Peckinpah

Started by snaporaz, April 25, 2003, 04:38:59 AM

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Ghostboy

Quote from: godardian
I saw The Wild Bunch a few years back at the big Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Retrospective, which meant days of watching movie after movie until you just couldn't take it and didn't know whether it was day or night outside.

I went to the same thing when it came through Dallas! I saw The Wild Bunch there, but I'd already seen and loved it on DVD, so I was able to relish it on the big screen. It's probably my favorite western. The editing of that final gunfight is astonishing.

Straw Dogs is the only other Peckinpah film I've seen. The first time I saw it, I was on the edge of my seat, totally riveted, disgusted, devastated, excited, ready to call the movie one of the top three of all time. A true masterpiece.

I'd also been up for about eighteen hours popping ephedrin and nodoz and drinking espresso nonstop.

A second viewing proved that it was indeed quite good. I'd like to pick up that Criterion set.

MacGuffin

Quote from: themodernage02thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you  :yabbse-shocked:

its like pulling teeth around here!

Here's some more for you. Enjoy.

1950
Sunset Blvd.
All About Eve
Asphalt Jungle
Harvey
Born Yesterday
D.O.A.
Cinderella
The Men
Father Of The Bride

1951
A Place In The Sun
Strangers On A Train
Streetcar Named Desire
African Queen
An American In Paris
Day The Earth Stood Still
The Thing (From Another World)
Lavender Hill Mob

1952
High Noon
Singing In The Rain
Bad And The Beautiful
Greatest Show On Earth
Viva Zapata!
Quiet Man

1953
Shane
From Here To Eternity
Stalag 17
Roman Holiday
The Band Wagon
Niagara
War Of The Worlds
The Big Heat
Naked Spur
The Robe
The Wild One

1954
Rear Window
Dial M For Murder
On The Waterfront
Caine Mutiny
Sabrina
A Star Is Born
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

1955
Rebel Without A Cause
Bad Day At Black Rock
Marty
To Catch A Thief
Night Of The Hunter
Mister Roberts
Blackboard Jungle
Kiss Me Deadly
East Of Eden
Seven Year Itch
Picnic

1956
Man Who Knew Too Much
The Searchers
Moby Dick
Ten Commandments
Giant
The King And I
Written On The Wind
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

1957
Bridge On The River Kwai
Sweet Smell Of Success
12 Angry Men
Face In The Crowd
Paths Of Glory
Witness For The Prosecution
Spirit Of St. Louis
Gunfight At The OK Corral
Three Faces Of Eve

1958
Vertigo
Touch Of Evil
Big Country
Defiant Ones
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
A Night To Remember
Gigi

1959
Ben Hur
North By Northwest
Some Like It Hot
Anatomy Of A Murder
Diary Of Anne Frank
Rio Bravo
Imitation Of Life
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

cine

Another thread I'm surprised I didn't notice. Nobody once mentioned Peckinpah's "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" which is definitely my runner up for his films right behind Wild Bunch. I bought it used at a video store and recall Ebert later praised it and then found out Maltin bashed it just like he did Taxi Driver. (note: never listen to a guy who can't seem to grasp violence in movies that are using it for a purpose)
Definitely worth looking for.

Weak2ndAct

Cinephile--
So agree.  I sought this out a while ago because of Ebert's Great Movies review.  Found it in the bargain bin at Suncoast and what a deal that was.  I'd post more thoughts about it now, but I think I'm gonna have to throw my old tape in and check it out again.  Though I will say that the 'crabs' scene is particularly amusing... :shock:

soixante

Peckinpah was a maverick auteur who deserves lots of attention.

Wild Bunch was revolutionary for 1969.  It had more cuts in it than any movie since the silent era.  It was certainly more graphically violent than anything that had come out at that time.  Also, young directors like Lucas, Scorsese and Schrader were totally inspired by the film upon its first release.

Straw Dogs was released around the same time as Clockwork Orange, and both were highly controversial.  There is still a dark, disturbing edge to Straw Dogs that carries well into our present era.

Post-Straw Dogs, Peckinpah shifted gears and made the low-key rodeo picture Junior Bonner, then the balls-out action hit The Getaway.  Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was probably his last semi-great film, one that deserves a director's cut on DVD.

Alfredo Garcia, Killer Elite were stylish but empty action flicks.

Orson Welles called Cross of Iron one of the greatest war films ever.

Peckinpah finished up his career with Convoy and Osterman Weekend.  He constantly feuded with studio executives, more than any director in history.  He was a guy who stuck to his guns, no matter what.  The closest thing we have to Peckinpah is Quentin Tarantino.
Music is your best entertainment value.

Chest Rockwell

*** SPOILERS***
So I witnessed my first Peckinpah film last night, Straw Dogs. I'm really impressed with it. As I was reading some guy's little review of it on the first page he said he didn't like how he couldn't empathize with Hoffman's character. I agree, but I'm also aware that we're not supposed to empathize with him too much for a while. He's not really that likable a character. He mistreats and belittles his wife. He's rash. He can't ever seem to give her the attention she wants (which explains why she flashes the men and gives in so soon during the "rape" scene, and constantly not wearing bras). The only character I really sympathized with was the wife because she's constantly the victim of masculine whatever. I guess also Henry the retarded guy since he's more or less the big giant from Of Mice and Men who's grossly misunderstood. The main characters I hated were those of the Hedden family (the big guy Tom, Janice, her brother, and Charlie). They seemed to be the spark of all the evil in the film. In the opening Tom gets the beer using violence. Janice seems to be the town slut and tries to seduce Henry, which launches the ending when Tom murderously searches for her and Henry. She and her brother seem to be having some sort of incestuous relationship. Charlie is the one that causes most of the tension between the couple, as he "rapes" the wife and oddly enough becomes the one from whom she wants protection, not David. In fact during the climax it seems David can't control his immature wife at all. He's forced to slap her to get her to listen to him. Which raises the issue of whether the film is misogynistic. It certainly seems at times that it is. During the rape scene the wife actually seems to enjoy herself when being controlled by Charlie, and then again she obeys David after he slaps her. But I didn't see it as necessarily misogyny. Certainly a masculine film, though I think the masculinity shown in is more horrific than anything. She's actually a rather realistic character. She craves attention from David and doesn't get it. She doesn't want Charlie, but at the same time she enjoys the fact that he truly wants her. She clearly doesn't enjoy being sodomized by the other guy. After the fact she's quite uncomfortable, which makes sense. But she doesn't tell David about the raping, which I found odd. I really wished he had found out so he could exact double revenge on the assholes.
As for David, I thought he was realistic, as well. He begins as more passive-aggressive and is therefore the butt of the jokes for the more manly men in the town. But the thing is even he clearly can become violent, as can be seen in the hunting scene when he kills the duck, then looks at the dead duck and feels ashamed. A very nice portrayal of a man driven to extremes.
So anyways, I thought the violent scenes were fantastic. I liked how Peckinpah put the action in slow-motion a lot of the time, making it seem very...graceful. The splurge of cuts during those scenes also enhanced the effect.
The music was off-kilter, making the world seem very out-of-place, alien, and it worked too.
Very nice film and now I'm really interested in seeing the Wild Bunch.

Myxo

They are showing films by Sam Peckinpah at the Northwest Film center here in Portland. Has anyone seen any of them? Never seen a single Peckinpah film. I missed out on the Wild Bunch.

JUNIOR BONNER
JUNE 10 12 FRI 7 PM, SUN 4:45 PM

CONVOY
JUNE 11 12 SAT 7 PM SUN 7 PM

PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID
JUNE 17 19 FRI 7 PM, SUN 7 PM

THE KILLER ELITE
JUNE 18 SAT 7 PM

RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY
JUNE 23 25 THU 7 PM, SAT 7 PM

STRAW DOGS
JUNE 24 26 FRI 7 PM, SUN 4:30 PM

BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA
JUNE 25 26 SAT 9 PM, SUN 7 PM

MAJOR DUNDEE
JUNE 30 JUL 1 2 3 THURS 7:30 PM, FRI 7:30 PM, SAT 7:30 PM, SUN 7 PM

Ghostboy

Go see all of them!

Major Dundee was apparently chopped beyond belief when it was first released, and it just got the Touch Of Evil treatment, and the new print will be rolling out over the course of the summer. I saw it the other week, and while it's not a great film, it does have some great Pekinpah touches. Charlton Heston and Richard Harris are the leads, and their performances are great - Heston's especially when his character is drunk.

life_boy

Quote from: MyxomatosisThey are showing films by Sam Peckinpah at the Northwest Film center here in Portland. Has anyone seen any of them? Never seen a single Peckinpah film. I missed out on the Wild Bunch.

That's awesome.  You should try and go to as many of those as you can.  You'd probably really enjoy it.  Straw Dogs and Bring Me the Head... are the only ones of those that I've seen (I've also seen The Wild Bunch), but I thought both had a tremendous bit of texture and complexity to them.  Those are two important ones; Ride the High Country and Pat Garrett are pretty hard to get a hold of because they haven't had DVD releases yet so I would also recommend those for that reason.  The rest I don't really know much about.  I wish something like that would come around here.

soixante

The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs are essential viewing.  Getaway, Junior Bonner and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid are worth watching.  I don't know why there's a cult surrounding Alfredo Garcia.  It ain't that good, except as a self-parody.  It is strange that it is considered a classic today, because when it was released critics took a dump on it.  It was definitely the Gigli of 1974.
Music is your best entertainment value.

w/o horse

Quote from: soixanteI don't know why there's a cult surrounding Alfredo Garcia.  It ain't that good, except as a self-parody.  It is strange that it is considered a classic today, because when it was released critics took a dump on it.  It was definitely the Gigli of 1974.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19740801/REVIEWS/401010307/1023

Gigli didn't get four stars from Ebert when it came out.  But Garfield did get three.  At any rate, comparing it in any way to Gigli is preposterous.  I think it's as self-reflexive of Peckinpah as any genre film has ever been to its creator, and that its strength is in that honesty, the innability Peckinpah had to seperate himself from his work.

That's great news about Major Dundee.
Raven haired Linda and her school mate Linnea are studying after school, when their desires take over and they kiss and strip off their clothes. They take turns fingering and licking one another's trimmed pussies on the desks, then fuck each other to intense orgasms with colorful vibrators.

MacGuffin

Warner Bros. has revealed a new 4-movie box set, The Peckinpah Collection, for release on 1/10/06 (SRP $59.98 ). Included will be a new 2-disc Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid: Special Edition (available separately on 1/10 at SRP $26.99) and The Wild Bunch: Special Edition (also $26.99 separately), along with The Ballad of Cable Hogue and Ride the High Country ($19.97 each by their lonesome).
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

w/o horse

When I saw a new MacGuffin post had been made in the Peckinpah thread I got really excited.  This is the result of having read the post:  :-D  

Thanks for making it a Hollywood ending MacGuffin.

It's about fucking time The Wild Bunch got a good release.
Raven haired Linda and her school mate Linnea are studying after school, when their desires take over and they kiss and strip off their clothes. They take turns fingering and licking one another's trimmed pussies on the desks, then fuck each other to intense orgasms with colorful vibrators.

MacGuffin

Quote from: MacGuffinWarner Bros. has revealed a new 4-movie box set, The Peckinpah Collection, for release on 1/10/06 (SRP $59.98 ). Included will be a new 2-disc Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid: Special Edition (available separately on 1/10 at SRP $26.99) and The Wild Bunch: Special Edition (also $26.99 separately), along with The Ballad of Cable Hogue and Ride the High Country ($19.97 each by their lonesome).

"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Alethia

this calls for celebration