Session: Inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, Week 2
Movie: Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
Directed by Sam Peckinpah
As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL
Plot:
Two lawmen -- or are they outlaws? -- engage in a battle of wits across the old west. One will win and one will die. Hilarity ensues.
Background and Reaction:
This movie had a whole lot of chrome -- stuff that made it look really good. The cinematography was superb; visually, it was top notch. Bob Dylan's music was a perfect complement. At once emotive and subtle. The humor is great. And I really liked the way the opening and closing scenes of Garrett (in what is, for the bulk of the movie, the future) made for clever bookends.
So I wanted to love it. I really wanted to. But I had trouble warming up to it.
For starters, I found the plot to be too meandering. I also had trouble buying Kris Kristofferson as Billy the Kid. Billy died in his early twenties, and I've seen what few pictures there are of him. He was scrawny and odd-looking. Kris Kristofferson was in his upper forties. And he was big and muscular. He simply didn't look the part. Some of the other minor characters who peppered this production would have made better Billys. Now, maybe that shouldn;t matter. If this had been called "Pete McHugh and Angry Bob" and there was no actual historical Angry Bob so I had no preconceptions about what he looked like, it would have been fine. But too bad. Billy the Kid was a real person and I have a rweal impression of what he should look like. So that hampered my enjoyment.
While Bob Dylan's music, which served as the score was a good complement, Dylan's performance in the movie annoyed me. His character was intended to provide humor, but he kept smirking his way through his scenes, like he was Joe Piscopo doing his "I'm from Joisey" routine.
Back to the plus side, I did enjoy the dynamic between the two principles. These guys are very similar -- each acting as both lawman and outlaw. And they have a genuine affection for each other. They know that, eventually, one will kill the other, and yet they seem to see it the same way a friend of mine and I might view a game of Monopoly -- one of us will win and one will lose. I find that fascinating.
Dave and Joe were really appreciative of the cast which was a kind of a who's who of old Western character actors. Great for them. But since I didn't grow up on the old Westerns, that part was lost on me. Except for Slim Pickens. I love Slim Pickens. But, of course (and I know this is a heresy), I loved him best in The Misadventures of Sherriff Lobo.
What I find ironic about this is that this was supposed to be the superior cut. From what Keith explained, the studio was frustrated with the time and money that the film was consuming, and that caused a deterioration in their relationship with Sam Peckinpah. As a result the film went through some major editing, over which Peckinpah had no control. The movie that was ultimately released was butchered to the point of being a poor shadow of what it should have been. Eventually Peckinpah's cut, which is vastly superior, was released on DVD. And that's the cut we saw.
Meh. It makes me wonder how bad the studio cut was.
Ratings:
Me: 8 (for effort)
Dave: 9.7 - 9.8
Ethan: 6
Joe: 9.8
Scott: 8.5
Sean: 2 out of 4
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