High Plains Drifter Is Clint Eastwood's Mysterious, Overlooked Masterpiece. 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. All rights reserved, including educational use. Watch High Plains Drifter | Netflix Flashbacks to Marshal Duncan's murder showed Cole wearing the biggest grin; he's definitely not smiling when he gets on the wrong end of the bullwhip, but. Theres one last reason why I adore High Plains Drifter and it really has nothing to do with what happens on screen. Especially from the line "they didn't know him by his face". The Stranger replies, "Yes, you do." The historicity of the name, in Persian, suggests the meaning little boy; in Aramaic, follower or servant, or follower and servant of God. As he leaves, he paints over the town sign with a single word: "Hell". New York, NY . Universal wanted Eastwood to shoot the feature on its back lot, but Eastwood opted instead to film on location. The Malpaso Company. Book: McGilligan, Patrick . For the first and last time in his career, High Plains Drifter would prove that he might just want to be both. It exalts and delights in a kind of pitiless Old Testament wrath. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. [12] On Metacritic the film has a score 69% based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". 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. Brings back the memory of my Dad bringing home a . All the major series of deaths in the film are in threes: of the hired men at the beginning of the film, of the men murdered for their horses by the three murderers of the town marshall (which had set the retribution in motion), and of the three murderers themselvesone by throttling, another by scourging by lash, the last by death before the burning flames. The movie borrows heavily from Leones Once Upon a Time in the West and High Noon for its plot, as clearly the mysterious stranger has a beef with some of the dwellers in the town. Starring: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill Watch all you want. Regal 1973 | Maturity rating: 16+ | 1h 45m | Westerns. Meanwhile, the best you can say for High Plains Drifter is that the title is a low pun. New #Steelers TE Darnell Washington would have gone much higher than late-third round but "medical zonked him," as one scout said. Read our extensive list of rules for more information on other types of posts like fan-art and self-promotion, or message the moderators if you have any questions. I myself prefer to think that the angel carries the ghost, or, perhaps better, the soul of the man who was, with or before him, as that seems a more satisfactory, and more universal, allegory. Of course, another possibility is that the Stranger is. The next morning, Sarah tells the Stranger that Duncan cannot rest in peace because the town buried him in an unmarked grave. This is even true for the DVD version. The Stranger drags Sarah, kicking and screaming, into her bedroom (the only room in the hotel not damaged) where they have sex. And maybe it stung the young director at the time. . The next day, Lago officials offer the Stranger "anything you want" to protect the town from Bridges and the Carlins, who will soon be released from prison. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Amherst . High Plains Drifter. on Twitter: "@shane130 @JFowlerESPN I disagree he If there's ever an actor that would sell me in watching a western, that man would be Clint Eastwood. It's never revealed who the drifter is, but it's implied that he's the Devil, or the Angel of Death, or the ghost of Marshal Duncan - either way, it's at least a little supernatural, and very. [7], Complete buildings, rather than facades, were built, so that Eastwood could shoot interior scenes on the site. Universal Pictures, The Drifter's rape of Callie seems to be motivated by the fact she was rude to him. Book: Green, Philip . [23] It made its Blu-ray debut on October 15, 2013, with a newly remastered transfer,[24] and was reissued on October 27, 2020, by Kino Lorber with commentary tracks and new interviews. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 Western directed by (and starring) Clint Eastwood, with a screenplay by Ernest Tidyman ( The French Connection, Shaft ). The Stranger drags Sarah, kicking and screaming, into her bedroom (the only room in the hotel not damaged) where they have sex. Here its different though, and we see the cruel behaviour for what it is, even if some of the victims deserve retribution. Ernest Tidyman's script has some raw violence for the kinks, some dumb humor for audience relief, and lots of arch characterizations befitting the serio-comic-strip nature of the plot. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Celebrities Who've Shaved Their Heads for Roles, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is Finally Streaming, 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Sticks the Landing, Damon Lindelof Was 'Asked to Leave' Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Is Hyping Up 'Oppenheimer', Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke Are a Great Cowboy Match, Seeing Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa Will Break Me, 'The Flash' Just Debuted Another Massive Trailer, 13 Great Movies That Were Booed at Cannes. Starring: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill The Stranger is almost shot by Lewis Belding (Ted Hartley), but Mordecai (Billy Curtis) shoots Belding first. The character of Marshal Duncan was played by Buddy Van Horn, Eastwood's long-time stunt double, to suggest that he and the Stranger could be the same person. Instead of doing their dirty work, he abuses his "blank pay check" not just for free goods, but also to commandeer everyone in a militia and transform the whole town. That's obviously wrong. Book: Gentry, Ric . [10] The Italian, Spanish, French and German dubbings restored it. [7] The film was completed in six weeks, two days ahead of schedule, and under budget. Given that he was mentored by the likes of Don Siegel and my personal favourite director Sergio Leone it's no wonder that Eastwood went on to make hits like The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven. Machoism is also a meaty theme of most westerns but that is given a slap to the face also in the film. By creating an account, you agree to the "[17] Tom Zito of The Washington Post called it "an enjoyable, well-constructed work that suffers only from a slightly tedious tone that makes the film seem longer than its 105 minutes. Is dad a fan of action-packed movies from the wild, wild west? Before he was known as a conservative filmmaker (both stylistically and politically), he made this strange and surreal Western. 978-1300981176 . He passed through this small town a long time ago. 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. An American Journey: Issues and Themes . Brutal story-line which is about as close to an explicit allegory as the western has ever come. As stridently revisionist as any Western of the Vietnam era, High Plains Drifter is really only a Western on paper. "[14] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and wrote, "What does work very well indeed is Eastwood's presence, personal style, and direction. 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. High Plains Drifter (1973) on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. High Plains Drifter is a morality tale carved out of the harsh Western desert and directed with a panache that synthesized the styles of Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, two directors who had worked with Eastwood frequently. Watch High Plains Drifter | Netflix Finally, the High Plains Drifter script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Clint Eastwood movie. The Stranger replies, "Yes, you do." The Stranger accepts seemingly reluctantly, to be put in charge of order and mounting a defense, recruiting the factotum dwarf as his Deputy. It was one generations Great Western Star reaching his hand out to the previous generations. English, Director: 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. [4] In addition to Eastwood, the film also co-stars Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill, Mitchell Ryan, Jack Ging, and Stefan Gierasch. Sep 7, 2010, Runtime: At any rate, Ted Nugent fits better here, because you know that there is going to be some serious hard rocking when Clint Eastwood takes on this role, and I specifically mean "this" role. Mordecai says, "I never did know your name," to which the Stranger replies, "Yes, you do." "[15], Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called it "a nervously humorous, self-conscious near satire on the prototype Clint Eastwood formula of the avenging mysterious stranger. 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. Bach: Cantata 182, at Palm Sunday Hope Returns to Rejoice, J.S. Edit, After having the townfolk paint the entire town red, rename it "Hell", and set up a picnic and welcoming banner for the outlaws' return, the Stranger rides out of town, leaving them to fight their own battle against the three outlaws that brutally whipped Duncan to death while the townies stood and watched. High Plains Drifter released in the year 1973. Duncan made a Faustian bargain with the devil. The film was critically acclaimed at the time of its initial release and remains popular. He seems to enjoy giving them misery. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. High Plains Drifter Clint Eastwood April 4, 2022 The 1970s was an important decade for Clint Eastwood; in a remarkably prolific run reminiscent of the classic Hollywood studio masters, the man starred in 15 films in 10 years, directing 6 of them himself. It was Eastwood's second film as director, and the first Western he directed. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. Do we, then,find ourselvesunable to know how to act ethically in oursociety a society that glorifies, Den Vergulden Turk, where Mahler and Freud met, Breestraat, Leiden, Netherlands The subject of Mahler and Freud Meet in, Constellations of Desire Constellations of Desire forms the third part of Solitary Ethics, a sequence on ethical and moral, The Meadow Trail, as it leaves the forest for the light, Stanley Park, Vancouver. "[15], 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. "You know," Mordecai says, "I never did know your name." As a director, Eastwood is not as good as he seems to think he is. 20th highest-grossing film released in 1973, American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood, http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/high-plains-drifter, https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=highplainsdrifter.htm, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/oct/07/guardianinterviewsatbfisouthbank, Kino: Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter Detailed for Blu-ray, Metallicas Kirk Hammett Soundtracks a Six-String Shootout on New Song High Plains Drifter. Anyway Clint. The outlaws arrive and easily overcome the novice resistance of the townspeople; the defenders are all killed, while the survivors are rounded up in the saloon. 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. Three gunmen hired to protect the town taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. 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. The Stranger opens up healthy debate on who or what exactly he is. And two decades before Eastwood would win Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for his return to the genre with the twilight apologia Unforgiven, he still hadnt begun to grapple with the regrets and ramifications of shoot-first-ask-questions-later Old West violence. | Id argue that the movie is just as brutal and cynical as Leones westerns if not more. [12], Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "part ghost story, part revenge Western, more than a little silly, and often quite entertaining in a way that may make you wonder if you lost your good sense. Find a list of the best recent and upcoming film and TV titles added to Music title data, credits, and images provided by, Movie title data, credits, and poster art provided by. It's also a pretty violent business that won't disappoint the millions who flocked to the Leone westerns. Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study . As always, Clint Eastwood performance is spectacular as "the stranger" or nameless cowboy as he known for. Dee Barton wrote the film score. Additional scenes were filmed at Reno, Nevada's Winnemucca Lake and California's Inyo National Forest. University of Massachusetts Press . Scan this QR code to download the app now. A gunslinger emerges from a desert's shimmering horizon like an apparition. Coming Soon. High Plains Drifter was released in theaters on this day in 1973. The narrative concept is minimalist in scale, and the interpretation gets flimsy, but this story of a stranger gracing, then growing to corrupt ad plague and strange land carries intriguing mystery, in addition to thought-provoking themes on temptation and placing faith in unpredictable features that are stronger than the film itself. 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. "[10] The graveyard set featured in the film's final scene included tombstones inscribed "Sergio Leone" and "Don Siegel" as a humorous tribute to the two influential directors. But he has a score of his own to settle. "[26], Siskel, Gene (April 20, 1973). "[21], The film was recognized by American Film Institute in 2008 on AFI's 10 Top 10 in the category "Nominated Western Film". With Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Mitchell Ryan. The premise of the movie is basically this; (spoiler) Clint Eastwood plays a Marshall named Jim Duncan. I love High Plains Drifter, and I adore Eastwood, but the scene conveys the mindset of a writer/director who has zero clue about the psychological implications of sexual assault. Its difficult to know where we stand because the townspeople deserve punishment for what theyve done but at the same time just how much of the Strangers behaviour is acceptable? There's always retribution for your deeds. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! 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. Geoffrey Lewis plays one of the badguys and the idea to paint a town red is strange but it worked well, the whipping scenes are great and the shootings and violence Clint Eastwood's acting is faultless and perfect and the story never gets boring. From a moviemaker's point of view, they're not necessary to drive the plot. Tidyman's screenplay was inspired by the real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964, which eyewitnesses reportedly stood by and watched. we cut to a shot of the Stranger, seemingly implying. Holes in the plot were filled in with black humor and allegory, influenced by Sergio Leone. Kapsis; Coblentz, Kathie . Book: Hughes, Howard. [3] Before the film is finished fire is raging throughout the town and everyone who was involved in the Marshall whipping gets some kind of upcommance for their actions. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. All rights reserved. The supporting cast is all of humanity. The libretto is, This work, with its firm and certain compound of optimism, tenderness, melancholy, and assertion, was a favourite of mine, Dante, Beatrice, and the Zodiac (15th c.) The stated theme of Paradiso is the coevality of unity and multiplicity. Because its a far more interesting movie the further you get away from its Western-ness and the more it steps into the realm of spectral, mystical Tales from the Crypt pulp. It's up to the viewer to decide. Edit, American screenwriter Ernest Tidyman wrote the screenplay for High Plains Drifter and followed it up with a 1973 novelization of the film. The scene disturbs more than the death by gun fire, only momentarily earlier, of three men by the same stranger who rapes the woman. Privacy Policy [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. Dennis Harvey 48 Hills. You know, the rhythm of this title really makes me think of "Catch Scratch Fever", and you know, I'll run with it, because it's better than getting the Beastie Boys song stuck in my head.