In his second directorial outing, following 1971's Play Misty for Me, Eastwood seems hard to the point of self-parody. Theyre already in hell for their sins (at least everyone other than Verna Bloom, who was the only person who tried to help Duncan). This is a classic Clint Eastwood that is entertaining and suspenseful no matter how many times you see it. Eastwood's movie resonates beyond its grade-B trappings, and speaks eloquently in simple language about epochal social realities. When the attractive, blond townswoman Callie Travers flirtatiously insults him, he rapes her in the livery stable. "High Plains Drifter" is the story of a small mining town named "Lago" which is constantly troubled by outlaws and gunfighters. @THIERRYFREMAUX @FestLumiere @Orange_Cinema @Les_Cinevores pic.twitter.com/Ga3QJOaJ, Yves Bongarcon (@Whybee1) August 7, 2012. Our anti-hero is confronted time and again, leading to a few impromptu corpses and, in the film's most wildly questionable scene, a rape of the town trollop (Marianna Hill). (Though Eastwood killing off his own character in his film's first minutes would have been an even more radical spoofing of his own career.) In general, this is an enjoyable commentary, which allows room for many cross-references to Eastwoods blossoming stock company. In his audio commentary, filmmaker Alex Cox astutely observes the various similarities and differences between High Plains Drifter and the films of Italian maestros like Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci. I hope hes wrong, or just being playfully cryptic. The primary filming location for High Plains Drifter is the area around Mono Lake in California. This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. Religious profanities are uttered as well. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. "Clint Back in Saddle in 'Drifter'". Watch on YouTube High Plains Drifter Clint Eastwood's second film as a director finds the celebrated action star returning to his familiar Old West stomping grounds and his internationally. Film Editing: Ferris Webster The lakes ecosystem is based on its numerous brine shrimp and provides a critical habitat for millions of annual migratory birds. director of photography Film Editing by Ferris Webster . 20th highest-grossing film released in 1973, "The Representation of Justice in Eastwood's, "Kino: Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter Detailed for Blu-ray", "Metallica's Kirk Hammett Soundtracks a Six-String Shootout on New Song 'High Plains Drifter', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=High_Plains_Drifter&oldid=1149084506, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 02:56. Instead of cutting from a picturesque location to an obvious set, Clint Eastwood and cinematographer Bruce Surtees frequently capture interiors and exteriors simultaneously, tightening claustrophobia as well as our impression of knowing this town. frankly im astounded i ever thought of his characters as something to look up too. I'm still a fan of Clint but this scene still has me irked because I don't think it's right to rape anyone. Three gunmen hired to protect the town taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. Like other potent pulp from the late-'60s-early-'70s, I'm thinking about George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), Franklin J. Schaffner's Planet of the Apes, Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971), Bob Clark's Deathdream (1974), Cornel Wilde's No Blade of Grass (1970), etc. High Plains Drifter was released in theaters on this day in 1973. 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. Another man watched the horrific attack and doesn't help her - he smiles instead. 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. rape and sadism). This red town cuts to the truth of the lonely brutality of western settlement in general, and couldve sprung out one of Roger Cormans most surreal productions, particularly The Masque of the Red Death. I also remember a midget giving Eastwood props after the rape. Which is not to suggest that Eastwood's movie is a dead-serious intellectual indictment it's raw pulp, with plenty of adolescent overripeness and crude narrative ideas. Follow The Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQCulture. This reduces the stress [25], American musician Kirk Hammett included a song named High Plains Drifter, which takes its title from the film, on his 2022 extended play, Portals. It was a hit. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. High Plains Drifter Jump toSummaries (5)Synopsis (1) Edit Summaries 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. Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt, Marianna Hill, Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Interestingly, we hardly blink at this laconic gunhand dispatching a few antagonistic frontier men with pistol blasts to the forehead and chest, but the rape which like everything else in the film is involved with a protracted plan for retribution sticks in our contemporary craw, even if the hateful woman in question does eventually return with her own gun, seeking vengeance. "Film Reviews: High Plains Drifter". To keep the townspeople busy, he orders every building in town painted blood red. First pole barns do not require a foundation. Your email address will not be published. Its also a film that deserves to be seen by anyone who has a sweet tooth for the genre or thinks they have a bead on Eastwood as a filmmaker. Early in High Plains Drifter, Eastwood establishes the films stark terms with a scene thats perhaps more shocking now than it was way back in 1973. Cinematography: Bruce Surtees 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. They had been held repressed by previous generations, and controlled. In new interviews, actors Marianna Hill, Mitchell Ryan, and William OConnell speak of their various experiences working with Eastwood, all describing him as an erudite and unpretentious artist who trusts his actors and keeps them on their toes with his famous preference for single takes. This 4K release also includes a new commentary with the always dependable film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, who do a great job contextualizing the state of the western in the early 1970s. When the Stranger is first sipping his beer at the saloon, the bottle of whiskey is placed on the bar to the left of his glass of beer. THE BEST BLU-RAY VERSION TO BUY 100% WORTH THE MONEY, MORE THAN 5 STARS, Reviewed in Australia on March 19, 2021. You see, Lago is a town with a past. While the outlaws have a score to settle, the stranger forces the cowardly citizens to take back their home and expose the corruption amongst them. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. They had him whipped to death. (You must log in or sign up to reply here. It was one generations Great Western Star reaching his hand out to the previous generations. From Clint Eastwood, the acclaimed director/star of The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino and The Mule, comes this western masterpiece and homage to his The Man with No Name legend. Sarah Belding. A mysterious, unnamed stranger rides out of the desert into the isolated mining town of Lago in the American Old West. [8] The film was completed in six weeks, two days ahead of schedule, and under budget. It begins wih one of the best rides into town ever filmed. [11], "It's just an allegory," Eastwood said, "a speculation on what happens when they go ahead and kill the sheriff, and somebody comes back and calls the town's conscience to bear. The (arguably) 2 rape scenes in the movie are both committed by Eastwood and yet the townsfolk are the villains as none of them say a word. When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure an 'X' rating. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. I see, so he was whipped by the men of the town years earlier. He does the same thing to the inn keeper lady later in the movie, it just doesn't show the actual assault. Unforgiven was said to challenge various valedictory motifs of the western and the revenge narrative, but it essentially allows us to like Eastwoods character and to feel that delayed closure and justice have been achieved. Clint Eastwood is a legend and you can't cancel a legend! With an excellent new audio commentary and a solid boost in A/V quality, Kinos 4K release of High Plains Drifter offers the ultimate experience of Clint Eastwoods mean, bleak trip to hell. Kino Lorber has reissued the 1973 western classic HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER on blu-ray labelled special edition this reissue is 10 times better quality than the 2011 universal blu-ray Kino has given the film a new 4k scan 2:35:1 HD transfer and the picture quality looks amazing Other headstones bear the names of 'Don Siegel' (Eastwood's director on a total of five films, four of which preceded "High Plains Drifter") and Brian G. Hutton (director of Where Eagles Dare (1968) and Kelly's Heroes (1970)). The location has also featured in a number of other films and TV shows including Steve McQueens 1966 western Nevada Smith and Netflixs Rim of the World. The people in the town are strange. Meanwhile, after spending a night in a hotel bed together, Sarah Belding tells the Stranger of her belief that Jim Duncan cannot rest in peace nor depart the physical realm because he was buried in an unmarked grave. A man is whipped to death by 3 men. The backdrop for the story line of High Plains Drifter is the small mining town of Lago in the American old west. [19], Nigel Andrews of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that "after Play Misty For Me, High Plains Drifter emerges as a disappointingly sterile exercise in style, suggesting that the first thing Eastwood should do as a director is forget the lessons he has learned from other film-makers and start to forge a convincing style of his own. yeah i saw that a while back. That night, in his hotel room, the Stranger dreams of Jim Duncan, a U.S. Read More: Where Was The Shawshank Redemption Filmed? Hes never been as thematically oblique or stylistically flashy (unless you consider his lack of flash to be flashy). Strangers stand out effortlessly. Clint Eastwood while filming 'High Plains Drifter . It's just this movie and the one where he kisses 10 year olds that I don't like. ). Wayne, who it turns out wasnt a fan of the film, wrote an angry letter back, saying that High Plains Drifter isnt what the West was all about and that it isnt the American people who settled this country. The Duke may have thought that he was putting the young Eastwood in his place. Follow the Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ ESQCulture i ever of. Something to look up too same thing to the point of self-parody Drifter is the around! N'T show the actual assault generations Great Western Star reaching his hand out to the inn keeper lady in. 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