Thursday, March 21, 2013
MOTORCYCLE WESTERN
Today's film was David Gordon Green's
With less than a million dollars and an almost free donation of his time by Conrad Hall, this early "indie" film was made in Arizona with a van and a truck and a zippy up to date panasonic camera.
Concerned about the attacks on the integrity of police, Green, who had been a very successful record producer (Chicago, the group) set out to have a countercultural view of a good cop.
Robert Blake whose life would make a whole other film agreed to star as the half pint Arizona cycle cop who wants to do the right thing.
The result is a beautifully rendered, John Ford inspired (Hall had worked a lot with Ford) western in cops clothing. Right down to the obligatory vistas of Monument Valley.
The film does have a story but it is mostly a character study with a lot of characters and well known B-actors filling in the gaps.
The resulting film, which has a tragic ending as everyone probably knows by now, was not received well. It played at Cannes but was not accepted in the US because it was perceived as a "fascist" picture. Yes, they were still throwing those words around at that time.
I wanted to see it again and I am glad that I did.
It is beautiful to watch. The relationships are simple and clean even when they are dirty. There are hippies. There are cops. Good cops and bad cops. There is justice. Rough justice. And there is tragedy. Sad, mistaken tragedy.
And yes, there are bikes, instead of horses. It isn't a biker film.
I am glad I saw it. I don't think I will want to watch it again but I would be happy to if someone served it up and asked me to sit down with them.
A 4 out of Netflix5.
There is a good interview with Hall on the disc and you are invited to see it before you see the film. I recommend you hear from Hall after and not get all into the "making of" before you see the product.
In fact, don't look at this trailer either.
Labels: films
