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McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1971
In a small, barely developed mining town, a man named McCabe (Warren Beatty) rolls into town and through sheer force of magnetism, determination, and deadly reputation, begins to organize the town into something significant. Before long, brothel madame Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) arrives and persuades McCabe to front her the cost of opening a high-quality brothel in which they will share the profits. But the town's success attracts a few interested buyers, and they may not be willing to take no for an answer.
I guess the theme of this week's movie watching is 70s film subverting genre expectations. First with Night Moves taking on the detective/noir genre, and now with McCabe and Mrs. Miller upending the Western.
I can see why this film is held in such high regard. From a filmmaking point of view, I have no complaints. I think that what makes it so easy to admire is the fact that it doesn't seem to care all that much what you think about the main characters. It is content to show you their lives and their choices and let you draw your own conclusions. While there are secondary characters who fall more easily into the "good person/bad person" extremes, the two leads are admirably complex.
The film does a great job of conveying how dangerous--and arbitrarily cruel--the semi-tamed west could be. Everyone, in their own way, lives on the edge. It makes intuitive sense the way that the character jockey for control or at times choose to escape as with Mrs. Miller and her opium addiction. The details of the setting--especially seeing the characters' breath--really captures the harsh environment in which they find themselves. It all creates an effect where any moment of silence or calm or gentleness seems like some sort of miracle.
I thought that Beatty and Christie did a great job in their roles, and that the supporting cast were also strong. Everyone in the film brings a sort of grim acceptance to their scenes.
I thought that the soundtrack choices were interesting. At times I wondered if they weren't too modern, but I also have to admit that thematically and tonally they really fit the film and its events.
There's a certain fatalism to the film that did make me antsy at times. I think that it's intentional, so this isn't a flaw, per se. But that restlessness made it hard to stick with the film at points.
Overall an excellent piece of the Western canon. Chalk up another "deservedly classic".
McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1971
In a small, barely developed mining town, a man named McCabe (Warren Beatty) rolls into town and through sheer force of magnetism, determination, and deadly reputation, begins to organize the town into something significant. Before long, brothel madame Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) arrives and persuades McCabe to front her the cost of opening a high-quality brothel in which they will share the profits. But the town's success attracts a few interested buyers, and they may not be willing to take no for an answer.
I guess the theme of this week's movie watching is 70s film subverting genre expectations. First with Night Moves taking on the detective/noir genre, and now with McCabe and Mrs. Miller upending the Western.
I can see why this film is held in such high regard. From a filmmaking point of view, I have no complaints. I think that what makes it so easy to admire is the fact that it doesn't seem to care all that much what you think about the main characters. It is content to show you their lives and their choices and let you draw your own conclusions. While there are secondary characters who fall more easily into the "good person/bad person" extremes, the two leads are admirably complex.
The film does a great job of conveying how dangerous--and arbitrarily cruel--the semi-tamed west could be. Everyone, in their own way, lives on the edge. It makes intuitive sense the way that the character jockey for control or at times choose to escape as with Mrs. Miller and her opium addiction. The details of the setting--especially seeing the characters' breath--really captures the harsh environment in which they find themselves. It all creates an effect where any moment of silence or calm or gentleness seems like some sort of miracle.
I thought that Beatty and Christie did a great job in their roles, and that the supporting cast were also strong. Everyone in the film brings a sort of grim acceptance to their scenes.
I thought that the soundtrack choices were interesting. At times I wondered if they weren't too modern, but I also have to admit that thematically and tonally they really fit the film and its events.
There's a certain fatalism to the film that did make me antsy at times. I think that it's intentional, so this isn't a flaw, per se. But that restlessness made it hard to stick with the film at points.
Overall an excellent piece of the Western canon. Chalk up another "deservedly classic".