2023 Blind Spot Series: One-Eyed Jacks

 

Based on the novel The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones by Charles Neider, One-Eyed Jacks is the story of a bank robber who goes on a quest for revenge against his former partner who had abandoned him during a showdown with the Mexican mounted police. Directed by Marlon Brando and screenplay by Guy Trosper and Calder Willingham, the film is an exploration of a man trying to get revenge on the man who left him as well as hoping to rob a bank. Also starring Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Pina Pellicer, Larry Duran, Sam Gilman, Miriam Colon, Timothy Carey, Margarita Cordova, and Elisha Cook. Jr. One-Eyed Jacks is a gripping and evocative film from Marlon Brando.

Set in 1885, the film follows a bank robber, whose partner reluctantly abandoned him during a showdown between them and Mexican mounted police forces, who escapes a Mexican prison with a fellow cellmate as they travel to Monterey, California with a couple of men to rob a bank as well as get revenge on his former partner. It is a film that explores a man who felt cheated by his former partner who had ended up making a decent life for himself as a sheriff in Monterey while he spends five years in prison waiting to get revenge. The film’s screenplay by Guy Trosper and Calder Willingham, with un-credited contributions from Sam Peckinpah and Rod Serling, follows the journey that Rio goes through as he is first seen taking part of a bank robbery with his partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) and another robber in Doc (Hank Worden) in Mexico that is successful until Rio and Longworth are chased by the mounted police as they’re stuck on a hill with Longworth leaving to get new horses yet he never returned as Rio gets captured and spent five years in a prison which he would escape with Chico Modesto (Larry Duran).

Upon meeting Bob Emory (Ben Johnson) and his partner Harvey Johnson (Sam Gilman), Rio and Modesto travel to Monterey, California upon learning that Longworth is the sheriff in the town as he has married a Mexican woman in Maria (Katy Jurado) who has a daughter of her own in Louisa (Pina Pellicer). Though the plan is to rob the bank in Monterey, Rio decides to meet Longworth without stating his intentions while falling for Louisa as he spends time with her during a fiesta the next day. Yet, things get complicated where Longworth learn about what the two did where Rio gets punished as he and his gang are forced to leave as they shelter themselves in a beachside village as it plays into Rio’s sense of uncertainty about wanting to rob a bank. Even as Maria learns more about her husband’s past as well as what happened with Rio and Louisa that would complicate matters.

Marlon Brando’s direction is filled with gorgeous compositions as it is shot on various locations in California with Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula being key locations along with Sonora, Mexico for the scenes set in Mexico including its mountains. Brando’s approach to wide and medium shots add to the beauty of these locations with all of these meticulous attention to detail in the ocean waves that Brando captures to play into a world that feels new to Rio as it is also this escape from the rugged nature of Mexico that Longworth wants to leave behind. Brando also maintains some intimacy in the close-ups and medium shots in the first meeting in five years between Rio and Longworth as it play into the tension as Brando creates unique compositions in these moments. Notably in Rio’s infatuation towards Louisa as he would say some lies in order to woo her but eventually realize that she’s a good young woman whom he doesn’t want to take advantage of.

By the time the film moves into the second half where the tension between Rio and Longworth come to ahead despite the former’s action in saving a woman who is being abused by a man. It would allow Longworth to punish Rio in front of the town as revelations occur as it relates to Rio’s original intentions as he retreats to the beach as regrets come into play along with other revelations as it relates to Rio’s love for Louisa. Even as Maria begins to piece out Longworth’s issue with Rio during the film’s third act where a showdown would occur where the idea of vengeance shifts towards guilt with Rio realizing of what Longworth is trying to hold on to that only makes Longworth much worse. Overall, Brando crafts an exhilarating and mesmerizing film about a gunslinger going after his former partner for abandoning him following a bank robbery.

Cinematographer Charles Lang Jr. does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of Technicolor film stock to capture the beauty of the exteriors in the beaches and mountains while John P. Fulton provides some special photographic effects for some scenes on the beach as backdrops for a few of the film’s conversations including one between Rio and Louisa. Editor Archie Marshek does excellent work with the editing with its usage of straight cuts to play into the suspense and drama as well as knowing when to allow shots to linger to help amp up the suspense. Art directors Hal Pereira and J. McMillan Johnson, with set decorators Sam Comer and Robert Benton, do amazing work with the look of Monterey as well as the cantina in Sonora where Rio and Longworth went to after the robbery early in the film. Costume designer Yvonne Wood does fantastic work with the costumes in the dresses that the women wear along with the ragged look of Rio as well as the refined look that Longworth has as sheriff.

The makeup work of Yvonne Wood and Wally Westmore, with hair stylist Nellie Manley, do terrific work with the makeup from Longworth’s rugged look early in the film to the mustache he would have as sheriff as well as the look that Rio would have including the aftermath of a beating he would take from Longworth. The sound work of Hugo and Charles Grenzbach do superb work with the sound as it play into the natural elements as well as the sounds of gunfire from afar or up close. The film’s music by Hugo Friedhofer is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score as it plays into the sense of adventure and suspense as the soundtrack also include a flamenco piece for a key moment in the fiesta sequence.

The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Mina Martinez as a young woman Rio flirts with early in the film following the bank robbery, William Forrest as a bartender in Monterey, Hank Worden as Rio and Longworth’s robbery partner Doc, Philip Ahn as the owner of a beach hostel where Rio would recover in the film’s third act, Ray Teal and John Dierkes as a couple of deputies, Joe Dominguez as a corral owner, Tom Webb as the corral owner’s son, Joan Petrone as a flower vendor Rio flirts with to buy her necklace, Rodolfo Acosta as a Rurales captain, Margarita Cordova as the flamenco dancer, Timothy Carey as a local from Monterey who would be pushy towards the dancer at a bar, Miriam Colon as Longworth’s lover from Sonora whom Rio would meet five years later, and Elisha Cook Jr. as the banker who runs the bank at Monterey that Rio considers robbing. Sam Gilman is terrific as Harvey Johnson as a gunslinger Rio meets in Mexico as he is eager to rob a bank while Larry Duran is fantastic as Rio’s prison mate Chico Modesto who is sort of the film’s conscience as he is willing to help Rio while also knowing the conflict he’s dealing with.

Pina Pellicer is excellent as Louisa as Longworth’s step-daughter who falls for Rio though she is unsure about his intentions while learning about why he’s in Monterey where she begins to see things about Longworth that makes her uncomfortable. Slim Pickens is brilliant as Longworth’s deputy Lon Derrick as a man who doesn’t like Rio while is also infatuated with Louisa despite the fact that she thinks he’s a total creep. Ben Johnson is amazing as Bob Amory as a gunslinger Rio meets in Mexico who joins him on their journey to Monterey while also being someone who has issues with Rio over when to do the robbery as often finds a way to push Rio’s buttons. Katy Jurado is incredible as Longworth’s wife Maria as a woman who is given a great life in her marriage to Longworth only to become suspicious about Rio where revelations about Longworth’s past has her questioning things while discovering some things about Louisa’s relationship with Rio.

Karl Malden is phenomenal as Sheriff Dad Longworth as Rio’s former partner who had abandoned Rio following a showdown between him and Mexican mounted police forces as he creates a new life for himself only to deal with Rio where he is filled with guilt but also not wanting to reveal his own dark past that would eventually alienate him from his family. Finally, there’s Marlon Brando in a tremendous performance as Rio as a bank robber who seeks revenge on his former partner as he is hell-bent on getting revenge until he meets Louisa which complicates things. Brando brings this sense of restraint as a man that is conflicted in his actions but is also someone who is seeking justice of his own while also realizing the complications he is dealing with in his revenge plot as it is one of Brando’s finest performances.

One-Eyed Jacks is a sensational film from Marlon Brando that features incredible performances from Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson, and Pina Pellicer. Along with its gorgeous visuals, its unconventional study of vengeance and guilt, and an exhilarating music score. The film is a fascinating western that doesn’t play by many of its tropes in favor of exploring the path of two men who were once partners as it leads to this eerie world of vengeance and the revelations of how the past can affect someone’s future. In the end, One-Eyed Jacks is a spectacular film from Marlon Brando.

© thevoid99 2023

The Getaway (1972 film)

Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, The Getaway is the story of a criminal who is released from prison by his wife as they’re both on the run following a botched bank robbery as well as what the wife had to do to get her husband released. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Walter Hill, the film is a neo-noir film that explores a couple trying to survive while with things that nearly destroyed their marriage. Starring Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Letteri, Sally Struthers, Bo Hopkins, Jack Dodson, and Slim Pickens. The Getaway is a thrilling and compelling film from Sam Peckinpah.

The film follows a couple who go on the run after a robbery for a businessman went wrong as some secrets are unveiled that make things more complicated for this married couple. It’s a simple film that isn’t just about relationships and what some will do to help that person but also the severity of these sacrifices. Walter Hill’s screenplay doesn’t just show the intense love that Carter “Doc” McCoy (Steve McQueen) and his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) have for each other but also in the situation they’re in as play into corruption and deals of the worst kind. Especially as Doc is serving prison time for his own work as a robber as he is being denied parole until Carol makes a deal with the corrupt businessman Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson) to release Doc but Doc would have to perform a bank robbery with two other men.

Doc does the deal but the robbery doesn’t go well as one of his accomplices in Rudy (Al Letteri) would try to create a double-cross that failed only for Doc to realize he’s being double-crossed by Beynon who would reveal what Carol did to get Doc out of prison. Hill does create a unique structure where the first half is about Doc’s release, the botched robbery, and the ill-fated meeting with Beynon after the robbery while its second half is about Doc and Carol on the run as they ponder the future of their marriage. Yet, they’re being pursued by Beynon’s men and a wounded Rudy as well as the law where it just adds to the trouble that the McCoys would have to endure. Even as they try to make it to El Paso, Texas and reach the border with nearly half-a-million dollars which Beynon’s men and Rudy want.

Sam Peckinpah’s direction definitely bear a lot of the stylistic elements he’s known for with its usage of slow-motion to capture some of the graphic violence as well as its disdain for aspects of the modern world. Shot in various cities around Texas including San Antonio and El Paso, the film does have the feel of a western but it meshes with element of noir though not on a visual sense for the latter. While Peckinpah uses a lot of wide shots for the locations as well as some intense scenes in the violence. He would favor something that is more intimate as it relates to the McCoys’ relationship with each other as well as some of the characters they meet. Notably the scene after the botched robbery where there is this air of tension between Doc and Beynon as it has a lot of what is happening where it does play into the elements of film noir.

By the time the film reaches the second half where much of it is spent on the road where the McCoys are on the run. There is a looseness to the direction while Peckinpah would also maintain some suspense as it relates to a sequence involving a con man in a train or car chases involving the cops. The scenes on the road also pertain to Rudy where he holds a veterinarian and his wife hostage as it would create more issues as the wife would fall for Rudy. The climax is set at a hotel where many criminals would hide out as it is quite bloody as well as display some intricate framing in how Peckinpah would play into the suspense to see if the McCoys can survive the attack from all of these forces who doesn’t just want the money but also the McCoys dead. Overall, Peckinpah creates a captivating and gripping film about a married couple going on the run with nearly half-a-million dollars in cash.

Cinematographer Lucien Ballard does excellent work with the film‘s very sunny and colorful cinematography for many of the daytime exterior locations as well as some of the interiors while using low-key lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Robert L. Wolfe does fantastic work with the editing with its usage of slow-motion cuts, jump-cuts, and other stylistic moments to play into the suspense and violence. Art directors Angelo P. Graham and Ted Haworth, with set decorator George R. Nelson, do amazing work with the look of Beynon‘s house and office as well as the hotel that many of the criminals stay at near El Paso.

Sound editor Michael Colgan and Josef von Stroheim do superb work with the sound as it play into the chaotic sounds of gunfire and violence as well as some of the moments involving the car chases and dumpster truck scene. The film’s music by Quincy Jones is brilliant for its jazz-like score with elements of rock, country, and funk as it play into the energy of the film as well as some of the somber moments as it is a highlight of the film.

The casting by Patricia Mock is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Dub Taylor as the hotel owner Laughlin, Bo Hopkins as a robber in part of the heist who would fuck things up accidentally, Richard Bright as the con man that tried to steal the bag of money from Carol, Roy Jenson as Beynon’s business partner Cully, Jack Dodson as the veterinarian named Harold whom Rudy would hold hostage to fix him up, and Slim Pickens in a brief yet superb performance as a cowboy Doc and Carol would meet as he is just so fun to watch in his brief cameo. Sally Struthers is pretty good as Harold’s wife Fran who would fall for Rudy as she does whatever she can to help Rudy while being frightened by the chaos around her. Al Letteri is fantastic as Rudy as a robber who tries to double-cross Doc as he would survive their encounter as he goes after him and Carol.

Ben Johnson is excellent as Jack Beynon as a corrupt businessman who would use his influence to get Doc out on parole but he would also do things to Doc that would just push the McCoys to the edge. Finally, there’s the duo of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Doc and Carol McCoy. McQueen provides that sense of bravado and grittiness to his performance as a robber that knows everything but would display some vulnerability and humility into what his wife had to do to get him out of jail. MacGraw’s performance as Carol shows a woman that is desperate to help her husband anyway she can as she then feels disappointed and ponders if she made the right decision. McQueen and MacGraw definitely display some chemistry that bring some realism to the couple in the way they love each other as well as express their own frustrations as it plays true to the world of noir.

The Getaway is a phenomenal from Sam Peckinpah that features great performances from Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw. Featuring a superb supporting cast, gorgeous locations, thrilling action, and a snazzy score from Quincy Jones. The film is one of Peckinpah’s more accessible films as well as a great blend of noir and suspense with bits of the western. In the end, The Getaway is an incredible film from Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - Pat Garrett and 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 2016

Major Dundee

Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Peckinpah, Harry Julian Fink, and Oscar Saul from a story by Fink, Major Dundee is the story of a Union cavalry officers who bands together a group of Army regulars, Confederate soldiers, and Indian scouts to destroy the Apache who had been attacking towns in Texas and New Mexico. The film is a western set during the American Civil War where a man has to put aside differences and settle old grudges just so he can do what is right for America against the Apache as Charlton Heston play the titular role of Major Amos Dundee. Also starring Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, Senta Berger, and James Coburn. Major Dundee is a thrilling and captivating film from Sam Peckinpah.

Set in late 1864 during the final months of the American Civil War, the film is about a Union cavalry officer who is trying to go after the Apache following an attack on a fort where many of its residents including women and children were killed with some kids taken by the Apache. Realizing he’s outnumbered and needs volunteers, he asks the help of a Confederate captain and other Confederates who are at a fort as prisoners in exchange for their pardons. With a group that includes a few Indian scouts, African-American Union soldiers, and a ragtag group of thieves and cowboys. Major Amos Charles Dundee would go after the Apache through Mexico despite the fact that Mexico is under the control of the French who are American allies. Along the way, the group of men who are very different and with very different loyalties must band together as well as deal with Major Dundee’s thirst for glory.

The film’s screenplay is interesting not just for the development of Major Dundee but also several characters that include Captain Benjamin Tyree (Richard Harris) who was once a friend of Dundee until Tyree was court-martialed following a duel where Dundee was the deciding vote. Tyree reluctantly agrees to help Dundee in taking down the Apache but once they finish the mission, Tyree wants to settle the score with Dundee. Still, Tyree was able to get some of his men and other Confederate soldiers to volunteer in the hopes that they will be pardoned though they still have to follow Dundee’s orders which they reluctantly do as well as share the same rations with African-American soldiers. Much of the film is told through the eyes of a young trooper named Ryan (Michael Anderson Jr.) who is a bugler as he volunteers to join the company where he does a lot of the narrating as he expresses his thoughts and the length of the journey to find the Apache.

Other characters such as the one-armed scout Samuel Potts (James Coburn) and the inexperienced. Lt. Graham (Jim Hutton) are characters who watch everything from afar but also kind of serve as consciences in the film with Potts being someone who is a tracker that knows his role. The script also has this unique structure where much of the first half is set in New Mexico and Texas with the second half set in Mexico where there is a change in the morale of the men but also in the setting. Especially where Dundee and Tyree start to compete for the affections of an Austrian widow living in a small pueblo that had been captured by the French. Upon liberating the pueblo and getting a break from battle, it is clear that Dundee has stirred up more trouble with the French as well as some schism in his company as it is clear that pride and ego sometimes get in the way of what is really important. Especially as Dundee has to realize what he must face and know that he can’t do it all by himself.

Sam Peckinpah’s direction is quite vast as it play into the world that is the West as it’s shot entirely in various locations in Mexico. Peckinpah’s usage of the wide and medium shots play into look of the deserts, mountains, and rivers as while maintaining some intimacy in the way he shoots the characters through close-ups and medium shots. Especially in how he would shoot some of the dramatic moments and tension that looms into the film as Peckinpah adds that air of realism about the group of people Dundee is leading. Peckinpah’s usage of low-angles also play into the way Dundee rules over everyone but also in the fact that Dundee sees himself in such a way that it is somewhat disconnected from reality where he would eventually get grounded.

The 2005 restoration version of the film which runs at a running time of 136 minutes is considered by many Peckinpah historians and purists as an improvement over the 123-minute theatrical cut from its original 1965 release. For years, the theatrical version strayed away from the elements of graphic violence and other things that some believe hindered the film as the restored version would feature these things and more. Especially in how Tyree is introduced and how some of the characters cope with death and some of the decisions that Dundee makes. The battle scenes are quite intense where Peckinpah maintains that air of frenzy in how chaotic the battle is as well as creating that air of camaraderie between Dundee and Tyree who are both at their best when they fight together side-by-side. Overall, Peckinpah creates an exhilarating and intense film about a Union cavalry officer trying to stop the Apache with the aid of a ragtag group of volunteers including members of the Confederate army.

Cinematographer Sam Leavitt does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography that is filled with gorgeous colors of many of the daytime exteriors including the detail in the look of the flags as well as some unique lighting for scenes set at night. Editors Howard Kunin, William A. Lyon, and Donald W. Starling do excellent work with the editing as it‘s got some style with its rhythmic cuts for the action and suspense as well as some nice transition dissolves. Art director Alfred Ybarra does nice work with the set design from the look of the forts as well as the pueblo that Dundee and his company would liberate.

Costume designer Tom Dawson does terrific work with the costumes from the ragged clothes of some of the volunteers to the stuffy uniform of the French army that Dundee‘s men mock. The sound work of James Z. Flaster and Rafael Ruiz Esparza do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the deserts as well as in a party sequence as well in some of the battle scenes. The film’s music by Christopher Caliendo, for its 2005 restoration, is amazing as it has that nice mixture of orchestral bombast with traditional Mexican-based music with the latter to play for much of the film’s second half as the score, that replaces the original 1965 score by Daniel Amfitheatrof, is considered an improvement.

The film’s marvelous cast include some notable small roles from Aurora Clavel as a woman who helps Dundee regain his health, Begona Palacios as a woman Ryan had an affair with at the pueblo, Albert Carrier as a French lancers commander, Jose Carlos Ruiz as an Apache scout Ryan is suspicious about, Karl Swenson as Dundee’s second-in-command at the fort, and Michael Pate as the Apache leader Sierra Charriba who tries to cause trouble against the army. Other noteworthy small roles as members of the company under Dundee include Dub Taylor as the horse thief Priam, John Davis Chandler as a racist Confederate soldier, R.G. Armstrong as the reverend who is the company’s moral guide, L.Q. Jones and Warren Oates as a couple of brothers who are loyal to Tyree, Brock Peters as the African-American soldier Aesop who leads his small band of African-American soldiers that eventually gets the trust of the Confederate volunteers, and Slim Pickens in a fantastic performance as the drunken mule-packer Wiley.

Ben Johnson is terrific as Tyree’s loyal sergeant Chillum who is reluctant to take orders from Dundee yet proves to be very helpful. Mario Adorf is superb as Sgt. Gomez as Dundee’s right-hand man who is able to organize things as well as help Tyree late in the film following some of the chaos in the third act. Senta Berger is wonderful as Teresa Santiago as an Austrian-born widow of a doctor who becomes an object of affection for Dundee as well as Tyree to a lesser extent on the latter as she copes with the chaos of war. Michael Anderson Jr. is excellent as Ryan as a young bugle trooper who gets his first real taste of battle as he recalls a lot of the things he sees in the narration as well as reflecting on his own misjudgment and understanding of things. Jim Hutton is brilliant as Lt. Graham as an inexperienced artilleryman who hasn’t had much time in the battlefield yet would eventually do things to help Dundee and prove his worth in battle.

James Coburn is amazing as the one-armed, half-Indian Samuel Potts as this scout is who is kind of the film’s conscience as he is someone that knows what the Apache would do but also cope with their actions as well as what Dundee tries to do. Richard Harris is phenomenal as Captain Benjamin Tyree as this Confederate soldier that does have a legitimate grudge with Dundee yet is willing to help him destroy the Apache while being someone who is a gentleman and knows what to do in handling things where he still upholds some aspect of honor. Finally, there’s Charlton Heston in an incredible performance as the titular character as this cavalry officer who is hoping to attain some glory following some mistakes he made at Gettysburg while he copes with his duty as Heston isn’t afraid to display flaws into the character where Heston does ham it up a bit but also display a vulnerability and humility as it’s one of Heston’s more overlooked performances.

Major Dundee is a remarkable film from Sam Peckinpah that is highlighted by the top-notch performances of Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, and James Coburn. In its 2005 restoration version, it’s a film that features a great ensemble cast, amazing battle scenes, and compelling themes on duty and honor. It’s a film that isn’t just a western that plays with its convention but also create something that is thrilling. In the end, Major Dundee is a sensational film from Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and 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 2016

Blazing Saddles

(In Memory of Gene Wilder 1933-2016)

Directed, starring, and songs by Mel Brooks and screenplay by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger from a story by Bergman, Blazing Saddles is the story of a State Attorney General who conspires to have a railroad be built on a town while getting an African-American railroad worker to be its sheriff only for the sheriff to gain the trust of the locals to fight back. It’s a film that is a spoof of sorts on the western genre that includes some well-intended anachronisms as well as a commentary on race relations and ideas of the American West. Also starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, David Huddleston, Alex Karras, and Dom DeLuise. Blazing Saddles is an off-the-wall and rip-roaring film from Mel Brooks.

Set in the American West, the film is about a railroad worker, who was about to be hanged for hitting his boss with a shovel, who becomes the sheriff for a town that is under the threat of bandits unaware that that the bandits are working for the State Attorney General wanting to build a railroad through the town. It’s a film that sort of makes fun of the western genre where it plays into every cliché that happens as well as provide some commentary about the modern world where this town is aghast over the fact that their new sheriff is African-American. The film’s script doesn’t just play into some satirical commentary on race relations but also what men of power would do to stop this sheriff only to be outwitted.

The script also has gags that doesn’t just play into clichés but also subvert many stereotypes of the genre such as this dim-witted henchman named Mongo (Alex Karras) who is revealed to be quite philosophical. Another gag in the film is the fact that it’s intentionally anachronistic where it adds to the film’s subversive approach to the genre as well as the fact that the antagonist Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is mistakenly called Hedy Lamarr. It adds to some of the absurdity that is in the script as well as the fact that it refuses to take itself too seriously.

Mel Brooks’ direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions he creates yet he definitely brings in a lot of the visual tropes that is expected in the western genre with its usage of wide and medium shots to capture the beauty of its locations. Shot in the back-lot studios of Warner Brothers, the film definitely play into some of the artificial aspects that is common with the genre while also creating these moments that are offbeat. Even with the anachronistic elements such as an audition scene for Lamarr’s posse where there’s German soldiers from World War I, bikers, and Ku Klux Klan members as well as a scene in the climax where the film literally breaks the fourth wall. It’s among these moments of the absurd that makes it so interesting while Brooks isn’t afraid to be politically-incorrect as it add to a lot of the humor that occurs in the film. Even as Brooks is willing to go into lowbrow territory just to maintain that sense of joy and laughter without deterring too much from the story. Overall, Brooks creates a witty yet sensational film about an African-American sheriff fighting for liberty, justice, and German sausages.

Cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc does excellent work with the cinematography as it is very straightforward in its approach to the daytime exteriors while using some light for some of the interiors and scenes set at night. Editors Danford Greene and John C. Howard do nice work with the editing as it is very straightforward with some stylish cutting for some of the transitions. Production designer Peter Wooley and set decorator Morris Hoffman do amazing work with the look of the town as well as the office of Lamarr and Governor Le Petomane. The sound work of Gene S. Cantamessa does superb work with the sound as it‘s straightforward in playing up the chaos of the West. The film’s music by John Morris is wonderful for its orchestral-based music that play into the world of the American West as it includes some songs written by Mel Brooks that are very funny.

The casting by Nessa Hyams is great as it features notable small roles and appearances from Robyn Hilton as the governor’s busty secretary, Ralph Manza as an actor playing Adolf Hitler, Count Basie as himself, Robert Ridgely as the hangman Boris, Rodney Allen Rippy as a young Bart, Anne Bancroft as an extra at the congregation, Richard Collier as the town doctor, Liam Dunn as the local reverend, Carol Arthur as the local schoolmarm, Charles McGregor as Bart’s friend Charlie, Burton Gilliam as Taggart’s henchman Lyle, and David Huddleston as one of the locals in Olson Johnson who isn’t receptive about Bart because he’s African-American. Dom DeLuise is fantastic as filmmaker Buddy Bizarre who is trying to make a Busby Berkeley-style musical while Mel Brooks is superb in a dual role as the dim-witted Governor William J. Le Pentomane and a Yiddish-speaking Indian chief the young Bart meets. Alex Karras is excellent as Mongo as this big and strong man who looks and seem like the dumbest person around yet is surprisingly philosophical where he eventually helps Bart and Jim.

Slim Pickens is brilliant as Taggart as Lamarr’s henchman who is the personification of every cliché of the western genre where he says all sorts of shit and does idiotic things. Madeline Kahn is amazing as Lili Von Shtupp aka the Teutonic Titwillow as German seductress/performer who is asked by Lamarr to seduce Bart only to fall for Bart. Harvey Korman is incredible as Hedley Lamarr who always has to correct people for saying his name wrong as he is this state attorney general trying to do whatever he can to destroy a small town so he can get this railroad built. Gene Wilder is phenomenal as Jim aka the Waco Kid as the fastest gunslinger in the world that is trying to escape his past while later helping out Bart in every way where Wilder provides a lot of humor without doing much. Finally, there’s Cleavon Little in a sensational performance as Bart as a railroad worker who becomes sheriff for a town unaware that he is meant to cause trouble only to win over the people and do whatever it takes to outwit and outplay the bad guys.

Blazing Saddles is a magnificent film from Mel Brooks. Featuring a great cast, hilarious gags, witty commentary on social and racial issues, and some off-the-wall humor. It’s a film that isn’t just a great spoof on the western but also manages to do a lot of things and more to create something that is full-on entertainment. In the end, Blazing Saddles is an outstanding film from Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks Films: The Producers - (Twelve Chairs) - Young Frankenstein - (Silent Movie) - High Anxiety - (History of the World, Part 1) - Spaceballs - (Life Stinks) - Robin Hood: Men in Tights - (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)

© thevoid99 2016

The Ballad of Cable Hogue

Directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by John Crawford and Edmund Penney, The Ballad of Cable Hogue is the story of a prospector trying to make a life for himself in the Arizona desert with the aid of a prostitute as he deals with the West starting to change in the final years of the frontier. The film marks a change of pace for Peckinpah in the western genre as he goes for a character study into a man trying to salvage an element of the Wild West in its final moments. Starring Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, L.Q. Jones, Strother Martin, and David Warner. The Ballad of Cable Hogue is a witty yet touching film from Sam Peckinpah.

Set in the late 19th Century, the film is about a man who finds water in an Arizona desert after being left for dead by criminals who betrayed him as he would create a watering hole between two towns as a way to make money but also live his life that he would share briefly with a prostitute. It’s a film that is about a man who would become a prospector where he hopes to succeed despite his lack of education while being something that matters for the West where he would find this watering hole by accident and do something for travelers. Along the way, he would later encounter the modern world and changing times as he and those who were part of the Wild West would be taken aback by. The film’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the journey that Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) would take but also the man himself. Hogue is quite stubborn in his ways as he is someone that is from the Wild West and has old ideas about the ways of the world.

The script also has Hogue falling for this prostitute in Hildy (Stella Stevens) who also lives by her own code yet wants to become rich to go to San Francisco and live the good life. While Hogue understands what Hildy wants, he is reluctant to let her go once she would stay at his watering hole for a while where the two have this very unique relationship. Another friendship that Hogue would have is with a preacher in Joshua (David Warner) whom he meets early in the film as Joshua is a very unconventional character that has a thirst for emotionally-vulnerable women but is also a man that is willing to help despite his quirks. The script does have a structure as it relates to Hogue’s attempt to create a watering hole between towns as much of the first half is about that where he would succeed. In the third act where it has been a few years since he had founded the watering hole, there is that air of revenge as it relates to the men that left him for dead but also an encounter with the modern world that he as well as those he know are baffled by.

Sam Peckinpah’s direction has an air of style where it has a few violent moments but it is mostly restrained as he goes for something that is more intimate not just visually but also tonally. While it opens with this stylish sequence of Hogue being betrayed and stranded all alone in a desert, it is among some of the moments in the film where Peckinpah would go into style as well as some of the funny moments with some fast-motion sequences that is about humor. Peckinpah’s usage of the wide shots to capture much of the scenery shot on location in Nevada with the town scenes shot in Arizona. Peckinpah’s usage of medium shots and close-ups as it plays into some of the people that Hogue befriends as well as some of these moments that play into the world that he is creating. Even in a moment where Joshua would comfort a young woman in a very sexual way as Peckinpah makes no qualms about how women are treated where he would shoot Hogue staring at Hildy’s cleavage. It’s all part of Peckinpah’s sense of fun while balancing it with moments that are serious such as some of the events in the third act as it relates to the modern world that Hogue would encounter. It’s ending isn’t about loss but the end of an era that these characters hold so dearly about as the 20th Century and everything else about it would emerge. Overall, Peckinpah creates a light-hearted yet compelling film about a prospector’s life and his attempt to do something in the Wild West.

Cinematographer Lucien Ballard does excellent work with the cinematography from the naturalistic look of many of the scenes set in the day as well as some lighting for scenes set in the interior and exterior at night. Editors Lou Lombardo and Frank Santillo do amazing as it has some stylish cutting with its fast-motion and a few slow-motion cuts as well as some jump-cuts and stylish usage of dissolves. Art director Leroy Coleman and set decorator Jack Mills do brilliant work with the set design from the look of the home and stop that Hogue would live and run as well as the look of the town. The sound work of Don Rush is terrific as it play into some of the natural elements of the location along with scenes that are quite playful in its usage of sound effects. The film’s music by Jerry Goldsmith and lyricist Richard Gillis is wonderful for its mixture of orchestral textures with folk-based instruments to play into the feel of the West with some songs that would be themes for its three central characters as they are catchy but also helped tell the story.

The film’s marvelous cast includes some notable small roles from James Anderson as a local preacher, Susan O’Connell as a grieving woman that Joshua would comfort, Peter Whitney as a bank president who would give Hogue money for the business, R.G. Armstrong as a land prospector who turns down Hogue over the land that Hogue had bought, and Gene Evans as a husband who is angry over Joshua and his antics. Slim Pickens is superb as the stagecoach driver Ben Fairchild as someone who does business with Hogue as well as be a friend of him as he would often stop at his home. Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones are fantastic as Hogue’s former crime partners in Bowen and Taggart, respectively, with Martin as the more cowardly of the two and Jones as the one who is conniving and greedy.

David Warner is excellent as Reverend Joshua as a preacher who would help Hogue build his home and business as well as be this eccentric man of God who has a weakness for vulnerable women as it’s a very complex yet witty performance. Stella Stevens is amazing as Hildy as this prostitute who takes a liking to Hogue for who he is while helping him run his business briefly as she would fall for him but also deal with his stubbornness. Finally, there’s Jason Robards in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as this man who is left for dead in the desert as he would discover an oasis where he would use to become a prospector as he does whatever he can to make it succeed as it’s Robards in one of his finest performances.

The Ballad of Cable Hogue is an incredible film from Sam Peckinpah that features great performances from Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, and David Warner. While it’s a different kind of western of sorts from Peckinpah, the film is still an engaging as well as entertaining that plays into Peckinpah’s ideas of the West as well as creating something that is sensitive and funny. In the end, The Ballad of Cable Hogue is a spectacular film from Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and 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 2016

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Rudy Wurlitzer, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is the story of an aging Pat Garrett who is hired by wealthy cattle barons to hunt and kill his friend Billy the Kid. The film is an exploration of friendship and betrayal in the Old West as well as the final days of the West as James Coburn plays Pat Garrett and Kris Kristofferson stars as Billy the Kid. Also starring Jason Robards, Slim Pickens, Katy Jurado, Richard Jaeckel, Chill Willis, and Bob Dylan. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a wondrous and evocative film from Sam Peckinpah.

Set in 1881 in New Mexico, the film is about Pat Garrett being asked by forces with political ties to hunt down and kill his friend Billy the Kid. While it is a simple story, the film is more about a sense of change that looms in the American West where Billy the Kid is a representation of someone that doesn’t play by the rules as he spends much of the film trying to live his life and find ways to play under his own rules. Pat Garrett meanwhile is a man that is conflicted about hunting the Kid down as just wants him to go to Mexico or deal with him by himself instead of letting others kill him. Even as he meets with individuals who are part of a secret ring of cattle barons who not only want the Kid dead but want to do things their way to the world that is the West.

Rudy Wurlitzer’s screenplay opens with Garrett’s death as he is gunned down by a group of mysterious men as it adds some ambiguity into why he is killed. It plays into not just the sense of change that Garrett didn’t want to be a part of but a change that already happened as it inter-cuts with a time where Garrett had just become a sheriff where he meets the Kid as they shoot down the heads of chickens. It plays into a moment where things were simple as Garrett and the Kid are friends though Garrett knows he is now the law and he is instructed to capture the Kid. Yet, Garrett tells the Kid on what he has to do where he wants him to be safe and not be killed in the hands of the law. However, the Kid is a freebird that just refuses to do what anyone tells him as there is someone who admits to killing some people whether they were good or bad.

The script also plays into that sense of changing times where Garrett is forced to uphold the law as he struggles to do things his way but finds himself coping with these changes. Especially as he would be forced to work with men who are part of this secret ring as they do things in ways that not only disgusts Garrett but also the Kid who would encounter some of these things on his way to Mexico which would force him to seek refuge in the place in Old Fort Sumner. It is in that moment where both the Garrett and the Kid are forced to realize that the ideas of the Old West is coming to an end where Garrett would have to make a decision to either adapt or die. A decision that the Kid wouldn’t stand for as the inevitable is to come.

Sam Peckinpah’s direction is very entrancing for not just the way he pictures the American West but also into how its sense of mythology and codes are being pushed aside in favor of greed. The film is very stylized in not just the way Peckinpah shoots some of the violence but also in the way people lived in those times. There is a looseness to the direction where Peckinpah puts in some humor over some of the situations the Kid would get into but also play into someone that would kill someone when he didn’t want to but had no choice. With its usage of wide and medium shots along with some close-ups, Peckinpah takes great stock into the world that surrounds these characters but also plays into a sense of change that is looming. Most notably a scene where Garrett and an aging sheriff in Colin Baker (Slim Pickens) try to confront a gang only for things to go wrong as it plays into a world that is changing.

The direction has these tense moments in the drama such as a meeting Garrett would have with New Mexico’s leader in Governor Lew Wallace (Jason Robards) who would introduce Garrett to this group of cattle barons who are part of a secret ring in New Mexico. Most notably as it plays into the sense of change that would emerge that the Kid would later see when he encounters a group of men killing a friend and raping his wife to show an ugliness in a new world that he doesn’t want to be a part of. It would all play to the inevitable as the climax where Garrett would do what has to be done since it plays into a new world that neither he nor the Kid could be a part of. Overall, Peckinpah creates a mesmerizing film about two friends who are both forced to go against each other in an ever-changing world.

Cinematographer John Coquillon does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of lights for some of its nighttime interior/exterior scenes along with some gorgeous and naturalistic images for the scenes in the day including a shootout involving Sheriff Baker. Editors Roger Spottiswoode, David Berlatsky, Garth Craven, Tony de Zarraga, Richard Halsey, and Robert L. Wolfe, with additional editing by Paul Seydor for the 2005 special edition, do amazing work with the editing in creating some unique slow-motion cuts for some of the action along with rhythmic cutting for some of the drama and suspense. Art director Ted Haworth and set decorator Ray Moyer do excellent work with the design of the sets from hideout that is Fort Sumner as well as the look of Lincoln where the Kid was supposed to be hanged until his escape.

The sound work of Harry W. Tetrick and Charles M. Wilborn is superb for the naturalistic sound it captures along with some sound effects in the sound of gunfire and knives that are thrown. The film’s music by Bob Dylan is fantastic as the soundtrack album features some country-folk instrumentals and a few songs including one of Dylan’s greatest songs in Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door that is played in one of the film’s most poignant moments.

The casting by Patricia Mock is great as it features notable appearances from such noted Western character actors like L.Q. Jones as a bandit Garrett confronts in a shootout with Sheriff Baker, Jack Elam as Garrett’s ragged deputy Alamosa Bill Kermit, Emilio Fernandez as the Kid’s Mexican friend Paco, Chill Wills as a saloon owner named Lemuel Jones who knows Garrett, screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer as a friend of the Kid in Tom O’Folliard, Luke Askew as a cattle baron that is part of a secret ring in Santa Fe, Richard Bright as a member of the Kid’s gang, Rutanya Alda as a prostitute who lives in Fort Sumner with the Kid and his gang, Charles Martin Smith as an early member of the Kid’s gang who encounters a horrifying shootout, and Aurora Clavel as Garrett’s wife Ida who appears in the film’s 2005 reconstructed special-edition version. Other notable small roles include Harry Dean Stanton as a member of the Kid’s gang in Luke, Matt Clark as a deputy sheriff the Kid befriends, R.G. Armstrong as a sheriff who despises the Kid, and John Beck as a hired gun for the secret Santa Fe ring who is eager to kill the Kid.

Barry Sullivan is terrific as a cattle baron named Chisum that the Kid used to work for as the Kid learns what Chisum’s men would do that would disgust the Kid. Slim Pickens is fantastic as the aging sheriff Colin Baker who aids Garrett in trying to find the Kid while Katy Jurado is wonderful as Baker’s wife who helps them both while being great with a shotgun. Richard Jaeckel is superb as a friend of Garrett in Sheriff McKinney who helps Garrett late in the film to capture the Kid while Jason Robards is amazing in a brief but memorable performance as Governor Lew Wallace who tells Garrett what is at stake in capturing the Kid as he is part of a new world order. Bob Dylan is excellent as a young bandit named Alias who joins the Kid during the film’s second act as he proves to be very handy with a knife.

Finally, there’s the duo of James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson in phenomenal performance in their respective roles as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Coburn brings a rugged yet weary role to Garrett as a man who is now part of the law as he deals with the new rules of his role as well as times that are changing which adds to the conflict in capturing the Kid. Kristofferson brings this sense energy and joy into the role of the Kid as someone who is a total free spirit that doesn’t believe in rules as he copes with a world that is very difficult and troubling. Coburn and Kristofferson have great rapport together in how they both share similar views towards the world as they’re both being pulled into different directions.

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a remarkable film from Sam Peckinpah that features exhilarating performances from James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. The film is definitely one of Peckinpah’s finest films (whether in its preferred 1988 122-minute preview version or the 115-minute special edition version) as it plays into the myth of the American West and how it would change. Especially as it features an incredible soundtrack from Bob Dylan that plays into the mythological elements of those times. In the end, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a riveting film from Sam Peckinpah.

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

© thevoid99 2015

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/30/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Based on a novel by Peter George, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb tells the story about a delusional U.S. general who plans an attack on Russians as a bomber plane is on his way to bomb the Soviets. During a meeting, the President tries to talk to the Russian premier before all hell breaks loose while a RAF officer tries to intervene. Directed by Stanley Kubrick with an adapted script written by Kubrick, Peter George, and Terry Southern with uncredited contributions from James B. Harris and the film's star Peter Sellers. The movie is a satire on the paranoia about an outbreak in the Cold War. Done with irreverent humor, cynicism, wit, and a tense atmosphere, Dr. Strangelove marked the beginning of Kubrick achieving greatness. With an all-star cast that includes Peter Sellers in three roles plus George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, James Earl Jones, Keenan Wynn, Tracy Reed, and Slim Pickens. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a superb yet hilarious film from Stanley Kubrick.

RAF officer Colonel Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) is called upon by his superior General Ripper (Sterling Hayden), who has become paranoid about the Cold War that he ordered a bombing attack on the Russians. Notably as he claims that there's a conspiracy by the Russians in order to destroy bodily fluids. Mandrake learns that Ripper uses a secret emergency plan that isn't authorized by the joints chief of staff as well as the American president. Ripper's claims become more troubling as he claims that the Russians are here as his troops are getting ready to fight the Russians in their Air Force base. Mandrake realizes that Ripper has no proof since there is no warning on the radio and demands Ripper to give him the recall code. Unfortunately, it's too late as the code is reached to bombers making their way to Russian including one led by Major T.J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens) and his team that included Lieutenant Goldberg (Paul Tamarin) Lieutenant Lothar Zogg (James Earl Jones).

Back in Washington D.C., a secretary named Miss Scott (Tracy Reed) receives a call for General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) who is needed in the Pentagon with a special meeting that included the President. Turgidson meets President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) who learns that bombers are on their way to Russia as Turgidson thinks it's a good opportunity to attack. Muffley is aware that things are going to hell with the Russians going to retaliate. Making things worse, Muffley invited Russian ambassador Alexi di Sadesky (Peter Bull) to the war room as Turgidson claims he's here to spy on the war room. The look at the attack brings tension as Muffley tries to talk to the Russian leader and learns that if the bombers reach their proposed target, a doomsday machine will be triggered. The ambassador explained that the machine is created by computers to trigger a series of nuclear bombs that will mark the end of the world.

Muffley immediately wants the recall code but the paranoid Ripper is already in battle as he's joined side-by-side with Mandrake. Mandrake understands why Ripper prefers to drink a certain brand of water and stuff while revealing his own issues with bodily fluids. The battle rages on as Mandrake eventually gets the recall code but finds himself in trouble with Army Colonel Bat Guano (Keenan Wynn) who was fighting in the battle. The President meanwhile, calls upon a strategy expert and former Nazi named Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers) about what to do. Dr. Strangelove reveals his excitement for the doomsday machine. The President finally receives the code though aware that four planes were shot but one of them managed to survive. The plane revealed to be Major Kong's as he lost communication and everything as he attempts to bomb a base. Just as things look great for both the Americans and Russians, the President receives a call from the Russian leader about one of the bombers on his way. There, everyone ponders what is about to happen.

During those times of the Cold War, many people feared about how something like Communism would spread onto American soil while wondering about the aftermath that would lead to World War III. What Stanley Kubrick and his writers chose to do was pretty much make fun of these things. Notably the paranoia starting with General Ripper's claims of the Russians poisoning American water supplies. What the film is really about is misinformation and mis-communication. It's in those two themes where the film's humor and satire lies.

The screenplay that is co-written by satirist Terry Southern reveals the way American politics often duel with each other. You have the more patriotic General Turgidson wanting to help the American cause while he's often clashing with the more peaceful but timid President Muffley. Muffley represents a moral conscience of the film while also reveal the lack of strength he has as a world leader whenever he's trying to talk with the Russian president.

Some of the film's humor in both the war room scenes and in the bomber scenes with Major Kong reveal the absurdity of the Cold War. Notably on how a war against the Russians can be provoked. Some of the dangers about the missiles and most of all, the doomsday machine show how bad the Cold War was at the time and how close the Russians and Americans had gotten into some serious conflict. It's in Kubrick's observant, eerie direction that really captures the tension, morality, and humor of the movie. His camera always is on some kind of moment whether it's Turgidson wanting to go at with the Russian ambassador or Mandrake trying to understand Ripper's paranoia. Some of the film's most memorable sequences is definitely in the bomber scenes with Major Kong that is really the funniest in the film. Notably because Major Kong is a gung-ho American pilot wanting to bomb the Commies while things go wrong.

The film's most horrifying and funniest moment is included in an iconic image that's often parodied throughout pop culture. It is afterwards that Kubrick gives the audience an open interpretation of what might happen after this as Muffley, Turgidson, the Russian ambassador, the staff, and Dr. Strangelove discuss the future. It is there that Dr. Strangelove has his moment which ends on a funny but dark note.

The direction by Kubrick is really the highlight where he puts humor in places that often doesn't have humor. The comedy feels natural and relatable. Even in the paranoia and tension in the war room scenes, the Ripper sequences, and of course, the bomber scenes are just amazing and none of them overshadow anything. Kubrick really brings it all together as the film moves very leisurely while letting the audience to sit back and enjoy. Overall, it's a really damn good film that's very funny and spot-on about the times.

Helping Kubrick in his visual presentation is cinematographer Gilbert Taylor whose black-and-white photography showcases the dark intimacy of the war room with its wonderful shades of light. Taylor's photography also works in the intimate, hand-held work in some of the scenes in the bomber while adding tension to the scenes with Mandrake. Taylor's camera work is amazing in conveying the sense of horror. Longtime production designer Ken Adam and art director Peter Murton do amazing work in creating the war room with a circular table and screens that looks so eerily authentic that it almost looks like a real war room.

Adam's work is just amazing for capturing the atmosphere and tension, even in the bomber where things are cramped and no one really knows what's going on. Editor Anthony Harvey does great work in bringing all three stories together to convey the sense of chaos while making it nicely paced in the film's 96-minute running time. Even the use of stock footage and the scenes with the bomber plane are wonderful to convey the absurdity. Sound editor Leslie Hodgson also does great work in capturing the tension of each sequence to reveal its chaos.

Music composer Laurie Johnson creates a wonderful opening score that starts off as very serene and dreamy only to put the audience off of what is coming. There's a great music theme by Louis Lambert that plays to the humor of Major Kong getting ready for battle while a song by Vera Lynn in We'll Meet Again appears in the end to convey what had just happened.

The film's cast is wonderful featuring memorable small performances from Shane Rimmer, Paul Tamarin, and in an early film appearance, James Earl Jones as bombardiers in the war plane trying to understand what Kong is doing as well as their destination. Tracy Reed is memorable as her brief appearance as General Turgidson's secretary/mistress Miss Scott while also appearing in a Playboy spread that Kong is reading. Peter Bull is great as the Russian ambassador who tries to help things out though in reality, he is a spy of sorts while trying to think about his own leader and the future of the world. Bull is funny for how he reacts to the absurdity in which, he makes the Americans feel a bit stupid. Keenan Wynn is also great in his small role as Col. Guano who captures Mandrake who doesn't believe what is going on really while having a funny moment that involves a Coke machine as Mandrake tries to persuade him about what's really happening.

Sterling Hayden is wonderful as the paranoid, mis-informed General Ripper whose talks of bodily fluids and water makes him a complex yet sympathetic character who loses grip with reality while trying to protect the recall code. Hayden is great in his role for being the man who causes trouble but didn't mean to. George C. Scott is also great as the patriotic, war-loving General Turgidson who is more concerned about American pride rather than what's right for the people. Scott, who is often seen in dramatic films, really showcases his talents in comedy both physical and in word play as it's a great performance from the late yet legendary actor. Noted character actor Slim Pickens is hilarious as the gung-ho Major Kong with his Texan drawl and determination to nuke the Commies with all of his might. Pickens is just a hoot to watch in every scene he's in, notably when a missile causes an error for the plane that would lead to one of the film's iconic images.

Finally, there's the late Peter Sellers in one of his greatest performances in playing not one but three roles in the film. In the role of Colonel Mandrake, Sellers plays it straight as his character is the least-humored of the three. Sellers plays Mandrake with a sense of morality and intelligence while often being frustrated in how he's trying to handle things. Sellers performance as Mandrake is amazing. In the role of President Muffley, Sellers again plays it straight but with a lot of humor that is restrained. Sellers not only sells the American accent just right but shows Muffley's timid, frightened expression when dealing with the Russian during the hysteria of what's happening. In the title character, Sellers' comedic talents is very evident with a German accent, being on a wheelchair and wearing strange blond hair. Sellers exudes the psychotic humor and excitement of Dr. Strangelove as he has some of the film's best lines including the last one. The character of Strangelove is very funny and downright strange since he brings all kinds imagery to a character that is dark.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a funny, intelligent, and haunting film by Stanley Kubrick. This film is no doubt one of the must-see films ever made thanks in large parts to its humor, Kubrick's eerie direction, the script, and the cast, notably Peter Sellers. Fans of satire will no doubt enjoy this film while for those new to Kubrick and Sellers will find this movie as a nice place to start. Particularly in how relevant the film is in relation to today's time as the world is in chaos. In the end, Dr. Strangelove is a powerful and funny film from the late, great Stanley Kubrick.

Stanley Kubrick Films: Fear & Desire - Killer's Kiss - The Killing - Paths of Glory - Spartacus - Lolita - 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Clockwork Orange - Barry Lyndon - The Shining - Full Metal Jacket - Eyes Wide Shut

Related: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures - The Auteurs #18: Stanley Kubrick

(C) thevoid99 2012