JohnDoe
Bryn
BrentonSam Peckinpah: An Introduction to Blood and Bullets - Footage Included
February 1st 2007 10:39
Sam Peckinpah: An Introduction
Apologies for being so late with my post, it’s been a busy day but technically its before midnight here in the land of the Dundee. Now on with the show.
The man as he would like to be remembered
An intuitively edited, slow motion, cross cut ballet of excess and violence best to sums up stone to the bone Writer/ Director Sam Peckinpah, the films he made and what he gave to the history of cinema.
A rowdy sonufabitch, provocative and rebellious, Sam pioneered a cinematic revolution wrapped in a river of the red gooey liquid that is still raging today. He managed to capture moments of raw beauty amongst a backdrop of slaughter and mayhem, with an authentic eye for the detailed atmosphere of realism, time and place.
There is no denying that the combative Peckinpah had massive faults both personally and professionally. A hard drinkin’, drug abusin’, take no shit womaniser for the most part. Self sabotaging and not shy to throw his fists or shoot a gun at those who made him grumpy. Rich or poor, male or female his wrath was daunting.
Eventually he started marching to the Bolivian beat, got himself a Convoy of Mack Semi Trailers and rammed head long towards a nitro-glycerin loaded fate.
On the positive side, before he imploded under the weight of his own war against the world he made some of the most blood soaked, ball grabbing, sweat dripping, testosterone stimulating films ever captured on celluloid.
Examining the primal nature of man and the unyielding, ever present threat of death, warriors born out of their time, dislocated from society or the world they once knew. These were constant themes of his best work.
Billy The Kid lovin his work.
Introspective, delving beneath the mythology and exposing flawed, tragic mortals, cleverly assaulting the viewer with imaginary that reminds them bullets hurt and blood is not the only thing that comes out when you are brutally ripped apart by the claws of carnage.
His scathing indictment of war Cross of Iron, (1977) starring James Mason and James Cogburn is told through the eyes of German soldiers and is testament to what he was up to, long before the audience was ready.
That Scene!
In context the attacker is an ex lover who represents the ugly male ego that rules with physical force. Plus, the core of the film is her intellectual husband Dustin Hoffman and his inability to act on inner rage that she finds appealing, you know the whole, “Be a man” thing.
Teaming up with Steve McQueen for a slam bam heist thriller called The Getaway and then again for the ode to rodeo Junior Bonner. Again these films centre around the self destructive price of an iron will.
Im looking for the head of Alfredo Garcia
The Killer Elite, though deeply flawed and adherently drug crazed off screen, still manages to contain scenes of former glory and for John Doe enough masculinity and imaginative staging to get the “Guilty pleasure” tag.
Obviously John Doe can not be objective when it comes to talking about the man and his work. He was a bad man who did bad things and made films about bad men who did bad things. That’s the legend anyway and I’m sticking with it, he was a man’s man as they say.
Click below to see John Belushi playing Sam Peckinpah on SNL.
Warning: Spoiler clip ahead, do not click if you haven’t seen the film, just go rent it.
Now brace yourself for the onslaught in the apocalyptic, gattling gun battle that marks one of the greatest cinematic finales of all time. Ladies and gentlemen meet The Wild Bunch.
Now a combat scene for the underseen gem Cross Of Iron. Many say this was Sam's final masterpiece.
Last one, here is a trailer for the criminally ignored and masively influential surreal revenge saga Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia
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Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
There is a great box set in the US that I got for my Birthday...well worth it just for 2 different cuts of Billy The Kid.
Did you end up getting the Getaway?
Comment by David
Not only do you know your film culture, man ... but you can really write ... Seriously ... I love the way you write ...
It's so conversational ... It's a literary and mind engagement of the second-best kind (non-gay, that is ...
If you were a woman? ... I'd want to fuck your brains out ... *** Women with intelligent foreheads? (and breasts and all the other bits ... better stop now ... getting way too sick for a public (non-Adult) website ... *** (Thank God Adult websites exist where I can run amok ... (otherwise? ... [nup ... better not go there ... *
David ...
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
JD,
Damn, I need to watch me some Peckinpah again ... Um .... I might need to borrow a coupla titles offa you ... Cross of Iron? Straw Dogs? Alfredo Garcia, do you own those? I haven't seen the first two in years, and have never seen the latter ... Great retrospec write-up too dude .
Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
I assumed Pat Garrett was getable in Australia since the Wild Bunch DVD has a preview of it on it?
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
The other reason is that I see each post as a letter to the general public, a note to all my friends telling them my like, dislikes and what I have watched or recommend viewing.
David, a compliment from an artist of your calibre is a prized boost to my confidence, thank you. Always welcome to vent your spleen here.
Welcome back Bryn (missed you yesterday),
Peckinpah is one of my favourite directors and his films still amaze me with there gritty reality and profound statements about inevitable violence and its dark influence on the psyche.
Will hook you up with Cross or Iron, Alfredo Garcia and Straw Dogs...
Luke, The Wild Bunch double disc SE is part of the Peckinpah box in the US and I think they just copied the disc for the Australian release. Im sure Pat Garret wil eventually make its way down under....look forward to reading your verdict on The Getaway and Major Dundee.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Now, when I watch westerns, I find them so incredibly captivating..
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I know your big on the Leone Westerns (Once Upon a Tiem In The West) and the Peckinpah films are tarred and feathered with the same grandiose style.
Bryn wants a loan of a few too, so you two can share them next time we hook up.