"[19] John Wayne criticized the film's iconoclastic approach; in a letter to Eastwood, he wrote, "That isn't what the West was all about. Some critics thought Eastwood's directing derivative; Arthur Knight in Saturday Review remarked that Eastwood had "absorbed the approaches of Siegel and Leone and fused them with his own paranoid vision of society". [8], The character of Marshal Duncan was played by Buddy Van Horn, Eastwood's long-time stunt double, to suggest that he and the Stranger could be the same person. The Drifter's rape of Callie seems to be motivated by the fact she was rude to him. With Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Mitchell Ryan. Rob Ager, in a detailed and wordyinterpretationof the film, and also argues that the avenging angel is the ghost of the murdered marshall. and the A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way. External Reviews I mean, theres horses and saloons and tumbleweeds. The residents of Lago at first view the stranger with suspicion, but when news that some outlaws that are out for blood are on their way to town, they ask the stranger for his help. Or the ghost of Duncan, hanging in a tortured purgatorial limbo, until he can get a proper burial, a shred of justice, and some overdue payback. While seemingly an act of meanness, particularly in the way he said it, in truth he wants them to stay out of harm's way. The scene disturbs more than the death by gun fire, only momentarily earlier, of three men by the same stranger who rapes the woman. This particular revisionist western is characterized by trippy, almost abstractionist artistic touches that are admirable as unique, and not even all that overwrought, yet the occasions in which the offbeat meditations are overplayed stand, distancing subjective value with artistic non-conventions to storytelling. It's also a pretty violent business that won't disappoint the millions who flocked to the Leone westerns. Genre: And two decades before Eastwood would win Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for his return to the genre with the twilight apologia Unforgiven, he still hadnt begun to grapple with the regrets and ramifications of shoot-first-ask-questions-later Old West violence. It is the first Western film that he both directed and starred in. Three hired "town security" gunmen taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. [23] It made its Blu-ray debut on October 15, 2013, with a newly remastered transfer,[24] and was reissued on October 27, 2020, by Kino Lorber with commentary tracks and new interviews. | 2009 . Clint Eastwood's orchestration of subtle stylization begets subtle color that rarely allows entertainment value to slip too far, and when slow spells do enter, upon being met with a genuine sense of thoughtfulness, rather than the dryness which plagues this drama as much as anything, they bite, with high tension. rape and sadism). Sep 7, 2010, Runtime: The Malpaso Company, Rank Clint Eastwoods 10 Best Movies as Director, Some Juicy New Tidbits on the "DOA" Action Flick, RT25: Celebrating 25 years of Rotten Tomatoes. It is gradually revealed that the townspeople hired these 'outlaws' to murder Duncan when he discovered the local gold mine was illegally on government land and would have to be closed, destroying the town's livelihood. The best thing about western is that they have good story, and this one is no different. University Press of Mississippi . Free (& Subscription) Games for All Platforms: New & Upcoming, What to Watch in May: 18 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies. The next morning, Sarah tells the Stranger that Duncan cannot rest in peace because the town buried him in an unmarked grave. He could also be some sort of avenging spirit as well. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Celebrities Who've Shaved Their Heads for Roles, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is Finally Streaming, 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Sticks the Landing, Damon Lindelof Was 'Asked to Leave' Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Is Hyping Up 'Oppenheimer', Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke Are a Great Cowboy Match, Seeing Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa Will Break Me, 'The Flash' Just Debuted Another Massive Trailer, 13 Great Movies That Were Booed at Cannes. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "High Plains Drifter". Eastwood in The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. The town's solution to their quarrel with the marshal. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: Season 1, Link to Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Link to RT25: Celebrating 25 Years of Rotten Tomatoes, Link to Prime Video Acquires J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 Western directed by (and starring) Clint Eastwood, with a screenplay by Ernest Tidyman ( The French Connection, Shaft ). And it was during the shows hiatus toward the end of its run that he was offered the lead role in Sergio Leones 1964 spaghetti Western, A Fistful of Dollars. 0-00-638354-8. [8], Complete buildings, rather than facades, were built, so that Eastwood could shoot interior scenes on the site. He favored a less explicit and more supernatural interpretation, and excised the reference. When Clint Eastwood was on "In the Actors Studio" he said the stranger was Marshall Duncan's brother. She's standing less than 8 feet away from him, but he simply ducks under the water and comes out completely unscathed. At least Sergios movies had the humour to counterbalance the depraved killings and the degenerate treatment of women. The next morning, as the Stranger rides out of town, he passes Mordecai carving a fresh grave marker. [6] An uncredited rewrite of the script was provided by Dean Riesner, screenwriter of other Eastwood projects. Eastwood proceeded to crank out a bunch of lean, economical WesternsHang Em High, Two Mules for Sister Sara, The Beguiledand was encouraged by his frequent director and most formidable mentor Don Siegel to try his hand behind the camera. Robert E. . Universal Pictures, The allegory cant get blunter then him literally put up a signpost that says hell and have the town paint all the buildings red. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. 90 (1814), Kurosawa and the Dreams of the Alpine Meadows, Bach: Cantatas for Advent, Christmas, New Year, Cinema 52 Films Recently Watched | CulturalRites, Winter Light, Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada. Supported by Eastwood casting his own stunt double as the dead marshal. "[10] The graveyard set featured in the film's final scene included tombstones inscribed "Sergio Leone" and "Don Siegel" as a humorous tribute to the two influential directors. Is 'High Plains Drifter' based on a book. Callie and two men watching from inside their houses look shaken by Duncan's fate, while most other people seem unaffected or grimly pleased. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. A mysterious drifter referred to only as "The Stranger" rides into the dismal mining town of Lago, which has a crisis on its hands: three ruthless gunmen are making their way to the town so they can settle scores over an old wrong done to them by the townspeople. It's Me, Margaret. The Stranger only agrees to take up the role after the town meets his bizarre demands including painting the town's buildings red and rechristening the town itself as "Hell". Its difficult to know where we stand because the townspeople deserve punishment for what theyve done but at the same time just how much of the Strangers behaviour is acceptable? 1999 . So, for the first big western he makes himself, Eastwood plays a charismatically quiet, yet intimidatingly dangerous stranger with no name; now that's new. "[14] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and wrote, "What does work very well indeed is Eastwood's presence, personal style, and direction. "[20] John Wayne criticized the film's iconoclastic approach; in a letter to Eastwood, he wrote, "That isn't what the West was all about. At any rate, Ted Nugent fits better here, because you know that there is going to be some serious hard rocking when Clint Eastwood takes on this role, and I specifically mean "this" role. . Director Clint Eastwood: Attention to Detail and Involvement for the Audience. One of my favorites from back in the day. High Plains Drifter 1973 | Maturity Rating: 16+ | 1h 45m | Westerns Unavailable on an ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions. [5], The 'ghost story' interpretation of the film favoured by Eastwood is hinted at strongly throughout the movie, suggesting that the Stranger may be the ghost of slain Federal Marshall Jim Duncan, returning for vengeance and justice; the beginning and end of the film sees the Stranger mysteriously emerge, apparition-like, as he rides into and out of Lago through a shimmering heat-haze. [22], High Plains Drifter was first released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Video on February 24, 1998. The Stranger is almost shot by Lewis Belding (Ted Hartley), but Mordecai (Billy Curtis) shoots Belding first. High Plains Drifter was released in theaters on this day in 1973. Tidyman's screenplay was inspired by the real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964, which eyewitnesses reportedly stood by and watched. Beastie BoysPaul's Boutique 2009 Capitol Records, LLC and Beastie BoysReleased on: 1989-07. That's obviously wrong. As the Stranger trains the townsfolk to take arms and the gunmen draw closer, the hidden secrets and corruptions of the town begin to unravel, and the truth behind Lago's feud with the outlaws and their culpability in the death of a federal marshal, with whom the Stranger has a connection soon comes to light A Deconstruction of the Western genre with supernatural overtones, High Plains Drifter is one of Eastwood's most popular and acclaimed films. It didn't thrill me or anything, but it did keep my attention from start-to-finish so it's evidently a good film. That, however, is small comfort as this cold, gory and overthought movie unfolds. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Compa. One you unglue your eyes from the gorgeous scenery, filmed on location, you understand that this is definitely not your typical John Wayne flick. The film was critically acclaimed at the time of its initial release and remains popular. Callie and several men including Morgan Allen conspire to kill the Stranger. This would explain why nobody in the town recognized him, but he knew how exactly the Marshal was killed and he was able to kill the three men . Of course, the townspeople themselves aren't exactly innocent either so much as punishing them, along with the three gunmen, for their role in the marshal's death. Here is a list of locations where High Plains Drifter is shot at, read on . The next morning, Sarah tells the Stranger that Duncan cannot rest in peace because the town buried him in an unmarked grave. Apr 19, 1973 Regarding power and authority, these depictions favour critical views of big business, the American government, masculine figures (including the military and their policies), and a turn to greater historical authenticity. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of High Plains Drifter. If there's ever an actor that would sell me in watching a western, that man would be Clint Eastwood. Ive watched High Plains Drifter probably a half dozen times and every time Im more and more convinced that the Stranger is the ghost of Duncan meting out punishment from the Great Beyond. The original script identified him as the marshal's brother. Chris Nashawaty is a writer, editor, critic, and author of books about Roger Corman & Caddyshack. the marshal was killed because he was going to close down the mine, the Stranger is the ghost of the dead marshal, given that he relives the marshal's death, which he wasn't there for otherwise. But the three worst the town ever saw, which they were hired to check, are being released from jail. But Eastwood has always been cagier about interpreting his film, saying that that interpretation might be true, but its also possible that the Stranger is Duncans avenging brother. Clint Eastwood: Interviews . The film was shot on location on the shores of Mono Lake, California. This is even true for the DVD version. Over the years, a number of fans have asked where was High Plain Drifter filmed. Starring: Clint Eastwood,Verna Bloom,Marianna Hill. Eastwood's direction is overambitious and undercooked at the same time, but when middleground is found, it's hard to deny the potential which has since gone on to be fulfilled more tightly by the talented filmmaker, who sells a fair bit offscreen here, though not as much as he does onscreen. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Ernest Tidyman and stars Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom and Mariana Hill. He favored a less explicit and more supernatural interpretation, and excised the reference. The scene where Clint Eastwood is about to get his clean shave is honestly cinema at it's best. Meanwhile, a group of outlaws are about to return to the town and take their revenge. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. Meanwhile, the best you can say for High Plains Drifter is that the title is a low pun. User Ratings Stacey Bridges (Geoffrey Lewis), Bill Borders (Scott Walker), and Cole Carlin (Anthony James), who have been released from jail after they brutally whipped to death the town's local lawman Marshal Jim Duncan (Buddy Van Horn) who is in his grave with an unmarked gravestone, set out to return to "Lago" to get their vengeance. As the Stranger rides off into the desert, a perplexed Mordecai stands beside the tombstone he just engraved "Marshal Jim Duncan, Rest in Peace". Can the mysterious gunfighter without a name stop the three outlaws? There's also, of course, the last line of dialogue in the movie. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. He passed through this small town a long time ago. Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". After a federal marshal discovered that Lago's mine was on government land (which would have forced the closing of the mine), the town hired three gunfighters to murder him. These were a branch of American Western movies that coincided with the 'New Hollywood' era, acting as the swan song of the Western Old Myth where cars started to make odd appearances, marking the way technology and capitalism would put a deathblow on the frontier or pioneer spirit. Cinemark Edit, This is purposely left ambiguous to give it an almost supernatural feel, but the theories put forth are as follows: (1) The stranger is Marshal Jim Duncan's brother who learned that the three men who killed his brother were being released from prison and would likely return to their town, so the stranger "passed through" in order to take revenge on the three men and on the town itself for simply standing by and watching as his brother was brutally murdered. All we know is it is very difficult to side with him as a protagonist and as such we are left with an uneasy feel throughout the film from which we can only be unburdened after knowing just what he wants and why hes doing it but we never do, which is probably why I was left with such an uncomfortable feeling after the film was finished. As an actor, he is probably better than he allows himself to be. As he leaves, he paints over the town sign with a single word: "Hell". 2011 . [3] The film was influenced by the work of Eastwood's two major collaborators, film directors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Metacritic Reviews. (3) The stranger was the ghost of Marshal Duncan. That, however, is small comfort as this cold, gory and overthought movie unfolds. For more information, please see our When the attractive, blond townswoman Callie Travers flirtatiously insults him, he rapes her in the livery stable. He orders every building in town painted blood red. You said we don't have a receiver another team would take. Link to Are You There God? Three gunmen hired to protect the town taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort.
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