Wednesday, February 22, 2006
RIDE 'EM
We saw a nifty little Best Film today.
It is directed by Sam Peckinpah and is an ode to the rodeo.
It stars Steve McQueen and Robert Preston as father and son.
The story is so simple that it falls through the cracks of the keys I am typing on.
What matters is the relationship between father and son and the rest of the family. And, of course, the rodeo.
I have the idea that Peckinpah went to the Prescott AZ. Frontier Days and decided to make a film around the rodeo there.
That is what this is. It is not quite a docu-drama but there is a lot of real action here.
There is a lot of cow punching, bull riding, calf roping footage.
It is great to watch.
I know that there is a thing about mistreatment of animals here but it appears from the footage that the humans actually get the worst of it.
At some point, Ben Johnson (God love him) says he has to take his stock off for a rest. I believed him.
Another thing. There is this quiet about the proceedings. My reviewer noticed it too.
Yeh, I know. Peckinpah and rodeos are not known to be quiet. But there it is. It is the silence of beats between speech. It is the silence of the desert and the west. It is the quiet of simple, good hearted men and women.
There are no villains here.
The time passes quickly. We want more.
It is not high art but it is art just the same and a very elegant and enjoyable film.
I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.
