|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Amazon.com essential video
This is one strange and original movie. In 1973 most American reviewers responded by panning it and deriding its director, whom they saw as having betrayed the promise of Ride the High Country, been swept up in his own cult of violence, and become incoherent as a storyteller. Coherence wasn't helped by MGM's cutting at least a quarter-of-an-hour out of the finished film and removing a bitter, retrospective prelude. Subsequent releases have restored a lot of material, and now there's more widespread appreciation of the depth and power of Peckinpah's achievement.
The cast, teeming with fine character actors, is extraordinary, making the gallery of frontier denizens vivid and resonant. Coburn's Garrett, a man who comes to loathe himself for his mission yet cannot abandon it, is the high-water mark of the actor's career. L.Q. Jones, Luke Askew, Harry Dean Stanton, Jack Elam, and Richard Bright create indelible moments, and Slim Pickens becomes the center of an unforgettably moving scene. The presence of Kristofferson (just starting out as an actor) and Bob Dylan (whose enigmatic role is nearly wordless) nudges us toward recognizing Old West outlawry as an early form of rock stardom--flesh-and-blood gods for a primitive society to feed on. --Richard T. Jameson
Amazon.com Essential Video
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Great Westerns,
By
This review is from: Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid (VHS Tape)
Few directors have understood the Western genre quite as well as Sam Peckingpah, and although "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" may not be his best Western, it is still an extraordinary achievement. The film is based on the events leading up to the death of the famed outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) by his former friend turned lawman, Pat Garrett (James Coburn). Although the outlaw's story has been told and retold in countless other movies, none of them are quite as striking as in Peckinpah's unique version. One of the first things that struck me about the film is the realistic way the characters are depicted. In most traditional Westerns, the concepts of good and evil are fairly clear-cut and easily recognizable. There's the handsome Western hero (usually represented as a lawman), fighting for justice and order against the violent forces of evil (usually represented by outlaws or bloodthirsty Indians). But in this film these concepts are not so neatly drawn. Garrett, for example, pursues Billy the Kid, not necessary out of a sense of justice, but simply because it's his job. When asked why he took the job to begin with, Garrett simply states: "A man gets to an age where he don't want to spend time figuring what comes next." And Billy the Kid, despite being an "outlaw" and clearly prone to violence, as when he breaks out of jail and kills two deputies in the process, is contrasted with his good qualities, particular his likeable charm and loyalty to friends. At one point, Cattle Baron John Chisum (memorably played by Barry Sullivan) asks Garrett almost regretfully, "Are you going to get him?" He echoes what many in the film seem to feel, namely that the Kid may be an outlaw, but he's still one of the most interesting people in the territory. This is also one of Peckinpah's finest looking films. The cinematography of John Coquillon is excellent. I also love Bob Dylan's beautiful acoustical soundtrack (my only regret is that in this version, we don't actually hear Dylan sing "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" as we did in the orignal theatrical cut). Another joy of the film is the excellent cast made up of veteran Western character actors, such as Chill Wills, Jack Elam, and Slim Pickens. And James Coburn gives one of his best low-key performances as Garrett. Even Bob Dylan is effective as "Alias", who serves as a link between the two principals. Another fascinating aspect of the film is its lyrical quality. I recall one critic saying it had the pacing of a campfire ballad with each vignette like a verse. The Director's Cut of "Pat Garrett" is a big improvement over the original theatrical version which had been cut drastically by MGM when it first appeared in 1973. This version is still missing an important scene between Garrett and his wife (which actually appeared in television prints of the film). However, the movie appears close to what Peckinpah originally intented. The laser disc release was letter boxed. Unfortunately, the VHS version is not, nor is the picture quality as crisp or as detailed as the disc. We can only hope that someday MGM will see fit to release this remarkable film on DVD.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jack Elam at his best,
By
This review is from: Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid (VHS Tape)
The portrayal of Alamoosa Bill by Jack Elam is a classic. It's a shame The Kid has to shoot him, but it's the exclamation point of Elam's skill as an actor. The soundtrack is superb. Rita Coolige is in her prime. See it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,
By user139512@aol.com (BACONTON, GA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid (VHS Tape)
One of the best Westerns out there! I just love Rita Coolidge. I've got this movie on Letter Box Laser Disk, but I just can't wait till the DVD arrives! How much longer must we wait??
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
|
