May 25, 2012

I Found It At the Movies: 1969--The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)

by Jeffrey Goodman | Published July 27, 2011

Inspired by Dave Hicks’ excellent blog, I have decided to write about my favorite film for each year from 1926-2008.

1969: The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)

I’ll never forget the first time I saw this movie. It was in 1995 at St. Louis’ Tivoli Theatre. I must have gone to something like the 8:00 showing, and when it was over I remember seriously considering staying for the 10:40 show. I was that blown away.

The desire to see a movie for the second time immediately after my first viewing had never happened to be before, nor has it happened since. It’s safe to say that the action sequences in The Wild Bunch, particularly the first and the last, were the most exciting I had ever seen. They literally showed me another way of doing things. Peckinpah’s combination of different film speeds and his offbeat, elliptical editing style were a revelation. John Woo, and also Takeshi Kitano and Wong Kar-Wai, have referenced Peckinpah’s innovations, but the original still packs the greatest punch for me.

I think that the syncopated opening of The Wild Bunch is one of the strongest in the history of film, and I find myself moved by its themes of friendship. The movie looks so real that I feel like I can almost smell it. And what can I say about Robert Ryan and William Holden? The movie almost serves as an argument for casting more of our legends at later stages in their career. There’s simply a depth and effect that come from their presence that the younger guys can never provide.

What moviemakers can learn: Don’t ignore the great actors once they become older. They can bring an element of depth and a lifetime of cinematic history to your movie.

Other contenders for 1969: I still have quite a number of titles to see. These include: Costa-Gavras’ Z, Jean Eustache’s Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes (Le père Noël a les yeux bleus) and Jacques Rivette’s L’amour fou. I need to revisit George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as it’s been too long since I’ve seen it to know where it would place on this list. I really like Paul Mazursky’s Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. I love Eric Rohmer’s My Night at Maud’s (Ma nuit chez Maud) and Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows (L’armée des ombres). And my closest runner-up is Ken Loach’s Kes.

After living in Los Angeles for seven years, Jeffrey Goodman returned to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana to direct The Last Lullaby. Co-written by the creator of Road to Perdition, and starring Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander, The Last Lullaby was filmed entirely in and around Shreveport and financed by 48 local investors. Goodman is now at work raising money for his next feature, Peril.

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Comment by Russ Skains on 7/28/11 at 9:09 am

I have trouble remembering if I have seen this flick. Seems that I do remember that they went to Mexico with worthless loot. So...I think that I have seen it but my memory of it is a wash.

This film is close to the beginning of “New Hollywood” films and the director Peckinpah has much more freedom to use his stylistic elements. The actors in this film are some of the best of their time...Robert Ryan, William Holden, Ben Johnson and Ernie Borgnine are icons for actors at this time.

I think of On Her Majesty’s Service, True Grit, Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as memorable films of 1969.

I liked James Bond films growing up and watched most of them. John Wayne finally got his award with Rooster. Butch Cassidy is a great film of all times and a true classic.

But for me...the film that had the most impact of films that year was Easy Rider. While that film may not be the best film...it clearly had the most impact on American culture. I will nevah forget it and it is etched into my mindset even if I have forgotten most of it...LOL!