The Chase" with Marlon Brando, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson and Jane Fonda (1966)

 

Changing societal conventions collide with booze, money and power in this barnburner of a film by director Arthur Penn. Bubber Reeves; played by Robert Redford, escapes from prison; and promptly becomes involved in a crime which results in a murder he does not commit. With the entire state on the lookout for him, he heads home to his South Texas town to see his wife, Anna, played by Jane Fonda. She has been having an affair with the married son of Val Rogers, played by E.G. Marshall, the local oil and cattle baron, who provides a great deal of employment to the people of the town. He also causes a great deal of resentment toward the Sheriff.

Sheriff Calder, played by Marlon Brando, is married to Ruby Calder, played by Angie Dickinson. Together they run the courthouse, seemingly at the direction of Val Rogers. But that myth is shattered the night Bubber returns to town, and the "respectable" citizens show their true colors. All have something to hide, or prove to others, and to themselves.

With Sheriff Calder alone looking out for justice, can justice prevail? Old tensions flare, and the film ends on an apocalyptic note; literally; as the town utterly destroys itself.

Working from the novel by Horton Foote, the screen play by Lillian Hellman captures all the drama of the fragility of the human condition. When a whole town can be so adversely affected by one event, the question of just what constitutes society is called into question.

The Chase" with Marlon Brando, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson and Jane Fonda (1966)

 

Changing societal conventions collide with booze, money and power in this barnburner of a film by director Arthur Penn. Bubber Reeves; played by Robert Redford, escapes from prison; and promptly becomes involved in a crime which results in a murder he does not commit. With the entire state on the lookout for him, he heads home to his South Texas town to see his wife, Anna, played by Jane Fonda. She has been having an affair with the married son of Val Rogers, played by E.G. Marshall, the local oil and cattle baron, who provides a great deal of employment to the people of the town. He also causes a great deal of resentment toward the Sheriff.

Catching up with the Classics: the Godfather

I consider myself to be something of a pop culture buff, but lately I’ve realized that distinction really only applies to the ’90s forward. Which leaves a whole bunch of stuff from other decades, and which means that there are a lot of so-called “classic” movies that I’ve never seen. Some of these, I’m downright embarrassed about (see: the subject of this post). Some of these, I definitely know I should watch, but can never quite seem to motivate myself to actually watch (e.g. Citizen Kane). And others, I’m completely ambivalent about (for example, I have a friend who considers it appalling that I’ve never seen Die Hard and Jurassic Park. Are these really necessary cinematic experiences? Or even classics?).
Whatever the case, I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to start catching up on some of these classics. Since I just started law school, this plan will likely be derailed pretty quickly, but I figure I might as well get working on making a dent in my list of classics (it’s a long one).
It seemed to me that there was no better place to start than the Godfather since, as I mentioned above, I’m pretty embarrassed never to have seen the movie. Also, my dad owns the triology (and loves them). And, I just went to Sicily this summer, and that definitely made me want to watch the movie even more. So, upon watching, here are my thoughts on this classic:

• I found the movie difficult to watch on its own terms – there are so many scenes and lines that I already knew were “classics,” and that knowledge inevitably colored my perception of them. For example – rather than being completely surprised when the man finds the horse’s head in his bed, you’re more like, “oh, hey, it’s the horse head scene!”
• I know Brando got the Oscar for this, but I was much more impressed by Al Pacino. He played Michael so quietly, but I thought it was really effective. Also? He was way hot back in the day.
• I was blown away by how many amazing actors there were in this movie. It has to be one of the best (or the best?) casts in a movie, ever. The exception to this: Talia Shire. Really? She got an Oscar nomination for this? All she does is act hysterical and scream a lot.
• This will sound super obvious, but I liked the themes of family/duty/honor, and the conflict between doing what you want and fulfilling some sense of familial obligation.
• I loved the tension of the baptism scene at the end. Perfectly done.

Ultimately – I really liked the movie. I can’t wait to discover more great, but entirely new to me, films.