his film as it would deviate more into chaos as the party winds down where Welles’ usage of close-ups and medium shots add to the discomfort that is looming. Even in a moment that involves Hannaford shooting dummies mixed in with these moments of partying from the guests have this bizarre quality that is to represent the sense of loss and uncertainty in Hannaford in his final day. The film’s climax at this empty drive in where Hannaford shows his guest the last portion of his film is to represent a man desperate to show his film but also deal with his own identity as an artist and as a man. Overall, Welles crafts an abstract yet exhilarating about a man’s final day as he tries to show his film to numerous partygoers at his home.

Cinematographer Gary Graver does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of black-and-white film stock to play into some of the elements of the party as well as scenes of characters talking at Hannaford’s home and at the drive-in while the usage of color is vibrant that is most notable in Hannaford’s film with its approach to naturalistic photography. Art director Polly Platt does amazing work with the decayed sets at Hannaford’s film including the club as well as some of the interiors at Hannaford’s home. Costume designer Vincent Marich does nice work with the costumes from the look of the characters in Hannaford’s film including their lack of clothing as well as the array of casual and stylish look of the people at Hannaford’s parties.

Visual effects supervisors Joe Ceballos, John Knoll, and Brian Meanley do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it appear in only a couple of sequences as it relates to some dummies on rocks and a small moment in the film’s finale. Sound editors Scott Millan and Daniel Saxlid do superb work with the sound in capturing all of the spoken dialogue in the film as well as providing a balanced mix by Millan who would also do much of the work from its 2017 post-production period. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is excellent for its jazz-based piano score with elements of somber brass arrangements and a few string-based arrangements as it adds to the sense of melancholia in the film while music supervisor Carter B. Smith help cultivate a music soundtrack that features some rock music as well as jazz and classical that appears in Hannaford’s film and at Hannaford’s home.

The film’s wonderful cast features appearances from filmmakers such as Dennis Hopper, Claude Chabrol, Paul Mazursky, Curtis Harrington, and Henry Jaglom as themselves along with a young Cameron Crowe, Rich Little, Stephane Audran, Les Moonves, Richard Wilson, and George Jessel as party guests. Other noteworthy small roles include Gene Clark as a film projectionist, Howard Grossman as Hannaford’s biographer Charles Higgam, Cathy Lucas as a young admirer of Hannaford in Mavis Henscher, Pat McMahon as the film journalist Marvin P. Fassbender, Geoffrey Land as film studio boss Max David who isn’t fond of what Hannaford has done, Dan Tobin as Dr. Bradley Pease Burroughs whose pupil is Hannaford’s leading man, Robert Aitken as the driver in Hannaford’s film, Tonio Stelwart as Hannaford’s business partner/screenwriter in the Baron, Paul Stewart as Hannaford’s personal assistant Matt Costello, and Gregory Sierra as screenwriter Jack Simon who believes that Hannaford is gay.

Cameron Mitchell and Mercedes McCambridge are terrific in their respective roles as Hannaford’s collaborators in makeup artist Matt “Zimmie” Zimmer and film editor Maggie Noonan who both deal with the craziness of the production with the former being someone often fired and rehired while the latter is more concerned about the final version of the film. Edmond O’Brien is superb as one of Hannaford’s cronies in Pat Mullins who always drinks and say weird things on a megaphone while Lilli Palmer is fantastic as retired actress Zarah Valeska who hosts Hannaford’s party as she talks to the documentary crew about Hannaford. Bob Random is fantastic as Hannaford’s leading man Oscar “John” Dale as a young man Hannaford discovered and cast him for the film only to walk out during production and never return. Oja Kodar is excellent as Hannaford’s unnamed leading lady as this mysterious woman who, like Dale, never speaks throughout the film as she is an object of desire but also something far more intriguing when she appears at the party.

Norman Foster is brilliant as a friend/former child actor of Hannaford who is also an apologist and defender trying to protect his friend’s reputation to a fault while Peter Bogdanovich is amazing as Hannaford’s protégé in filmmaker Brooks Otterlake as a man who worships Hannaford but becomes frustrated by his drinking and lack of progress forcing him to confront the man’s many faults. Susan Strasberg is incredible as film journalist/critic Juliette Riche as a woman who is trying to get some answers from Hannaford about his films as well as try to figure out his newest film which she is seeing for the first time like everyone else. Finally, there’s John Huston in a phenomenal performance as J.J. “Jake” Hannaford as a filmmaker living his final day trying to finish his comeback film and show it to the world while dealing with the lack of funds and support of the film as it’s Huston in one of his finest performance with additional voice-dubbing by his son in actor Danny Huston.

The Other Side of the Wind is a sensational film from Orson Welles. Featuring a great cast, a dazzling mixture of cinematic styles, bizarre mediations of identity and desire, and Michel Legrand’s sumptuous score. It’s a film that is offbeat in its presentation while also challenging in its approach to narrative and ideas about cinema itself. In the end, The Other Side of the Wind is a spectacular film from Orson Welles.

Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Stranger (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin - Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - Chimes at Midnight - The Immortal Story - F for Fake - Filming Othello

Related: Zabriskie Point - Orson Welles: The One-Man Band – The Eyes of Orson Welles - They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2018

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Based on the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the story of an attorney whose encounters with a notorious outlaw has him teaming up with a gunslinger to deal with him in order to protect the people at a small town in the West. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck, the film is an exploration of two men with different ideas of the world who team up to face off against someone who just wants to bring chaos into the world. Starring John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O’Brien, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan, Woody Strode, Strother Martin, and Lee Van Cleef. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a grand yet evocative film from John Ford.

The film is essentially a reflective story in which a senator recalls a time in his life when he was just an attorney arriving into a small town in the West where he tries to stand up against a notorious outlaw where he later teams up with a gunslinger and a few others in making a stand against him. Especially as he would later become a pillar of hope in a town that is still ravaged with fear prompting this attorney from the East to make a difference. The film’s screenplay begins with Ranse Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) arriving to the small town of Shinbone as the local press wonder why he’s there. He then tells them the story of how he first came to the town 25 years earlier where he would meet Hallie and stand up to the outlaw known as Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) after trying to stop him from robbing a widow during a stagecoach robbery. After being healed by Hallie and a local rancher in Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), Stoddard would do whatever he can to help the town.

Stoddard is a man that is educated and isn’t willing to be violent as he is trying to make sure there’s some law and order in this small town he’s arrived in as he also wants to be there for the people whether it’s to defend them in a court of law or teach them how to read and write. He would live at the restaurant that Hallie works at while doing his law practice at the local newspaper run by its publisher Dutton Peabody (Edmond O’Brien) who would befriend Stoddard as they would team up for an election on statehood. While Doniphon appreciates what Stoddard is doing, he feels that Stoddard is also just making things troubling because of Valance who wants to maintain his own power by beating up anyone or kill someone. Doniphon is a no-nonsense man who can read and write but knows how lawless the West can be as he is the only man that can out-gun Valance.

John Ford’s direction is definitely rapturous in terms of some of the visuals he creates as well as the fact that much of the story is told in a reflective manner by Stoddard to a journalist. Shot on the studio backlots at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, the film is more intimate in terms of its location even though there are a few scenes set in the desert as much of it is shot at a soundstage as the fictional town of Shinbone. While there are some wide shots of some of those locations, Ford would emphasize more on close-ups and medium shots for much of the film as it relate to the intimacy in the story as well as capturing some of the conversations and moments with the characters. Notably in the scenes that show Stoddard doing all sorts of things whether in educating some of the locals, cleaning the dishes at the restaurant where he’s staying at, or looking at Peacock’s articles. While much of the film is dramatic with some suspense, Ford would infuse the film with bits of humor such as a scene where Doniphon would show Stoddard how to shoot a gun as it would reveal how tough Stoddard really is.

As for some of the action, there are moments where the violence is quite brutal such as the Stoddard’s first encounter with Valance where Valance would whip him such a visceral way. The scenes where Valance is around is always filled with dread as the man is quite unpredictable as he would just scare people with his presence or through his violent actions. There is a showdown that would occur between Stoddard and Valance but it’s a very unusual showdown early in its third act. Notably as it would be followed by its aftermath as it relates to not just what happened to Valance but also who shot him as it would create this myth that is very unsettling. Overall, Ford creates a mesmerizing yet intense film about a lawyer and a gunslinger standing up against a notorious outlaw.

Cinematographer William H. Clothier does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography from the sunny look of the daytime exteriors to some of the stylish usage of shadows and shades for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Otho Lovering does excellent work with the film’s editing as it has some stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense as well as some straightforward cuts for the drama. Art directors Eddie Imazu and Hal Pereira, with set decorators Sam Comer and Darrell Silvera, do fantastic work with the look of the saloons, restaurants, and Doniphon’s ranch as well as the interiors of some of the buildings in the film.

Costume designer Edith Head does nice work with the costumes from the look of the hats and clothes the men wear to some of the dresses that Hallie wears. Sound recordists Charles Grenzbach and Philip Mitchell do terrific work with the sound as it play into raucous sound of the meetings as well as in some of the moments of suspense as it relates to the showdown between Stoddard and Valance. The film’s music by Cyril J. Mockridge and Alfred Newman is wonderful for its mixture of bombastic orchestra music with its large brass arrangements and string flourishes for some of the dramatic moments as the score also include some folk-based music of the times.

The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Denver Pyle and O.Z. Whitehead as the father-son duo of Amos and Herbert Carruthers, Willis Bouchey as a train conductor, Joseph Hoover as a journalist interviewing Stoddard in the film’s beginning, Jeanette Nolan and John Qualen as the Swedish immigrant couple in the Ericsons who work with Hallie at the restaurant, John Carradine as a speaker for a convention representing those in favor of territory rights, Ken Murray as the local doctor Doc Willoughby, Strother Martin and Lee Van Cleef as two of Valance’s henchman in their respective roles as Floyd and Reese, and Woody Strode as Doniphon’s ranch hand Pompey as an African-American that is very helpful as well as wanting to be educated by Stoddard. Andy Devine is terrific as the local marshal Link Appleyard as a man that has a hard time upholding the law as he’s afraid of Valance as he is kind of the film’s comic relief. Edmond O’Brien is excellent as Dutton Peabody as the local newspaper publisher who is full of gusto in the things he says while admittedly being a drunk but a man that can rile up Valance through his words.

Vera Miles is amazing as Hallie as a local woman who runs a restaurant as she is courted by Doniphon as she would fall for Stoddard whom she sees as a man that can help her as well as make her into something more. Lee Marvin is brilliant as Liberty Valance as a brutish outlaw who likes to wreak havoc on the people as he tries to assert his own power and whatever he can to play into his role in the West. James Stewart is incredible as Ranse Stoddard as an attorney who is trying to help the locals in the small town as he also stands up to Valance where he is forced to see what he has to do to deal with him. Finally, there’s John Wayne in a phenomenal performance as Tom Doniphon as it is a performance where Wayne display some charm as well as humility as a gunslinger that is the one person that can deal with Valance but also is aware of what Stoddard is trying to do for the town as he would take action that would prove to be catastrophic for both men.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a sensational film from John Ford that features great performances from John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, and Lee Marvin. Along with its dazzling visuals and a compelling take on heroism, it’s a film that explore what some will do to help people not be afraid from the presence of an outlaw but also into the myths of the West. In the end, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a tremendous film from John Ford.

© thevoid99 2017

Julius Caesar (1953 film)

Based on the play by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar is the story about the death of Rome’s great leader in the hands of conspirators as Romans seek revenge. Written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film is a homage to Shakespeare’s play as well as presenting it as a cinematic epic. Starring Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, Louis Calhern, Edmond O’Brien, Greer Garson, and Deborah Kerr. Julius Caesar is a compelling film from Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

With Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) rising into power, not everyone in the Senate is happy about this as Cassius (John Gielgud) conspires to rid of Caesar. After convincing Marcus Brutus (James Mason) to join in assassinating Caesar, Brutus isn’t sure as he adores Caesar though doesn’t agree with Caesar’s ambitions. After a series of meetings where Casca (Edmond O’Brien) joins the group, Brutus remains unsure as his wife Portia (Deborah Kerr) is suspicious about his behavior. After Caesar’s wife Calpurnia (Greer Garson) has a nightmare thinking that Caesar would be killed, Caesar decides to attend the Senate meeting where he is eventually killed and betrayed by Brutus. Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) witnesses the aftermath as he confronts Brutus and Cassius over what they did as he later vows revenge.

After a speech in which Antony talks about Caesar to the Romans, war emerges as Antony and Octavius (Douglass Watson) lead a revolt against Cassius and Brutus. Still haunted by his actions, Brutus deals with his own issues as the ghost of Caesar emerges. Wanting to move the army, they’re ambushed by Antony’s men prompting Cassius and Brutus to realize their fates.

The film is a dramatic telling of Shakespeare’s play of tragedy and political conspiracy that is created for the screen. While a lot of Shakespeare’s dialogue and setting is there, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s screenplay tends to draw out some of the monologue a little too long in some scenes. Notably in the film’s first half where the conspirators make their plans where some of the monologue is engaging but at times, they tend to drag out the story. By the time the film moves into its second half, the story becomes much looser once battle starts to emerge as well as Brutus’ internal conflicts.

Mankiewicz’s direction is wonderful for the way he captures the actors with amazing close-ups and creating wide shots for some crowd scenes. Notably in the scenes where characters like Brutus, Cassius, and Antony give their respective monologues as the camera is always on them. While there’s some great direction in these monologues, the only problem is that at times. They go out for a little too long as there’s not enough interaction between characters in those scenes with the exception of Antony’s speech to the crowd. For the film’s second half involving the war, Mankiewicz does create some entrancing scenes where it involves cloudy grounds to express the sense of dread that occurs. Overall, Mankiewicz creates a solidly-crafted film that plays true to William Shakespeare’s theatrical setting.

Cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg does excellent work with the film‘s black and white cinematography to capture the gorgeous setting of the Roman Empire along with wonderful interior shots of the Senate Halls in the film‘s climatic assassination scene. Editor John Dunning does nice work with the editing to use dissolves and fade-outs to help smooth out the transition while a lot of the cutting is very straightforward. Art directors Edward C. Carfagno and Cedric Gibbons, with set decorators Hugh Hunt and Edwin B. Willis, do brilliant work with the set pieces such as the Senate Hall and palaces the characters live in during the time of the Romans.

Costume designer Herschel McCoy does terrific work with the making of the robes many of the characters wear along with the armor for the climatic battle scene towards the end of the film. Sound mixer Robert Shirley does superb work with the sound from the way the swords move in the assassination scenes to the atmosphere of the crowd scenes. The film’s score by Miklos Rozsa is very good for its bombastic orchestral pieces for some of the film’s key intense moments along with more serene pieces for some of the film’s calmer moments.

The casting by Mel Ballerino is remarkable for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from John Hardy as Brutus’ young aide Lucius, Richard Hale as the blind soothsayer who warns Caesar early in the film, Alan Napier as Cicero, and Douglass Watson as Octavius. Other notable small roles include Deborah Kerr in a small but memorable performance as Brutus’ concerned wife Portia and Greer Garson in a very good performance as Caesar’s fearful wife Calpurnia. Edmond O’Brien is wonderful as Cassius’ friend Casca who takes part in the assassination plot while Louis Calhern is terrific in his small role as Julius Caesar.

James Mason is excellent as the conflicted Brutus who loves Caesar as he’s manipulated into killing him only to become consumed with guilt over what he’s done. John Gielgud is brilliant as the manipulative Cassius whose biting monologue about ambition and chaos has him stealing the film from nearly everyone. Finally, there’s Marlon Brando as Mark Antony where Brando gets a chance to show his skills as a theatrical actor while spouting great monologues with an intensity that is almost un-matched by everyone as it’s one of his essential performances.

Julius Caesar is a stellar yet engrossing film from Joseph L. Mankiewicz thanks in part to the thrilling performances of Marlon Brando, John Gielgud, and James Mason. While it isn’t a perfect film due to a few pacing issues, it is still a film that anyone interesting in acting must see. Notably for the monologues given by masters like Gielgud and Brando where they each give great lessons in the art of acting. In the end, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s take on William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a fantastic film for anyone that is interested in the art of acting.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Films: (Dragonwyck) - (Somewhere in the Night) - (The Late George Apley) - (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) - (Escape (1948 film)) - (A Letter to Three Wives) - (House of Strangers) - (No Way Out (1950)) - All About Eve - (People Will Talk) - (5 Fingers) - (The Barefoot Contessa) - (Guys and Dolls) - (The Quiet American (1958)) - (Cleopatra) - (Carol for Another Christmas) - (The Honey Pot) - (There Was a Crooked Man…) - (Sleuth)

© thevoid99 2012

The Wild Bunch

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/16/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Throughout the history of the Western genre, the formula of a Western film is often filled with a duel between a sheriff and a cowboy, whether either one is good or bad. Before the 1960s, the genre was dominated by the likes of John Ford and the films he made with John Wayne. Other Western directors like Anthony Mann, Howard Hawks, and Budd Boetticher were giving the genre some great visual scope and storylines that harkened to the traditional style. When the American Western started to decline in the early 60s thanks to the advent of television, the genre was being reinvented in Europe thanks to Italian directors, notably Sergio Leone. Around that same time, an American film director whose love for the Western was also trying to keep the genre alive. His name was Sam Peckinpah where by 1965, he had already created three films within the genre, 1961's The Deadly Companions, 1962's Ride the High Country, and 1965's Major Dundee. Then in 1969, Peckinpah released a film that not only reinvigorated the genre but also marked the beginning of the end of the West with his violent epic film, The Wild Bunch.

Story by Walon Green and Roy N. Sickner with a script by Green and Peckinpah, The Wild Bunch is a story of pride, honor, and ageism about two ageing thieves with three young men in the early 1900s hoping to make one last score before retirement in Mexico. Trying to capture them is one of their former comrades as the gang make way for Mexico where an offer to make more money is upon them leaving way for betrayal and loss. Taking the Western to newer and bloodier heights, Sam Peckinpah strays away from the myths and ideology by going into a world where the West is dying in its surroundings but not to its major characters. Starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Jaime Sanchez, Ben Johnson, and Alfonso Arau. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch is a bloody, uncompromising, no-holds-barred violent film that kicks the Western with a bang.

It's a nice day in a little quaint town where a funeral is held while children are watching ants kill a scorpion. Then comes a group of men wearing calvary uniform who are there for one reason once they arrive in a bank, to score some big money for their last heist. Leading the pack is the aging Pike (William Holden) with his longtime friend Dutch (Ernest Borgnine) along with some younger recruits in the brothers Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), Mexican friend Angel (Jaime Sanchez), and a crazy newcomer in Clarence Lee (Bo Hopkins). Taking hostages in the bank, Pike proclaims "If they move, kill 'em" while outside of the bank, a group of bounty hunters led by Pike's former comrade Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan) looks on to capture Pike and his men. Realizing they're trapped and by Thornton of all people, Pike and his bunch leave the bank to a wild, bloody battle that claims the life of some towns people and Clarence as they flee to Mexico.

Thornton's plan failed thanks to a couple of guncrazy hunters in Coffer (Strother Martin) and T.C. (L.Q. Jones) as they're all working for a railroad baron named Harrigan (Albert Dekker). Thornton is more conflicted since he wishes he could join Pike's bunch for one more wild ride. After nearing the border in an empty town to meet with their old friend Freddie Sykes (Edmond O'Brien), the bunch realizes the money they stole wasn't there at all as they've been set up to steal washers. Despite the disappointment, Pike hopes to go to Mexico while he and Dutch reminisce the old days as Pike flashes back about Thornton's capture that he felt is a reason for his betrayal. Going further into Mexico, they stop at the village where Angel once lived as they meet an old man named Don Jose (Chano Urueta) who is trying to protect his village from General Mapache (Emilio Fernandez) who is currently at war with anyone in league with Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. Angel wants to lead the fight as he learns that his old love Teresa (Sonia Amelio) is with Mapache as Pike figures that they go to Mapache for something.

The bunch goes to the town to meet Mapache and his men including Major Zamorra (Jorge Russek), Lieutenant Herrera (Alfonso Arau), and a German advisor named Mohr (Fernando Wagner). Angel nearly gets them in trouble when he violently confronts Teresa as Pike makes a deal with Mapache to go back to the U.S. to steal guns and ammunition for Mapache's army. The bunch gets a break as the Gorch brothers go into debauchery with some Mexican women while Angel makes a deal with Pike to get a case of guns for his village in exchange for the share of gold the bunch will get. Thornton, meanwhile plans to capture the bunch in the U.S. by trying to protect the latest shipment of guns for Harrigan.

The bunch returns to the U.S. where they manage to succeed in their mission as Thornton and his gang try to chase them in Mexico along with a U.S. calvary. The bunch almost get into trouble when they meet Mexican Indians only to get protection since they know Angel. After hiding from Thornton, the bunch meets with Herrera as they show them the guns and a lot more including a machine gun. They make a deal with Herrera to give them the shipments through a few meetings so the individual members of the bunch can get their share of the gold. When Dutch and Angel deliver the last shipment to Mapache, it all goes wrong when Angel is taken prisoner as Dutch is forced to leave him. Things get worse when Sykes is wounded on his way back from Mapache's fort when he's spotted by Thornton's men. Pike is forced to make some decisions as they hope to retrieve Angel as the four men make way for a violent, bloody showdown.

Westerns have always lived by a code of honor, especially when it comes to loyalty. In the case for The Wild Bunch, Peckinpah takes that code right to heart. Especially at a time when honor has been in question during the late 1960s at the Vietnam War. In Peckinpah's world, the West starts to die in this film as things like cars and airplanes start to arrive. That becomes real hard for men like Pike, Dutch, Sykes, and even Thornton as the world changes, even in a more loose world like Mexico where there's a car for the General. The car reveals Pike's hatred for the new, modern world as he even reminisces the old days of the West when he wanted everything, even a family with a woman named Aurora (Aurora Clavel). In many ways, the characters and Peckinpah share that sentiment of the old world and its order as the film really represents about a group of men wanting one last taste of the old ways before they die.

Still, despite all the bloodshed and style that Peckinpah presents. He is still a storyteller since the film is really about old men wanting one last chance of excitement by robbing things and stuff yet don't want to kill people unless they have to. While the action does keep the film exciting in every way whether it's against the Mexicans or Thornton's men, Peckinpah balances his love of bloodshed for moments of regret and joy. The script by Peckinpah and Walon Green reveal the kind of camaraderie the men have despite their own individual flaws. Plus, the dialogue between the men range from mean-spirited to just pure hilarity when in one scene just as the bunch are about to cross the border, Angel says "Mexico lindo" and Lyle says "I don't see anything so lindo about it". Even the sense of debauchery when the Gorch brothers swim in a pool of wine with Mexico women is all in good fun to reveal Peckinpah's sense of comedy.

That balance of violence, humor, drama, and sentimentality presents a complex, endearing vision of Peckinpah's perspective of the West. In a genre that is dying from its old model, Peckinpah, like Sergio Leone and the Italian Spaghetti Westerns before him, chose to reinvent the genre. Even to the point that they have to kill it in what became known as the Revisionist Western. For Peckinpah, the Western becomes a brutal allegory of sorts to what was going on in the late 1960s in the age of Vietnam as he decides to let it all out with the film's violence. The violence in the film is very brutal and today, it's still is but not by much in today's violence. Peckinpah's vision of violence is very uncompromising and not for the faint of heart.

Helping Peckinpah in this take of violence are two of his best collaborators in cinematographer Lucien Ballard and editor Lou Lombardo. Ballard's photography captures the tense atmosphere of the West from its sunny, hot deserts to the quaint, blue-green colors of Angel's village with only the moon and fires as the source of light. For some of the action scenes, Ballard's camera work goes from wonderful pans to excellent zooming and close-up shots that reveal his brilliance as a camera man and photographer. His work in the film's final shootout is even great. Lombardo's editing is also genius for its slow-motion editing of bodies falling down, men getting shot, and everything to give the film a sense of style. Lombardo's cutting from sequence to sequence with the use of dissolves, jump-cuts, and perspective cutting gives the film a wonderful rhythm where it moves very leisurely and not too fast as his work is filled with brilliance.

Art director Edward Carrere and wardrobe supervisor Gordon T. Dawson go great work in giving out the film's look from the decaying world of the Mexican fort to the modernization of the cars and guns as well as the look from cowboy gears to the business suit that the German men wear. The sound work of Robert J. Miller is also great for its sense of chaos in the film's violent sequences where the layers of screams, gunplay, bullets hitting bodies, and everything else brings the film to a world that is just crashing down. Jerry Fielding gives a great film score that is filled with amazing orchestral arrangements to play to the film's intensity of its violence and sentimentality while he creates a great drum cadence piece to build momentum for some of the film's violent sequences. The soundtrack is a mix of Fielding's score and Mexican folk music that plays well to the atmosphere that is Mexico.

The film's cast couldn't have been assembled any better as Peckinpah assembled a great cast filled with actors he loved along with great character actors. While actresses Aurora Clavel and Sonia Amelio didn't get much to do, they both bring in a different presence to their film as Clavel is great as Pike's love and Amelio as Angel's indifferent lover. Fernando Wagner as German advisor Mohr and Jorge Russek as Major Zamorra are great in their small roles as the villains while noted Mexican actor/director Alfonso Arau is very memorable as the charming Lt. Herrera. Chano Urueta is great as the aging Don Jose who shares the same ideals of the aging Pike and Dutch as his wiseness brings a great, memorable performance.

Notable Western character actors L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin bring the film's funniest performance as Thornton’s guncrazy, wild bounty hunters who both manage to steal every moment whenever they're on screen. Albert Dekker is great as the greedy Harrigan whose desire is to have money while Bo Hopkins is memorable as the crazy Clarence whose antics and naivete of the world of heist leads to his demise. Emilio Fernandez is great as the power-hungry, funny General Mapache whose love for the battlefield and great weapons, including torture, reveal a fun villain that everyone can remember as Fernandez brings all kinds of fun and sleaziness to a great role.

Jaime Sanchez is great as the lone Mexican of the bunch as Angel who serves not just as the conscience of the group but the one who is as less greedy of them. Sanchez is great in his role for standing among his American actors though in reality, he's Puerto Rican. Ben Johnson is excellent as Tector Gorch with his love for debauchery while equally as good is the late, great character actor Warren Oates who plays the more crazed brother of the bunch. Edmond O'Brien is also excellent as the old yet comical Sykes whose ideology and pride is shared among the older members of the bunch as he stands out for his comical presence.

Robert Ryan is brilliant as Deke Thornton, a man of conflict in his role as a hunter working for a railroad while wishing he could join the bunch as his character is really one of the more complex individuals of the film. Ernest Borgnine is amazing in the role of Dutch as the man who keeps the bunch together whenever they’re fragmented or wanting to break apart. Borgnine is really the group's moral reminder of the code of honor as he stands out for his knowledge and sentimentality for the old ways. William Holden gives probably one of his best performances of his career that ranged to many genres including the Western. Holden is just exhilarating as a man who is starting to feel his age while trying not to be humiliated by the younger members of the bunch. Holden brings a lot of depth to a man filled with pride and honor but also guilt and regret as Holden's face, notably his eyes tells the story of a man with a lot of history. Yet when Holden holds a gun and goes for the kill, he immediately transform into a cool badass.

The Region 1 2006 2-disc Special Edition of the Original Director's Cut of The Wild Bunch from Warner Brothers is truly a DVD that fans of the film will enjoy. The first disc presents the film with a new digital transfer where the entire film, in its director's cut print gives the film the same look when it was originally presented back in 1969. The film is shown on the widescreen, letterbox format of 16x9, 2:4:1 theatrical aspect ratio, which is the only way to see this film in all of its glory to enhance Lucien Ballard's wondrous cinematography. The first disc of the DVD also the 5.1 Dolby Digital audio format while its special features includes several trailers including a film collection of the work of James Dean and trailers to the films of Sam Peckinpah including Ride the High Country, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, The Getaway, and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.

The audio commentary feature of the director's cut is by several of Peckinpah biographers, documentarians, and scholars of his work like Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, and David Weddle. The commentary from the four men are wonderful to hear since they're having a lot of fun watching the film as they also recall the way Peckinpah worked and his collaboration with screenwriter Walon Green. They also go into detail on the technical aspects as well as many of the interpretations of the scenes in the film. A lot of Peckinpah trivia is there while they reveal what got cut from Peckinpah's original cut which included several flashback sequences and a very important scene involving Mapache fighting against Pancho Villa's men which were all cut for length reasons to Peckinpah's dismay. Overall, it's one of the more enjoyable commentaries of a Western film.

The second disc of the 2-DVD disc set features more special features starting with a nine-minute feature of outtakes of scenes from the film like extended takes and alternate angles of scenes like the desert scene, river border scene, the bridge scene, and the train robbery sequence. Three documentaries are the big features for this 2-DVD disc set starting with the 1996 Oscar nominated documentary short, The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage. The 33-minute doc short by Paul Seydor reveals black-and-white footage of the film behind the scenes as its being made with producer Nick Redman serving as narrator. The footage reveals the making of the film as well as two important sequences like the final battle and the bridge scene with several people including screenwriter Walon Green and the late Edmond O'Brien commenting on the making of the film through their voices as well as Peckinpah's daughter Sharon.

Actors do the voices of the other actors through interview excerpts with Ed Harris playing the role of Peckinpah reading his interviews and excerpts from his journal. The documentary overall is brilliant for its sheer look into Peckinpah's personality and work ethics while showing some great footage including a short of Ernest Borgnine doing extra work as a safety man helping out the stunt man for the bridge scene.

The second documentary feature is an excerpt of Nick Redman’s documentary A Simple Adventure Story: Sam Peckinpah, Mexico, and The Wild Bunch. The 24-minute doc is really a locations doc as Redman plus Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, and David Weddle join Peckinpah family friend Jesse Graham and Peckinpah's Mexican daughter Lupita on a journey through the film's locations where most of it was shot in a little town in the middle of Mexico. The doc covers the journey as they reach the little town and explore the abandoned, aging ruins that was the hacienda for General Mapache and see all of its areas in its desolated yet beautiful glory. A few miles away from that location is the camp where the bunch reunite with Sykes while nearby is the location of the town in the opening scene.

With the film's wardrobe supervisor Gordon T. Dawson interviewed about the locations and look of the film, the people in the doc realize that not much has changed except that some places are either looked a bit newer while others are just on the brink of extinction. It's an excellent documentary that reveals the locations from the men who loved Peckinpah's work and the daughter who never really knew her father.

The final documentary is from Starz/Encore movie channels called Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade. Featuring interviews with Peckinpah’s people like his biographers, family members, collaborators, actors including Kris Kristofferson, Stella Stevens, L.Q. Jones, and the late James Coburn. Also interviewed are several admirers like actors Billy Bob Thornton and Benicio del Toro plus film director Paul Schrader and critics like Elvis Mitchell, David Thomson, and Roger Ebert. Directed and produced by Tom Thurman with narration by Kris Kristofferson, the one-hour, 23-minute doc revealed the difficulties and excess of Peckinpah on and off the set which pertains to his legend.

The doc reveals his work in the Westerns which he loved since he was a kid as he started his career as a director working on Western TV shows before helming his feature, 1961's Western The Deadly Companions. Then in 1962, Peckinpah scored his first hit with Ride the High Country which revealed Peckinpah's love for heterosexual male bonding and old Western morals that starred aging Western actors Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott. 1965's Major Dundee proved to be difficult due to fight with studio people and producers and got into squabbles over the final cut as he was dissatisfied with the final result of the film. Then in 1969, he hit pay dirt with The Wild Bunch where once it was first screened during a press screening for new films by Warner Brothers, the film received a lot of controversy.

Roger Ebert recalled that screening and the press conference where Peckinpah and William Holden came to the conference hung over as a woman from The Reader's Digest asked why this film was made. Ebert was there and defended the film by proclaiming it to be a masterpiece while the film divided critics and audiences over its violent content. The film made Peckinpah a big time director while he had certain expectations on what to expect from him. 1970's Western drama The Ballad of Cable Hogue starring Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, and David Warner was well-received and is considered to be Peckinpah's favorite film that he did though it was criticized for its lack of violence. 1972's Junior Bonner also suffered the same criticism in a family drama starring Steve McQueen in a contemporary setting of the West where Peckinpah felt that whenever he brings violence to his films, he gets criticized and when he doesn't put violence, no one will see them.

The doc had brief mentions of the films Peckinpah made between 1969-1974 like Straw Dogs and The Getaway which weren't Westerns but had all of the elements of a Peckinpah film. 1973's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in what some say to many of Peckinpah's biographers and collaborators to be the beginning of the end for him. Peckinpah was notorious for his drinking at the time. Thornton and del Toro talked about some favorite scenes as del Toro thought it was cool seeing Bob Dylan throw a knife while Kris Kristofferson talked about his fond memories of making that film. 1974's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia was another contemporary Western set in the present where Elvis Mitchell said the film was really called Bring Me the Diseased Soul of Sam Peckinpah with longtime character actor Warren Oates playing the lead role. The film was panned by critics as Roger Ebert recalled who gave the film a four-star review and put in his best films list. The documentary winds down to Peckinpah's decline as his own children don't have anything bad to say about him even though he wasn't around them all the time yet he was there for them. Overall, it's a great doc.

More than 35 years since its release, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch is a quintessential, no-holds-barred, bloody, in-your-face film. Thanks to Peckinpah's wielding, uncompromising vision, and a superb cast, this film is no doubt one of the best movies ever as well as one of the great Westerns. Anyone who isn't into violent imagery or crass language and behaviors should stay away from this because they don't have the guts or cajones to watch this masterpiece. In many ways, this is a guy's movie since it has everything a guy wants. Lots of violence, sexy ladies, great codes of honor, some laughs, and realistic heterosexual male bonding. So in the end, if there's a film that delivers all of those things and gets an audience all riled up, it's The Wild Bunch by the legendary Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah

© thevoid99 2011