The Hired Hand.

Review #2414: The Hired Hand.

Cast: 

Peter Fonda (Harry Collings), Warren Oates (Arch Harris), Verna Bloom (Hannah Collings), Robert Pratt (Dan Griffen), Severn Darden (McVey), Rita Rogers (Mexican Woman), Ann Doran (Mrs. Sorenson), Ted Markland (Luke), Owen Orr (Mace), Al Hopson (Bartender), Megan Denver (Janey Collings), and Michael McClure (Plummer) Directed by Peter Fonda.

Review: 

“I’m sure they would have liked me to do another biker movie. But I wanted to try something different — something more like what my father might have done. I wanted to do a western, because it’s the genre where you can explore the mythologies of America. And, yeah, because of my own psychological links to the genre, because of the many my dad did. I felt I had to do this one because there were no clichés in this script, just western mythology.”

Hey, remember Easy Rider (1969)? That was the movie where Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda worked together on the counterculture movie-oh, sorry, was having a bit of deja vu. But hey, this movie is a directing debut, believe it or not. Fonda had directed exactly zero other things before this movie, no industrial stuff, no TV stuff. Universal gave money to Hopper and Fonda and plenty of privilege to make something for them that presumably would make oodles of money: Hopper went to Peru and Fonda went to New Mexico (okay he filmed a cameo for The Last Movie) and ended up making movies that, well, didn't exactly please the studio. Fonda was interested in the script, as written by Alan Sharp, a Scottish novelist that had gone from TV to film with The Last Run (1971). As it turned out, Sharp would be behind a handful of scripts of varying quality ranging from Night Moves (1975) to The Osterman Weekend (1983) to Rob Roy (1995). Fonda stated in later years that while he expected Easy Rider to make money, he didn't think about the idea of being an icon, and it was with The Hired Hand he wanted to "break that mold" (apparently, one instance of filming was briefly interrupted by a drive-in theater that nearby was playing, well, Easy Rider). At any rate, The Hired Hand was only shown for a few weeks in first-run engagement and Fonda contended that Universal wasn't behind the movie in general.* Apparently, the studio was going to do a billboard promoting the movie with Fonda in a cowboy hat and a billing of "That Easy Rider Rides Again!" that Fonda explicitly (read: preparing to blow it up) told them to take it down. Fonda directed just two more movies in his lifetime: The Idaho Transfer (1975) and Wanda Nevada (1979). The movie did live on in the drive-in circuit for a number of years and even being edited for TV (twenty minutes were actually put back in the movie, featuring Larry Hagman as a sheriff) before a DVD restoration happened in the 2000s, and the movie has a handful of admirers that include Martin Scorsese. Apparently, Fonda showed the movie to his father Henry late in his life, whereupon he stated, "Now, that’s my kind of western."

Admittedly, you can see where Universal probably wasn't big on the movie by the fact that it is a movie firmly about trying to settle oneself in the frontier rather than a slap-bang adventure. Anything that dwells on someone trying to move on from the dusty trail (and finding a reality that probably is a bit feminist, at least in some arguments) rather than duels in the desert has to sound like an art film to those without some sort of patience for a film that just soothes the soul of those who look (and hear) closer. Oh sure, the movie does feature a bit of action throughout its 93-minute runtime, but you will dwell more on the fact that some people really can't just go home again more than anything. The young (as seen in the opening sequence) might not understand what it means to rest, but the weary know all too well about knowing about the grass and how green it seems on the other side. It is funny to see a movie with three distinct presences that grace the screen with varying levels of sensitivity that you sometimes don't even see with experienced directors. Fonda and his understated nature come clear in a yearning that is striking when compared to what one sees with Oates and his natural instincts that does in fact also know what it means to care about certain folks and their feelings. Bloom has her own distinct interests that do not revolve around just letting old wounds go by the wayside. This is made clear in a sequence where she in fact says, yes, she had plenty of time to plow her field when her husband was away. A good chunk of the movie is driven by the very fact that the touch of a person like Bloom sounds more captivating than being on the road any longer but also that one has to earn one's trust and so on and so forth, since it all deals with responsibility in love and friendship. Granted, it isn't a movie to see a terrifying threat (Darden spends a chunk of it crippled, as one does when one's feet have bullets in them), but the resulting clash at the end probably makes for it quite well. The music was composed by Bruce Langhorne, the folk musician who apparently was the inspiration for the Bob Dylan song "Mr. Tambourine Man". Langhorne* did music here with the sitar, fiddle, and banjo and went on to do a handful more movies (ranging from the aforementioned Idaho movie to Melvin and Howard [1980]). Much like the landscape, it sure is a hell of a thing to experience. As a whole. what we have here is a sobering look on responsibility in the frontier for a "far out Western" that might be just up your alley for those looking for a sobering type of movie.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

*I like this one quote by Fonda: “They had no intention, I think, of getting behind it. They hated me and Hopper, but mostly me and Bert Schneider. Yeah, they thought we were trying to overthrow the system. I mean, how egotistical. Overthrow the government, yeah. But Hollywood? Jesus, no…”

*Langhorne, I should point out, did his music without the use of two (and a half) fingers, as he had suffered an accident as a youth. 

High Plains Drifter.

Review #1831: High Plains Drifter.

Cast: 

Clint Eastwood (The Stranger), Verna Bloom (Sarah Belding), Mariana Hill (Callie Travers), Billy Curtis (Mordecai), Mitchell Ryan (Dave Drake), Jack Ging (Morgan Allen), Stefan Gierasch (Mayor Jason Hobart), Ted Hartley (Lewis Belding), Geoffrey Lewis (Stacey Bridges), Dan Vadis (Dan Carlin), Anthony James (Cole Carlin), Walter Barnes (Sheriff Sam Shaw), Paul Brinegar (Lutie Naylor), Richard Bull (Asa Goodwin), Robert Donner (Preacher), John Hillerman (Bootmaker), John Quade (Freight Wagon Operator), and Buddy Van Horn (Marshal Jim Duncan) Directed by Clint Eastwood (#1252 - Space Cowboys, #1310 - Million Dollar Baby, #1476 - Pale Rider, #1501 - Unforgiven, #1550 - Gran Torino, #1638 - Bird, #1757 - Sudden Impact)

Review: 

"The townspeople did not represent the true spirit of the American pioneer, the spirit that made America great." 

It's interesting to consider the reactions one can have over a Western that dared to do something different with the genre, if only because not many Westerns get criticized by a Western icon - because that quote above is by John Wayne, referring to this feature film, which was the first Western directed by Clint Eastwood (apparently, he had sent a letter to Wayne after this film was released to perhaps star together on a film - go figure). This was his second feature, with the first having been Play Misty for Me (1971), and Eastwood would end up directing a total of six features in the 1970s (all but one featured him as star). Of course, Eastwood had plenty of time to incorporate his vision of the Western hero with six seasons of Rawhide and stardom in Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" trilogy around him. It wasn't even the first starring feature of his to feature a lead character dedicated to serving some sort of retribution to others that had brought upon him, as could be evidenced by Hang 'Em High (1968). Eastwood's influences in Don Siegel and Sergio Leone prove apparent here, probably helped by the fact that Eastwood included their names on gravestones in the film. The film was evidently inspired by a murder in 1964 of Kitty Genovese, who reporters had said numerous people heard or saw the crime from their apartment building but did nothing (of course, this report was later found to be highly inaccurate). Ernest Tidyman, who had won an Academy Award for his work on The French Connection (1971), wrote the screenplay, although Dean Riesner (a writer on numerous Eastwood films) provided key re-writes.

It's too bad that Wayne thought there was some sort of disagreeable element to making a portrayal of the Old West that differed from what had been seen in dozens of films before it (perhaps he saw something in this film that reminded him of High Noon (1952) when it comes to examining one's conscience, since Wayne also disliked that movie). Well, at least the ones before The Wild Bunch (1969), anyway, because heaven knows the genre has only managed to have one or two highlights in the next couple of decades, and High Plains Drifter is probably one to spotlight for the 1970s, paranoia and all. I welcome any kind of movie that has interest in showing the fear of a town in what they know about themselves, where trying to teach a town courage ends up exposing a lack of moral courage from before. Of course, this is a movie that makes itself starkly different from other films with its hero in the first 25 minutes, so there is that to consider. Eastwood has made an effective film here, one filled with iconoclastic spirit that points the mirror firmly at oneself when it comes to showing conscience and justice. It isn't surprising that the script proposal presented to Eastwood was offbeat enough for him to like it, because it is a lead role that continues what Eastwood liked to do best: the less one says, the stronger one becomes in the imagination of the audience. This results in an efficient production and performance, one that maneuvers his way through with raw enigmatic energy; interestingly, the original script had him as the brother of a marshal, but this was changed to something that could lend itself to discussion. The rest of the cast follows along with worthy reflection, most notably with Curtis. While most of the folks here are representations of the ooze of the morals in town, Curtis is different even when presented as a yes-man to the folks around him, if only because of his eyes, ones that have seen pain despite plenty of friendliness to go around. Bloom is the only other one with a semblance of conscience here, one that eventually festers to the surface that results in a few interesting moments shared with Eastwood, while Hill represents the other side of feminine influence in the town of alleged morals with proper wiles. Ryan is the other highlight among the smarmy folks, one who serves as the ideal conniving presence without having to chew scenery to do so, with the others following along in that regard. Lewis, Vadis, and James do well as the adversaries in simple ruthlessness without needing to see more than what is needed. If you think about it, Pale Rider (1985) is the cousin to this feature when it comes to long & tall mysterious strangers arising from somewhere in a small town, but I think High Plains Drifter is slightly better, if only because it has a jagged edge of humor and allegory that makes its result all the more whole, one that utilizes its 105 minute run-time for gratifying effect in haunting display, complete with a Dee Barton music score to generate a first-rate Western. It isn't perfect, but it makes a worthy first impression when looking on the career of Clint Eastwood - the star and director.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Note: This one was for Dad.

Animal House.

Review #1114: Animal House.

Cast: 
John Belushi (John "Bluto" Blutarsky), Tim Matheson (Eric "Otter" Stratton), John Vernon (Dean Vernon Wormer), Peter Riegert (Donald "Boon" Schoenstein), Thomas Hulce (Lawrence "Pinto" Kroger), Stephen Furst (Kent "Flounder" Dorfman), Bruce McGill (Daniel Simpson "D-Day" Day), James Widdoes (Robert Hoover), Douglas Kenney (Stork), James Daughton (Gregory "Greg" Marmalard), Mark Metcalf (Douglas C. Neidermeyer), Kevin Bacon (Chip Diller), Verna Bloom (Marion Wormer), Donald Sutherland (Professor Dave Jennings), Karen Allen (Katy), Sarah Holcomb (Clorette DePasto), DeWayne Jessie (Otis Day), Mary Louise Weller (Mandy Pepperidge), Martha Smith (Barbara Sue "Babs" Jansen), and Cesare Danova (Mayor Carmine DePasto) Directed by John Landis (#328 - Trading Places, #410 - Coming to America, and #513 - Spies Like Us)

Review: 
Fellow readers, the following review has a bit of history involving the production intermixed with the normal parts you would see in a normal review - whether you read it or not is up to you, but I feel it is necessary to have it alongside the review (located in the second paragraph) for context. Thank you and enjoy. 

On July 28, 1978, Animal House premiered in theaters, the brain child of its three writers, Chris Miller, Douglas Kenney, and Harold Ramis. Each were involved in some capacity with National Lampoon prior to the creation of the film. Miller was one of the writing talents for the magazine, and it was his own experiences in the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College being an inspiration for the film. Kenney (a graduate of Harvard University) was one of the co-founders of the magazine (alongside Henry Beard and Robert Hoffman), with contributions including the satirical short story Bored of the Rings (alongside Beard) and being involved in editing capacity in the magazine from 1970 to 1976. Ramis had starred (along with Belushi) in the comedy radio show The National Lampoon Radio Hour. He utilized ideas from a treatment he had written (named "Freshman Year") that had been based off his experiences at Washington University in St. Louis. The director with the task of directing a project was John Landis, whose work on The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) helped get him the job for this movie. It was Landis that assisted with casting certain actors, wanting unknowns and character actors for the parts, such as originally wanting Jack Webb (of Dragnet fame) to play the Dean, although the rejection by Webb led to Vernon being approached for the role. The movie was shot in 32 days in Eugene, Oregon (the location for the University of Oregon) on a budget of just $2 million.

With all of the praise (or occasional criticism) and history one could read on this film, it's amusing to list all that for something that is an energetic and unapologetic piece of comedy that never relents on its assault of humor in its 109 minute run-time, most of all coming from Belushi, who manages to generate numerous laughs from his expressions that balance the fine line between noise and overbearing, reminding me in some way of silent film comedians. Incidentally, Landis told Belushi to play the character as a mix between Harpo Marx and the Cookie Monster. The result certainly seems to be a success, with some of his lines falling into memorability, such as the toga sequence for example or the scene near the climax. Matheson is also a fine highlight, showcasing a fair degree of charm to along with a share of amusement. Vernon proves entertaining at being the adversarial straight man to everything that goes on, playing to the rules that you would expect each time he is on screen. Riegert proves fairly refreshing, and his scenes with Allen (who along with Bacon was making their film debut) have their share of charm. Hulce and Furst don't have too much time, but they each make for a few laughs at times. Other members of the main amusement group such as McGill and Widdoes also prove effective with their time on screen. Daughton and Metcalf prove to effect contrasts with the other members. Other highlights include Sutherland and Bloom, who prove to be cool delights in their respective time on screen. It has an episodic nature to its narrative, but it is an interesting experience to go through in part because it never really lets go of just having fun with the gags and lines that it throws at the audience, including some fun music, with highlights being "Louie Louie" from Richard Berry and "Shout" by Otis Day and the Knights (which has its own scene for great effect). There are numerous highlights, and it would be a shame to spoil the fun for the viewer, but one particular favorite part of mine is the cafeteria sequence, ending in the messy way you might expect with help from Belushi. There is a pitch and execution to everything that goes on that makes this one of the most enjoyable comedies to watch to this very day.

The film was a huge success at the box office, making over $100 million while being one of the top ten grossing films of 1978 (alongside other films such as Superman). A year later, the major three networks all tried to make their own sitcoms inspired from the film, such as Delta House on ABC, which retained some of the cast such as Vernon and Furst. However, the raunchy humor (along with other things) did not make the transition to television, and fights with the network doomed the show after 13 episodes. The attempt by CBS (named Co-ed Fever) lasted one episode before cancellation. NBC's attempt with Brothers and Sisters also proved unsuccessful. You can see the influence the film has had with raunchy coming-of-age films, such as Porky's and American Pie - with varying quality. In any case, Animal House is a film best enjoyed through watchful eyes and ears for each semblance of unfettered amusement that still endures after four decades since its release.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.