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Straw Dogs 40th Anniversary [Blu-ray]

 Unrated   Blu-ray
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 25.99
Price: CDN$ 21.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Frequently Bought Together

Straw Dogs 40th Anniversary [Blu-ray] + Dressed to Kill [Blu-ray] [Import] + Scarface [Blu-ray]
Price For All Three: CDN$ 43.97

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Product Description

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One of Sam Peckinpah's most controversial efforts, this film came out at a critical moment in the early 1970s, released in the same month as both Dirty Harry and A Clockwork Orange, causing a furor over film violence. Based on a little-known British novel, the film casts Dustin Hoffman as a bookish American mathematician on sabbatical in rural England, in the town where his young bride (Susan George) grew up. He finds himself forced to defend his home against an assault by local toughs, and discovers a frighteningly feral and vicious side to himself. Though Straw Dogs has a reputation for graphic violence, it actually looks tame by contemporary standards. Instead, the violence is psychological, and the suspense and shocks are induced by the editing--you're more terrified by what you think you see than by what you are actually shown. --Marshall Fine

Special Features

Despite its superior tone and a few debatable assertions, the Straw Dogs commentary by Peckinpah scholar Stephen Prince is astutely observant and thematically cohesive, effectively placing the film in its proper sociopolitical context. Prince's articulate reasoning corrects decades of misguided critical analysis while supporting Peckinpah's artistic intentions, including the fact that Dustin Hoffman plays the "heavy," and not the British bullies who provoke him to violence. The superb BBC documentary Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron offers perfect balance from the artist's perspective, as a majority of Peckinpah's closest friends and colleagues reminisce about a difficult man who inspired great extremes of passion. Highlights include anecdotes by Kris Kristofferson and longtime Peckinpah associate and screenwriter James Silke, whose shared memories are heartbreakingly poignant.

A 1971 on-set profile of Hoffman offers a fascinating portrait of the actor at the peak of early success, eager to transcend his Graduate persona. Similar British archival clips show Peckinpah at work; teasing glimpses of a gentleman who never suffered fools. The love-hate dynamic that Peckinpah inspired is especially evident in the illuminating 2002 interviews with Straw Dogs costar Susan George and producer Daniel Melnick, both full of anecdotal affection, humor, and pride in their controversial film; it's a pity Hoffman didn't participate. Peckinpah himself is powerfully present in written response to critics and detractors, and in a prickly 1974 interview with French-Canadian critic Andre Leroux. Taken together, these and other excellent supplements convey the depth and sophistication of a self-proclaimed violent man who had noble reasons for elevating the depiction and discussion of cinematic violence. --Jeff Shannon



Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
By Jenny J.J.I. TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
This film is one of the best works of Sam Peckinpah this movie deals with the true humanitarian phenomena, human nature for sexual orientation and needs and the most human seduction and temptation. This movie thrills you from the start to the end and the most magnificent aspect of the movie is its ambiguity and confusing nature of climax. "Straw Dogs" is an intense thriller that shows what can happen when you push even the mildest mannered man too far. In here, Dustin Hoffman plays a mathematician who temporarily moves to a house in a rural village in England with his wife, a former resident of the town, played by Susan George. The two withstand incessant needling from several of the townsfolk until George is raped and assaulted and Hoffman is pushed over the edge.

Incidentally, right after watching this film I found a documentary on cable about filmmakers from the late '60s to late '70s and one of the directors profiled was Sam Peckinpah. I had always considered his films to be violent and vaguely shocking, which never surprised me, knowing that he was a hard-living maverick who did things his way - an element that is resplendent in most of his films. A brief mention of Straw Dogs was included in this documentary, where they described it as a "sexist film". There are obvious scenes in the film that could support this criticism, but I think that is overanalyzing the film with a political correctness that is out of place. While the two female characters are both victimized, Susan George also has her moments of empowerment. I may be a female, but I don't consider Peckinpah's tendency to make testosterone-driven films any more sexist than anything that Tarantino puts out, and I'm a big fan of his work as well. It's a dangerous line to draw when one labels a film due to what is *not* included in a film.

What this film does contain is much more stellar - Hoffman is beyond incredible in this film. His character development is amazing to experience. One criticism of the film that I heard from a friend who saw it before me was that it "dragged." I couldn't disagree more. The development of the story until the extremely violent climax is a perfect pace because it made me feel like I was sitting in a dentist chair, knowing that this low boil could explode at any time. After the dust settles, the viewer is left to decide whether Hoffman's character made the right decision, and left to speculate on the ramifications of the choices made. This is by far one of the best films I've seen in recent months and from this director.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Nice flic Nov 28 2011
Format:Blu-ray
I'm very glad that I bought this movie.
It's a very nice movie and I can see why they did a remake.
Dustin Hoffman is a great actor and he makes a convincing "coward".
The print is very good for such and old movie. I watched it on my 46" TV and thought the image was pretty clear.
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1.0 out of 5 stars Straw Dogs Nov 21 2011
By Geoff
Format:DVD
The DVD stops about 3/4 of the way through and then goes to the main menu. If you then choose "scenes" to return to where you were it continues to do the same thing. Worst video I have purchased from Amazon.
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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Really Terrifying but Good
This movie was even more amazing watching it on our large screen tv - we hadn't seen it for more than 25 years and it was crystal clear. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Irish Coleen
1.0 out of 5 stars HORRIBLE!!!
I agree with another reviewer in that you'll either love this or hate it. But I think most people will hate it. Read more
Published on July 9 2004 by "nightphoto"
5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Film Which Stands the Test of Time.
This is a really interesting film on many levels. It's not perfect; but, few works of modern art are. Nevertheless, this work stands the test of time. Read more
Published on April 21 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing masculine character study by Peckinpah.
It's not at all hard to see the connection between Peckinpah's two greatest movies: Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch. Read more
Published on Mar 25 2004 by Mephistopheles
1.0 out of 5 stars Time to bring this film to justice
The only thing more gut-wrenching and discouraging than actually watching Straw Dogs is reading reviews, both here and elsewhere, that miss what is wrong with this movie. Read more
Published on Feb 27 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars Ken Hutchison
I liked this movie but only saw it because I try to see as many of the movies Ken Hutchison appears in as possible. He plays Norman Scutt and is great as usual. Read more
Published on Feb 11 2004 by Meadow Sage
5.0 out of 5 stars Great film with a message that is still true today!!!
Even though this film was released in the late 60's the message is still very modern. Hoffman gives what I think is one the best performances of his career as a mathmatician who's... Read more
Published on Feb 3 2004 by El Smoksta
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Hoffman, Brilliant Film...
David (Dustin Hoffman) and Amy Sumner move from the United States to the isolated parts of England from where Amy grew up in order for David to work on his mathematical research in... Read more
Published on Jan 2 2004 by Kim Anehall
5.0 out of 5 stars Peckinpah's masterpiece
"Straw Dogs" is a movie that you are either going to love it or hate it, not a lot of middle ground here. Read more
Published on Dec 28 2003 by Vagabond77
5.0 out of 5 stars Going Out-of-Print Soon
Criterion has announced on their website that this title will be going out of print on December 31, 2003... so you better get it now if you want it. I already ordered mine. Read more
Published on Dec 19 2003 by Darcy L. Mott
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