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. Clint Eastwood, Producer: Amid shoot-outs and existentialism, a stranger is hired to protect a town from outlaws -- but his recipe for defense could be a deal with the devil. 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. English, Director: In an era when New Hollywood movie-brat auteurs grasped for Art, Eastwood seemed to unconsciously position himself as their antithesis. Over the course of the movie, Eastwoods Stranger acts as if hes Lagos savior, but hes not interested in protecting them, he wants them to pay for Duncans murder. He orders every building in town painted blood red. The scene where Clint Eastwood is about to get his clean shave is honestly cinema at it's best. Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Jurassic Park Movies Ranked By Tomatometer, RT25: Celebrating 25 Years of Rotten Tomatoes, Fatal Attraction Series Stars Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan on the Sexy, Unsettling Psychological Thriller, Prime Video Acquires J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves Batman: Caped Crusader and 2 More Animated Projects, Clint Eastwood's sophomore outing as director sees him back in the saddle as a mysterious stranger, and the result is one of his most memorable Westerns. Three hired "town security" gunmen taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. Here Eastwood takes advantage of what he has learned in the spaghetti western with a plot that is fully attached to the genre. He takes a room and decides to stay. (Photo: Hendrik, Akira Kurosawa : Ran. After scouting locations alone in a pickup truck in Oregon, Nevada and California,[7] he settled on the "highly photogenic" Mono Lake area. I mean, theres horses and saloons and tumbleweeds. 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. In Rabbinical literature, the angel of death, a creation of God on the first day, exacts slaughter, in the manner ordained by God, to restore the honour of mankind. New York, NY . Clint: The Life and Legend . I joke about the obvious influence from Sergio Leone, but the genuinely unique aspects of this "supernatural" western go punctuated by the taking of story and storytelling notes from Leone, if not other western filmmakers, which reflect a lack of certainty to Clint Eastwood's storytelling. Lago is a mining town, so presumably the stores are making money selling things to the miners. He keeps things lean and simple. 2.75/5 - Decent. [8] Over 50 technicians and construction workers built an entire town14 houses, a church, and a two-story hotelin 18 days, using 150,000 feet of lumber. The next morning, Sarah tells the Stranger that Duncan cannot rest in peace because the town buried him in an unmarked grave. In this, then, is also created the possibility of free will. The film had its share of detractors. If you can look past the dated sexual politics, this is a deeply cynical deconstruction of the romanticized western. 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". The Stranger replies, "Yes, you do." 2009 . I'm 98% sure the idea for this is drawn from that movie. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "High Plains Drifter". As he leaves, he paints over the town sign with a single word: "Hell". If the film is memorable, it's for the themes and relatively gripping latter acts, and while I wish there was more inspiration throughout the film in order to make the final product rewarding on the whole, when the drama bites, it grips as an at least almost rewarding thriller. McFarland & Co . Slaughter may be by burning, beheading, or throttling. Clint Eastwood is the ultimate thinking mans cinematic killing machine. It's also a pretty violent business that won't disappoint the millions who flocked to the Leone westerns. Callie and several men including Morgan Allen conspire to kill the Stranger. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER is perhaps Eastwood's most mean-spirited film that deals with supernatural elements and quite literally burning down every cliche, the Western cliche . For the first and last time in his career, High Plains Drifter would prove that he might just want to be both. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Tidyman's screenplay was inspired by the real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964, which eyewitnesses reportedly stood by and watched. "[16], Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a stylized, allegorical western of much chillingly paranoid atmosphere and considerable sardonic humor that confirms Eastwood's directorial flair. This film just feels mean, and the nastiness all comes from the character of the stranger. He was mellow on the set, never asked for more than one or two takes, and made a habit of coming in both under-schedule and under-budget on his filmsalthough he probably would have preferred to call them movies rather than films. All rights reserved. A gun-fighting 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. As always, Clint Eastwood performance is spectacular as "the stranger" or nameless cowboy as he known for. Theres one last reason why I adore High Plains Drifter and it really has nothing to do with what happens on screen. Universal released the R-rated High Plains Drifter in the United States in April 1973, and the film eventually grossed $15.7 million domestically,[2] ultimately making it the sixth-highest grossing Western in North America in the decade of the 1970s and the 20th highest-grossing film released in 1973. Speaking about the composition, Hammett said he didn't set out to write a song based on the movie, but upon finishing it, he realized it "conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly. The CulturalRites article on his most interesting film is available here. Brutal story-line which is about as close to an explicit allegory as the western has ever come. The Stranger's instructions that all buildings should be painted red and the town's name of Lago be replaced by a sign labelled 'HELL' echoes Duncan's dying words that the residents would suffer in Hell for failing to prevent his death. The movie concerns awell, drifter who wonders into a small town from the high plains. Now, with those murderers just released from prison, they want Eastwoods Stranger to defend them. The most eye-catching and best-known sequence in the film occurs when Eastwood tells the cowering citizens of Lago to paint every building in the town red as they await the three murderers return. Ghost Images: Cinema of the Afterlife . Whats most notable is how Eastwood holds fast to the rebel spirit of the spaghetti Westerns and revisionist New Hollywood Westerns of the previous decade, but packages it in a film thats slicker and more mainstream-friendly. 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. As they unknowingly beat a dummy in the bed, the Stranger tosses a stick of dynamite into the room, destroying most of the hotel, then shoots two of his attackers dead, as Morgan flees wounded. High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Who Are You? The Drifter's rape of Callie seems to be motivated by the fact she was rude to him. The allegory cant get blunter then him literally put up a signpost that says hell and have the town paint all the buildings red. 978-1300981176 . "You know," Mordecai says, "I never did know your name." The Stranger suddenly returns and kills the outlaws one by one, whipping Cole to death, hanging Dan with another whip, and shooting Stacey. The, Cantata 182, composed in 1713, is for Palm Sunday, which is the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter, and. Meanwhile, the best you can say for High Plains Drifter is that the title is a low pun. Particularly bad is the scene where Callie ambushes the Stranger while he's taking a bath, unarmed, and fires several shots at him. Starring: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill Watch all you want. All rights reserved, including educational use. But like a Broadway-trained thespian who periodically returns to the stage to keep his or her instincts honed, Eastwood would keep circling back to the genre that had first forged his mythology in a crucible of six-shooters and squinting glances, the Western. The film was shot on location on the shores of Mono Lake, California. Book: Ruffles, Tom . Maybeand this is where the movie gets really interestingbecause he is Duncan. New York . High Plains Drifter: Directed by Clint Eastwood. This is even true for the DVD version. That night, in his hotel room, the Stranger dreams of Jim Duncan, a federal marshal, being whipped to death by outlaws Stacey Bridges and brothers Dan and Cole Carlin, as Lago's citizens watch in silence. Here its different though, and we see the cruel behaviour for what it is, even if some of the victims deserve retribution. But more than anything, its a ghost story (if you choose to see it that wayand I do) in frontier drag. Yeah, I'm thinking that this guy doesn't so much drift the high plains, as much as he drifts the regular plains, while high, which would be appropriate, considering he is the prince of sin. "Clint Back in Saddle in 'Drifter'". He then rides out of town without explanation, following the wounded Morgan. He seems to enjoy giving them misery. [7] Over 50 technicians and construction workers built an entire town14 houses, a church, and a two-story hotelin 18 days, using 150,000 feet of lumber. The film was critically acclaimed at the time of its initial release and remains popular. Now this may not be as good as some of Clint Eastwood other western, especially Unforgiven, but it's still a nice alternative and a unique take on the western genre from the man who is the best in that genre. The Ferrymans Obolus, the third and concluding sequence of Part 2, The idea is Gods. Eastwood reportedly liked the offbeat quality of the film's original nine-page proposal and approached Universal with the idea of directing it. 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. and the In addition to the cruel nature of the film there is a surprising supernatural element at play. He found out the mine was on government land and was going to report it, which would result in it being closed. The Stranger accepts the job and takes full advantage of the deal: he appoints a downtrodden dwarf named Mordecai as both sheriff and mayor, provides a Native American and his children with blankets and candy when the shopkeeper refuses to serve them, gets a new saddle and boots, and forces the saloon to serve everyone free drinks. 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. Universal wanted Eastwood to shoot the feature on its back lot, but Eastwood opted instead to film on location. The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The supporting cast is all of humanity. 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. The three have their sights set on returning to Lago to wreak havoc and take care of some unfinished business. As they unknowingly beat a dummy in the bed, the Stranger tosses a stick of dynamite into the room, destroying most of the hotel, then shoots two of his attackers dead, as Morgan flees, wounded. The inclusion of the sexually immoral, who, in the film, consort with the murderer, would explain the rape scene that occurs so suddenly after the beginning of the story. There's always retribution for your deeds. [] Eastwood, Clint: High Plains Drifter (1973.) I also think George Pickens will be our Clint Eastwood and Issues of American Masculinity . Dialogue earlier in the film, and the final scene with Mordecai strongly imply, however, that he's. Yes, there are subtle problems throughout the film, but there are also considerable strengths, and they stood a real chance of taking a small-scale narrative and molding it into a rewarding thriller, only to go overpowered by the cold spells which, when combined with those subtle missteps, ultimately secure the final product shy of its potential. 1-57806-070-2 . After the film came out and wound up being a big box-office hit, Eastwood wrote a fannish letter to John Wayne, suggesting that they make a movie together. Still, its Eastwoods flashbacks to Duncans murder-by-bullwhip that are even more horrifyingand technically dazzling thanks to Bruce Surtees fever-dream cinematography, Dee Bartons eerie score, and Eastwoods decision to have his longtime stunt double, Buddy Van Horn, play Duncan, making the physical similarities between Duncan and the Stranger all the more creepy. No one looks good in the end. Wayne wrote back saying this movie is terrible because of the violence and it's revisionist portrayal of westerns. Says the paradox: to save the just, you must make a pact with the Devil. Dee Barton wrote the film score. He looks like the tight-lipped, cigar-chewing sharpshooter of Hang 'Em High or Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, and on paper High Plains Drifter certainly reads like your typical Clint Eastwood western. 1973 | Maturity rating: 16+ | 1h 45m | Westerns. Edit, One gravestone shown in the intro is dated to 1882, so this movie most likely takes place in the mid-1880s. It is gradually revealed that the townspeople hired the outlaws to murder Duncan when he discovered that the local gold mine was illegally dug on government-owned land and would have to be closed, destroying the town's livelihood.
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