Reviews (108)

Classic timepiece movie...
This is a classic movie that is as much social commentary as car chase. I remember watching this on a Saturday matinee on my local television station (long before the advent of cable television) and was mesmerized.

I recently purchased the VHS version and it was just as sweet twenty years later.

The premise isn't much: the main character, former member of society now riding on the fringe, has to get a car to San Francisco in 15 hours. Load up on amphetamines and off we go. The 'plot' is merely a vehicle for the ride.

The car chase scenes are great and realistic (none of the special effects laden hocus pocus you see today) and the cinematography of the West is beautiful. The characters, from the DJ who plays mystical guide to the helpers the driver meets in the desert, show life on the fringe. I'm sure on some level this is a mystical, metaphorical journey of sorts but to me it is simply fun to watch.

The soundtrack is absolutely great. It is kind of the O Brother Where Art Thou of the 70s -- the one that missed the radar. It isn't music you hear on the radio and it certainly isn't mainstream in any fashion but it sure is good.

I give this five stars quite simply because of the cinematography, the cast of characters and the music. Well worth the visit. They just don't make films like this anymore.

Vanishing Point on DVD.. Please !!!
Someday this cult classic will make it to DVD, and my freinds if enjoy fast paced car chase action movies this is a must for your collection. Not only is it a great movie, but the soundtrack of songs from such artists as Delany & Bonnie, Mountain, and Kim Carnes (years before she did "Bette Davis Eyes") would be a great soundtrack if it ever was put together (Problem is back in 1970, movie soundtracks were rare, only musicals had them).

The movie is basically about a driver name Kowalski who's trying to deliver a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in less than 24 hours. It's filled with flashbacks and events that take place thoughout Kowalski's life all while he's speeding though the desert in the Challenger.

Cops, Hippies, Bikers, Gospel Faith Groups, Kowalski meets them all during his journey.

Read the other reviews to get more detail about the movie, but trust me, the music and cinematography are outstanding and you"ll really enjoy this movie.

Much more than a car chase movie
This movie held me spellbound the first time I saw it and is still capable of this after countless viewings. This is more than just a car chase movie, it actually has depth and a story to tell. The scenery of the great American West is also first rate and the soundtrack never fails to set the mood.

The story of the main character, an auto delivery driver named Kowalski unfolds as he takes delivery of a white '70 Dodge Challenger which is as he puts it `souped up to 160' and proceeds to drive it from Denver to San Francisco. His plan, however is to do this in 15 hours to win a bet. As Kowalski makes his journey his life is revealed to us through flashbacks and recollections which are usually triggered by what is currently happening to him in real time. Through these the viewer learns that despite his apparent lawless behavior, Kowalski is a man of good character.

It is this good character, sense of duty and strong moral code that led to Kowalski's fallout with the establishment. He had been a decorated war hero and was honorably discharged from the military. A few years later, he was a decorated policeman. However, when he saw his police partner behaving in an unsavory fashion, he reacted. His reward was to be dishonorably discharged from the police force. This ultimately led Kowalski down the path to where we are introduced to him.

One of the big things that drew me into this movie is that it doesn't hand you the explanations on a silver platter. Instead it allows you to think about it and draw your own conclusions long after you've seen it. Some reviewers on IMDB have already done a great job of touching on the philosophies of freedom and individualism prevalent in this movie, so I won't waste the time trying to top those. I'll add that I feel this is a type of an expressionist film. Kowalski is kind of an `Everyman' who is on a journey to find his place in the grand scheme of things. Along his path he encounters various characters that watch over him and help him along, but there are also those who wish to shut him down. Whether you think the conclusion of Kowalski's journey is successful or not is up to you.

Another big plus is the realism in the driving scenes, where the drivers are actually driving their machines and occasionally things happen like tires going flat or the car needs fuel. Most modern car chase sequences leave me wanting with all of the computer generated car moves and general lack of realism. I know they sometimes got it wrong back then too, doing things like obviously speeding the film up. In this one though, they got it right. The driving here brings us into that realm of manhandling 4000 lbs. of American Iron, in all the glory of big-block V8 roar, screaming smoking tires, and hands grappling with the steering wheel.

Another thing that's cool to me about this type of movie is the appearance of the car. At the beginning, the car is resplendent in gleaming chrome and white paint. As the story moves along, the car gradually gets a more dusty battered countenance. I won't spoil the end, but those who've seen it know.

The final things that tie this whole thing together are the soundtrack and scenery. They seem to go hand in hand, from the upbeat rock & roll as Kowalski starts out to the stirring guitar strains during the thoughtful moments. I also cannot say enough about the scenery, which really draws the viewer in. It ranges from the mountains of Colorado, across Utah and into the searing Nevada desert.

In closing, I'll say that this is one of my favorite movies. It won't be understood by everyone, but those of us who fantasize about getting in a classic car and blasting down an open two-lane highway devoid of SUV's, sport sedans and minivans will likely get it.

Still Incredible!
I own over 1000 DVDs. Most I haven't gotten around to watch. In three days I've watched this one 3 times. Maybe this explains why when I was a kid I sat through this like a zillion times in the theater. A perfect film....

A 70's Drive In Cult Classic
Fast action, terrific photography, great period atmosphere, colorful characters and a first-rate rock soundtrack add up to a true drive-in classic that retains its "cult classic" reputation even after more than 30 years.

This DVD includes BOTH the 97-minute U.S. print typically seen on cable and video AND the 105-minute U.K. version which includes a couple of flashbacks featuring Charlotte Rampling that for some reason were completely excised for U.S. release. The excised scenes add just a tad more insight into Kowalski's character; while not essential to the whole plot (such as it is), these scenes ARE interesting and definitely will be appreciated by hardcore fans of the film. Kudos to 20th Century Fox for making available both versions. Being a real fan of the era that this movie was shot in, it's a kick to hear director Richard C. Sarafian's commentary track. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (32)

gloom, despair, agony, bleak, depressing...I LOVE IT !
Jane Fonda left her fluff pieces behind her and became a REAL actress after her Oscar-nominated performance here as Gloria, the bitter and hopeless woman who joins a grueling dance marathon (a craze of the Depression '30s) with Michael Sarrazin as her partner. She leaves nothing behind and throws herself into this bleak role taking huge risks that 'STAR' actresses don't do anymore. The film also put Sydney Pollack on the map as a director to be reckoned with. Finding an audience for this film may be tough because of its unrelenting gloom, but if you watch it and don't find yourself thinking about it for weeks after you have seen it, you don't know what movies are about. The message here is that there are no winners in life....only survivors. These are the kinds of films I favor (bleak and depressing) as that is what real life is about....it's a struggle. If you're looking for a diversion from real life, don't come here. The film also contains an Oscar-winning turn by Gig Young as the dance marathon's promoter and emcee and an Oscar-nominated performance by Susannah York as a Garboesque wannabe actress looking for a break. Horses is more a disaster film than anything else. No ship hits an iceberg and no building catches fire, but everyone involved experiences disaster. Don't pass this up.

A MASTERPIECE RESTORED
I was overjoyed to receive a gift of the reissue of this video in 1995, that is until I watched it in all its "pan & scan" desecration. It is truly a joy to watch this DVD (VHS is now available in widescreen as well) in the right format with all the extras. But all that aside, this is a towering, neglected masterpiece of American cinema that virtually put director Sydney Pollack on the map and established Jane Fonda as the premier American actress of the Sixties and Seventies. Who else could have captured the tragic essence of the bitter, beaten Gloria but Fonda? Watch her especially in the final elimination round as she desperately (and literally) carries her ailing partner around the floor in a final attempt to win the big prize and (symbolically) maybe give life one more try. Fonda never sentimalizes this great character as a lesser actress would have been tempted to; no simple answers or easy forgiveness will do for Gloria--she is too important to be trivialized. Red Buttons, Susannah York, and Gig Young are also superb in supporting roles; the cinematography and music also deserve kudos. If you haven't seen it, do not miss this American classic and one of the century's greatest actresses just entering her prime. How we do miss Jane.

An Awful Movie
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is an awful film. It is about as interesting as watching water boil. It is also unhistorical in that the 1930's are depicted as a time of prosperity even though in real life that was the decade of the Great Depression.

There is no real depth to the plot. Nor is there anything exceptional about either the direction, photography or the soundtrack. Jane Fonda is badly miscast in this role and she delivers her lines poorly. None of the performances in this movie are especially good.

In sum, this is a movie to avoid.

Possibly the worst movie of all time!
The only movies that may be worse would be Accidental Tourist or maybe Blair Witch Project. It's tough to pin down what exactly made this movie so bad. Thats probably because every facet of it STUNK SO BAD! All I know is that I wasted 2 hours of my life of this tripe, 2 hours that I'll never get back. Go ahead and rate my review as unhelpful if you must, but DON'T SPEND MONEY ON THIS FILM!

Jane Fonda's Performance was Overlooked!
Horace McCoy's depression era play, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is tragically brought to life through the performances of an ensemble cast. Jane Fonda delivers her greatest performance, as Gloria, a loner trying to cope with an everyday painful existence.
Be prepared for a shocking ending, if that's possible. There arises a glimmer of hope that life is better.
Sydney Pollack directs a masterpiece in the exploration of the human condition under the throngs of depression. The utter despair, agony, and suffering of each character is felt, heard, seen, and endured by the viewer. It becomes so intense that you want to scream, "Enough, I can't watch any more." There's no need to scream out. Horace McCoy solves the problem for the viewer, and for Gloria. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Walter Matthau is in peak form in Hopscotch, a featherweight spy-game comedy in which he plays a CIA agent who's way smarter than his dimwitted superiors. That's the fantasy part--this amusing cat-and-mouse game is so lopsided that you can't take it seriously. The movie's charm is derived from the sardonic pleasure with which Matthau makes his pursuers look like idiots, after they've targeted him for "termination" for publishing a tell-all memoir about his tenure in "the Company." He's no stool pigeon, however; it's his boss (played with blustery thick-headedness by the great Ned Beatty) who's abusing his power, so Matthau recruits an old lover (Glenda Jackson) to join him in a globetrotting game of clandestine cleverness. Under Ronald Neame's too-casual direction, this is a not-so-wild goose chase, but Matthau and Jackson (reuniting after they had fun making the 1978 comedy House Calls) have an easygoing chemistry that's nicely balanced with Matthau's cantankerous shenanigans. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (116)

I love this movie!
Miles Kendig (played Walter Matthau) is a CIA agent who is used to doing things his way. When his new chief, the abusive and bombastic G.P. Myerson (Ned Beatty), decides to retire him behind a desk, Kendig decides that the CIA needs a house cleaning--and that his memoirs would make the perfect broom. Now Kendig is on the run from the Agency: sending out new chapters, playing hide-and-seek with old associates. It's all a game, a game of hopscotch, and Kendig needs to keep one step ahead. Will he succeed? [Color, released in 1980, with a running time of 1 hour, 44 minutes.]

I have loved this movie since it came out in 1980! It is just the perfect mix of adventure and humor. Humorous, but not a comedy movie--it's an adventure story with a sense of humor. And now for the bad news: to make his character more dislikable, Ned Beatty swears incessantly in this movie, which makes it a little much to watch in front of small children (I have two). That said, though, I do not know why this movie deserved its R rating. There is no nudity, and practically no violence. And I must add, the swearing is not too much for adult viewers; I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't break into uproarious laughter when Myerson angrily gives his opinion of what FBI stands for!

Smart, Stylish Comedy
We saw this movie back in the early 1980's and loved it, but by the time we tried to get a copy, it had gone out of print. Many thanks to Criterion for releasing it on DVD! This film is superb, well-written and directed, with a cast of very gifted performers. The actors play their roles to the hilt and have a terrific chemistry onscreen.

The plot is basic revenge, perpetrated on the CIA by one of its top operatives. Walter Matthau plays the amiable Kendig, a man who's served in the field for decades and is an excellent agent. He's smart yet still down-to-earth; his reputation among the underworld of spydom is the stuff of legends. Kendig is respected even by his enemies for his savvy decisions and sense of fair play, and his reluctance to resort to dirty tricks. His new boss, Meyerson (Ned Beatty) resents his underling's popularity and decides to neutralize Kendig's effectiveness by yanking him from the field and assigning him to a desk job as a file clerk.

To say that Kendig despises his new boss would be a gross understatement. A switched file is shredded and Kendig vanishes, fleeing to Austria and his lover Isobel (Glenda Jackson). From there, he nurses his wounds and launches on his vengeance against Meyerson and the CIA by writing a book that reveals the agency's dirty tricks and botched missions. Meyerson is livid and assigns Joe Cutter (Sam Waterston) to put a stop to Kendig by any means necessary, especially assassination. Cutter admires Kendig and is torn by his personal feelings for the man and his desire to serve his country.

The story then twists and turns as Kendig leads his former employers on a huge wild goose chase. He calls them from a phone booth right near the CIA headquarters, hides out in Meyerson's southern house---which is later demolished by the feds themselves---, and feeds chapters of the book to Meyerson to whip him into a frenzy of ineffectual rage. He plans on getting the entire book to a publisher, and his means for doing so and ensuring his own protection from future assassination attempts are ingenious.

We are very happy that this movie was released to the public once again. Matthau is superb as a real man working in an unreal world of espionage. Herbert Lom is great for the role of his KGB counterpart, and Glenda Jackson is both tart and elegant as the enigmatic Isobel, who frankly adores Kendig. Ned Beatty plays the part of the oafish Meyerson to perfection, making the viewer hate him thoroughly. Waterston is in excellent form as the good-hearted and conflicted Cutter, and shows hints of his mildly acerbic wit that would come to fruition in his later role of McCoy. The supporting players are fine, too, and the plot is well-crafted and believable.

The DVD is nicely done. There aren't many extras, but it's beautifully produced and does have a nice feature: an alternate soundtrack that deletes the foul language, so even kids can watch it with their parents. We are pleased with our investment, and highly recommend "Hopscotch" to anyone who enjoys a well-done and stylish comedy. It's also perfect for fans of Walter Matthau!

He's about to expose the CIA, the FBI, the KGB...and himself
Off the top of your head, how many funny spy films can you think of? The James Colburn 'Flint' films of the 60's? The Austin Powers movies perhaps? Or that incredibly lame Leslie Nielsen film...Spy Hard (1996)? Over-the-top silliness seems to be a common theme in these films, but Hopscotch (1980), based on a book written by Brian Garfield, also a comedy involving spies, manages to rise above, avoiding the slapsticky and crude humor, rather providing a charming and intelligent story that entertains throughout. Directed by Ronald Neame (Prudence and the Pill, The Poseidon Adventure, The Odessa File), the film stars a wonderful and accomplished cast of actors including Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterston, Herbert Lom, and Ned Beatty.

Matthau plays Miles Kendig, one of the CIA's top field agents who suddenly finds himself relegated to a desk job after control of the department he works for is taken over by a petty, vindictive, and less than capable man named Myerson (Beatty) who seems to harbor a personal grudge against Kendig. Unable to deal with riding his career out behind a desk, Kendig leaves the agency, and, after much thought, decides to write his memoirs, detailing all kinds of juicy, sensitive stuff about not only his own agency, but also intelligence agencies throughout the world. After being in the biz for thirty years, he certainly has the inside scoop on all kinds of things, causing his former boss to put out the order for his termination, elimination, liquidation, extermination, what have you...with the aid of a wealthy widow and love interest named Isobel who was also once in the game, played by Jackson, Kendig begins leading his former colleagues on a chase that spans halfway around the globe, always managing to stay one or two steps ahead. Will he be able to finish his book before his old agency or that of a foreign power catches up to him? Even if he does, will he live to see his work published?

Hopscotch is a wonderfully witty, light comedy with a dash of sophistication that nearly everyone can enjoy. Matthau plays his role so perfectly that after seeing the film, you could imagine no one else in the part. He's certainly got that whole irascible charm thing down, and it fits with the character very well here. I loved how his character never seemed to lose his calm composure, constantly outwitting and outsmarting his former co-workers in leisure like fashion, given that he probably wrote the book and trained half the men now chasing him. The element of Kendig using the notion of a book for revenge at first, but then once removed from the work he participated in for so long and seeing just how nasty it is from an outside perspective decides to follow through with his initial threat of finishing the book and getting it published. Jackson plays so very well off Matthau, and they create a level of chemistry that's pretty rare, in my opinion, between on screen couples. They just seem to fit so naturally together, creating a level of believability to counteract the somewhat unrealistic element that the CIA are a mostly a bunch of bumbling buffoons. Did anyone else think her hair was a bit too short, giving her the appearance of a young boy? Maybe it was just me... I really enjoyed a young looking Waterston (Law and Order) as Cutter, Kendig's competent and intelligent protégé now responsible for finding and eliminating his former mentor. I read that he'd actually come into shooting late due to the film he was working on prior, Heaven's Gate (1980) ran past its' shooting schedule, and is the reason why Waterston looks so very tired in some of the scenes in Hopscotch. Herbert Lom is also very good as a Soviet agent named Yaskov, one "who's seen Casablanca one too many times", although I felt he deserved a bit more screen time. Ned (Squeal like a pig for me, boy) Beatty is a riot as Myerson, constantly exasperated by his group's futile attempts to put a lid on the loose cannon he himself let loose due to his own petty dislikes for Kendig. Imagine someone you work with that no one likes, and then that person finally getting a little bit of power, lording over certain individuals, power tripping here and there, but mostly tripping over his own feet, and you basically have Myerson. The direction by Neame was most excellent, keeping the viewer (me) engaged throughout, with a smooth, steady pace as the story unfolded, which is a bit light in some parts, but did nothing to reduce my enjoyment of this charming, funny film.

Criterion provides a superior high-definition digital transfer here in wide screen format and a cleaned up soundtrack. The quality of the picture is really fabulous, especially when compared to my old VHS copy. As far as special features are concerned, there's not as much as I would have thought from a Criterion release, but what's here is very worthy. There's liner notes on the insert inside the DVD case by Bruce Eder, a video introduction by writer Brian Garfield and director Roland Neame along with interviews, a separate audio track, a clean version created for television broadcast along with the original version (there's very little profanity in the film, but what this is comes from Ned Beatty's character Myerson) and an original theatrical trailer along with a teaser trailer for the film. If you're looking for a smartly funny engaging comedy that only gets better after repeated viewings, then Hopscotch is for you.

Cookieman108

Ughhh! What a Waste of Major Talents!
Rarely have such major talents (Matthau, Jackson and Beatty) been wasted in a film.

Matthau plays a CIA station chief who is called back to Washington when - against CIA instructions - he allows the KGB's top agent to go free after catching him dead to rights in an espionage sting.

How does Kendig (Matthau's character) deal with being "taken out of the game"? Against CIA policy, he proceeds to sell out U.S. national security interests by writing a best-selling expose of CIA covert operations. Ha, Ha! Real funny! What a laugh riot! The entire movie is standard liberal Hollywood fare - the CIA is stupid, the FBI is stupid, the iconoclast is irrascible and superior (he must be, he loves opera), yada, yada, yada.

And what, do you ask, is Kendig's stated motive in disclosing U.S. secrets in a best-selling book? To expose CIA wrong-doing? Uh, no. Is it to expose a rogue agent in the upper reaches of the CIA? No, not that either. To quote the film, it's payback because his boss "emasculated" him. I do not kid. That's what he says. Wow! What a riot! Get back at your boss by selling out your country!

I was in the last PATH train to be diverted from the World Trade Center PATH stop and watched the buildings go down - not on TV. I have subscriptions to the Metropolitan Opera and the City Opera. I DID NOT FIND THE PREMISE OF THIS FILM THE LEAST BIT FUNNY.

"Hopscotch"..."Good Title"
was suprised to see criterion release hopscotch, but glad they did. here matthau is repremanded for allowing a wanted KGB agent to walk. matthau's integrity is too precious to take guff from even the CIA. subsequently, he does not take the news of being reassigned to the job of file clerk very well so he begins to write his memoires, leaking secret information to the opposition. the ensuing chase is slapstick, a spy vs. spy comedy with great international locations. frankly, using the cold war as a catalyst for comedy was long overdue by 1980. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

More like 3.5 stars; a fine, funky 70's curio
Alternately ahead of its time and an unmistakable product of its era, the 1976 paramedic comedy-drama "Mother, Jugs and Speed" has finally made its way to DVD.

This uneven but underappreciated little B-movie drew obvious influence from the blood-and-pranks mixture of Robert Altman's "MASH," but you can also see its darkly comic influence on contemporary fare such as "Six Feet Under" and "Bringing out the Dead," and it poked fun at zip-ups gone wrong 20 years before "There's Something About Mary."

Bill Cosby and Harvey Keitel play Southern California ambulance drivers forced to contend with all manner of accidents and injuries, both amusing and tragic. The all-over-the-map cast also includes Raquel Welch, Allen Garfield, Dick Butkus, Bruce Davison, L.Q. Jones, Larry Hagman (as a creepy lech whose antics haven't aged well) and even Allan Warnick, the kid from the records room in "Chinatown."

With its gritty, widescreen look and those awesome blue lens flares so common to the period, "Mother" is a fine, funky 70's curio. Welch and Keitel (who had just been replaced by Martin Sheen in "Apocalypse Now") are stiff but the rest of the pre-Carter administration cast seems to be having fun, particularly Cosby, as the glib, laconic Mother. It's a bit strange to see the sitcom star playing an anti-hero, but his cool, sneaky performance breezily anchors the movie.

Good drive-in fare
Pretty much what you would expect, given the plot--two competing ambulance services chase around the city for patients and profits; the wacky stuff, like occupied gurneys rolling free down city streets and scaring nuns at crosswalks alternates with the mercifully brief meditative stuff--shortly after giving his "There's more to life than this" speech to fellow EMT Bill Cosby, Bruce Davison gets blown away by a junkie who wants drugs from their rig. Raquel Welch moves her way up from harassed office secretary (everyone at the station calls her "Jugs", nice, huh?) to EMT, but loses her first patient--bummer! Harvey Keitel is Raquel's love interest (rare that the man gets subordinated in that way), and Cosby underplays nicely as the most professional of the group. Allen Garfield does his usual sleazebag routine as the put-upon head of the operation. Funny in spots--evocative of the time period. Really stretches the "PG" rating--the board must've been in a giving mood--lots of rough language, drug and alcohol use, and yes, Larry Hagman's character at least TRIES to have sex with an OD patient in the back of his vehicle. Raquel, though, "comes through" under a sheet (a lot happens in the back of those vans!) Can't give an "expert" review--I'm a librarian!

A 70's Classic finally on DVD!!!!!
After all these years the Peter Yates classic staring Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch, Harvey Keitel finally arrives on DVD. Take Cosby's humor, Raquel's sex appeal, Keitel's smouldering late 70's cool and one sweet ride of an ambulance, and you've got Mother, Jugs and Speed. Peter Yates' classic take on the ambulance industry in metropolitan Los Angeles gives us a little bit of everything in a quick, well paced film. Cosby's charm shines in one of his best roles i think as the cynical, no nonsense ambulance driver Mother Tucker. Just by looking at Mother's custom Rig, and patch covered jacket you get the impression that Cosby's character was not always an ambulance driver, but perhaps was once something quite differnt. Follow the F+B ambulance company and their staff of irregulars (Including Larry Hagman of Dallas Fame, and football player Dick Butkus) as they do their best to save the lives of their patients and hammer away at one another with a barrage of jokes, and one liners. They don't make comedys like this anymore where the car was just as big of a star as the trio named in the title. While normally found in the comedy section, the film does have an equal number of "dark" moments that let the viewer know that Yates wasn't just doing this for laffs and help to balance out the humor. The DVD transfer is crystal clear, and the slamming 70's soundtrack will be nostalgic for some, and new, and inventive to others. Another reviewer mentioned hearing Peter Frampton's "Show me The Way" playing in an early scene, and I always think of this film when i hear that song. Treat yourself to a 70's classic, and enjoy the ride, and pray that if you ever need the guys in white that he shows up wearing yellow sneakers with red socks, and goes by the name of Mother Tucker.

How do I love Jugs, let me count the ways
I could spend countless words proclaiming the greatness of this film as one of the great urban street comedies of the 70's but just watch the film and it will speak for itself.
I do want to mention that the director of this cinematic gem also directed a little number called "Krull" which is to high fantasy what "Mother, Jugs, and Speed" is to the world of high-brow comedy.
Plus it gave us Lysette Anthony.

A very enjoyable movie about EMT work!
I think this movie is one of Bill Cosby's funniest and best. He plays an fun loving Emergency Medical Tech (EMT) worker who works by his own rules. He drinks his beer, jams his Brother Johnsons tape loudly and scares nuns. The movie does have some very funny moments (like the runaway gurney with the lady strapped to it). Rachael Welch, Harvey Keitel, and Larry Hagman all play fine supporting roles in this movie. Hagman is espically hilirious as an hot to trot driver. I agree with another reviewer who said that this movie shows EMT work in its earliest beginnings. Basically, they were running from call to call dealing with all kinds of different patients and situations. I also like this movie because it was filmed on location in Venice, Culver City, and Los Angeles California. This movie is one gems from the early 1970's. I recommend it highly to anyone. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

You Are About To Enter A Danger Zone
Aside from the comedy classic ensemble Caddyshack, Back To School is my favorite Rodney Dangerfield film.

Self-made millionaire Thorton Melon (Dangerfield) decides to join his only son, Jason (Keith Gordon), who is having difficulty fitting in, as a freshman in college. This impulse gesture drives Jason a little nuts, while setting Thorton on a path to a little romance with an English professor (Sally Kellerman). He also learns that there are things in life money can't buy, and in the process, somehow becomes the most popular man on campus.

Director Alan Metter allows Dangerfield to do his thing. But also allows him to show a softer side that doesn't seem at all out of place. Don't let that deter you though, there are still plenty of laughs to be had. Gordon is pitch perfect as Jason and provides plenty of grounding as well. The film also boasts solid support from actor Burt Young as Lou, and early performances by Robert Downey Jr. as Derek, Jason's roomie, as well as former Star Trek beauty, Terry Farrell.

Sadly, the DVD doesn't have any "real" extras, save of course, for the film's theatrical trailer. Typical for most MGM releases, the package also includes a "collectible" production trivia booklet. An audio commentary or a few deleted scenes, would have put this disc over the top. Still, this film is a must see, for comedy and Dangerfield fans. It's a very funny movie.

Rodney's All Time Best Comedy Get's Straight A's!
Don't you just miss 80's movies like Back To School? A film starring one of the funniest men on the planet (Mr. Rodney Dangerfield) with an ensemble cast of famous names unto themselves, has got to have SMASH MOVIE written all over it, and it does! A simple premise: Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) has become a wealthy millionaire even though he dropped out of high school, and now his son, Jason (Keith Gordon) wants to drop out of college, so in order to keep him from leaving, Thornton decides to go to college too! There are so many hysterical moments I just can't print them all. But some favorites are the big scene with Sam Kinison as the crazed history teacher, Professor Terguson ("Good teacher. He really seems to care. About what I have no idea".), Thornton doing the Triple Lindey swimming dive (with Derek[Robert Downey Jr.]distracting the rival diving team with loud noise and reflecting light to the face), Thornton's rendition of "Twist And Shout" at a local bar, and of course, the party in Thornton's dorm room, with Danny Elfman's band, Oingo Boingo and a killer hot tub, complete with BUBBLES! ("Now that's what I call marine biology".) But a truly winning comedy can't be completely great without heart, which is what this film has. Keith Gordon (John Carpenter's Christine), who is sorely missed in the acting world since he changed his profession to directing, is great as Thornton's son, Jason, who loves his father a lot but feels like Dad's always trying to do too much to make him happy when all he wants to do is live his own life. Terry Farrell (TVs Star Trek: DS9 & Becker) makes a good love interest for him too. I always knew she'd make a name for herself one day. Of course you can't make this sort of film without the bad guys and both father and son have each of their own: William Zabka (who we all should remember as bad boy Johnnie from The Karate Kid) as Chas, the snotty swim diver, and Paxton Whitehead as Philip Barbay, Thornton's economics professor are both out to give our duo a not so sweet time at college. But with Sally Kellerman as the funloving literature teacher, Diane, helping Thornton with reading (and biology) just made things a whole lot more fun. This film has such a great mix of comic chemistry and one-liners that you may miss after the first viewing from laughing so hard. But it's also a movie that just makes you feel good when it's all over.

The DVD isn't much on special features, only a trailer, which has a scene not in the film of Thornton and his bodyguard, Lou (Burt Young of the "Rocky" movies as Paulie) looking at a college sex book ("Well, they left out the most important thing...where to get it"). But at least they give you a letterboxed version (1.85:1) as well as a full framed version. But for the asking price, this disc is worth it. Maybe someday they'll get the gang together and make a documentary and audio commentary. Until then get this DVD. I haven't seen the picture look this good in years. The VHS pales in comparison.

So, if you're tired of all the bland humor that seems to be coming out of the Hollywood machine these days, go Back To School with Rodney Dangerfield, who will show you just how funny Comedies should be. "Ooh, I'd love to tame your shrew!"

Nothing to recommend
A syrupy sweet story of a dad and his semi-estranged son, this film feels like a low-rated sitcom. Other than a handful of smile moments, it's neither funny or remarkable at all. I'm not sure which of the film's premises are more frightening: Dangerfield the smart, confident, self-made businessman, or Dangerfield the expert diver. It's not that you should avoid it, but there are so many better films to see.

Funny, but make sure you get the NEWER DVD release!
After his appearance on Leno recently, it seems Rodney Dangerfield is losing his touch due to age and his admitted pot smoking. He still had it in Back to School, however. This has always been a good way to spend 90 minutes or so to get some laughs. Along with Caddyshack and Easy Money, it's his best work.

Be careful of which DVD version you buy. There are two floating around out there and they both look the same until you make a close inspection of the back cover. MGM quietly slipped this new transfer out there with the same cover without as much as a peep. The original copy was non-anamorphic widescreen and was a poor transfer with some framing issues. The new one is a great improvement with anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Surround Sound. You have to look at the bottom left of the back cover. You will see 16:9 Widescreen 1.85:1 versus the old one which did not have the '16:9' printed above the word Widescreen. The free booklet with the older copy was nice but the new anamorphic transfer and 5.1 trump the importance of the little booklet included in the older DVD release. I don't know why they didn't throw in the old booklet but its importance is negligible. You don't buy DVDs for booklets anyway.

One more thing. Always buy DVD releases of films in their OAR(Original Aspect Ratio). Don't buy Fullscreen copies if the movie was originally released in Widescreen to theaters. The only time you should buy (Fullscreen, 1.33:1, 4X3) is if that was the OAR, which is usually only television these days and much older films from the early 50's and beyond. Why would you want to watch a film with the sides chopped off? You'll learn to live with the 'black bars' and realize that you're not losing any picture on the top or bottom.

This film stinks
This "comedy" isnt so funny because the acting reeks- Both Keith Gordon (Rodney's son in this film) and Sally Kellerman (the teacher) cannot act, will not act, or refused to do alternate takes, because they are the worst most unconvincing performances ever put on film. Try Easy Money 1983 instead. This is better than Animal House which says absolutely nothing since Animal House is the worst film ever released to the public since motion pictures with sound were invented back in 1929. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

DVD is unknown quality - the film is FANTASTIC
*****
please , please , please , somebody

Restore this to its full original length , to its full original content , and to its full original SOUND TRACK !!!!!!

please ?

Please pay Barry McGuire whatever he needs to be paid , in order for the soundtrack to be restored . The "cheapened" "re-cut" version , withOUT Barry McGuire's music , transformed one of the most memorable scenes . The "killing field" scene went from fascinating and memorable , to trashy and boring . How could they ?

To quote other reviews :

1.) the vhs version runs 103 minutes according to imdb. amazon's listing for the dvd says 102 minutes. that doesn't sound like restored footage. they probably didn't bother to correct the music problem either. it's really too bad. this is one of my all-time favorite films. it would be 5 stars if they got it right.

2.) I agree with Vince Mack and the critics this must be put on DVD in widescreen format with Barry McGuire's music and the 'art cinema' scene where Coburn's character meets Joan Delaney's as well as the weird disembodied-eyeballs sequence. This is an absolute Gem of a movie that needs to be preserved in tact!

Mother's Milk...
I saw this movie on a Saturday night when I was a teen and I roared! Surprisingly, it was almost uncut except for the small amount of nudity in the 'killing fields.' Although dated this film is still hysterical. A 60s black comedy about the reality of the spy business - all to get inside the President's head! Can you imagine a Canadian secret service???? Coburn as the President's analyst is perfect. His wry smiles while he slowly decends into paranoia is unbelievble. The scenes of him being summoned by the Commander in Chief are priceless! Godfrey Cambridge as a black 'license to kill' agent who has 'baggage' from his childhood is a scream. Severn Darden Godfrey's Russian counterpart, despite the fact he is prepared to kill at the drop of his Russian Ushanka is Godfrey's best buddy. The scene with Pat Harrington, Jr. as the phone 'agent' is just over the top!

I agree with Vince Mack and the critics this must be put on DVD in widescreen format with Barry McGuire's music and the 'art cinema' scene where Coburn's character meets Joan Delaney's as well as the weird disembodied-eyeballs sequence. This is an absolute Gem of a movie that needs to be preserved in tact! Additionally since we're talking James Coburn I'd like to see "Waterhole No. 3" another Coburn classic also transferred to DVD!

"That's my car gun."
After his stint starring as the eternally groovy American super spy Derek Flint, "Repeat after me: I am not a pleasure unit." in Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flint (1967), James Colburn starred in the wonderfully quirky, funny dark political comedy/thriller The President's Analyst (1967).

Written and directed by Theodore J. Flicker, who also worked on a number of television shows including The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeanie, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The President's Analyst stars James Colburn as Dr. Sidney Schaefer, a New York psychiatrist who finds himself in the position of being chosen to listen to the problems of the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States. At first, it seems like a dream position, but soon Sidney realizes it's a lot more than he can handle, as the President does not make appointments with Sidney, but expects him to be 'on call' 24/7, and signals Sidney whenever he needs him through the use of flashing red signal lights in Sidney's office, his home, and even his soup. As the pressures, odd hours and the extreme weight of the problems shared by the president wear on Sidney, his paranoia grows as he sees spies around every corner. Let's face it, how valuable would the President's analyst be to a foreign, or even friendly, power? Sidney's growing paranoia along with his inability to discuss his own problems with his peers due to possible threats to national security, causes Sidney to have a sort of nervous breakdown, to which he decides to run away, hoping to find a little peace and maybe a way out of the situation. Only problem is, now that Sidney is no longer under the protection of the CEA (Central Enquiries Agency), he is now fair game and a target for practically every intelligence agency in the world, even becoming a target for the FBR (Federal Bureau of Regulations), as they all either desire or fear what he's got in his head.

Colburn is wonderful as the cool and intelligent psychiatrist on the lam, pursued various domestic and foreign powers, some intent on capture, while some intent on killing him. It's funny but even when he's 'freaking out', due the extreme pressures of his position and that of being harassed by kidnappers and assassins, he still seems to maintain a somewhat suave and sophisticated demeanor, rolling with the situations as they come up. Colburn is supported by a really excellent cast here, including Godfrey Cambridge as Don Masters, CEA agent and Severn Darden as Russian agent V.I. Kydor Kropotkin, characters, who, while on different sides, share an affable friendship and respect for each other. Also appearing is Joan Delaney as Nan, Sidney's live-in girlfriend (until the FBR discover Sidney talks in his sleep and move her to a hotel for fears that Sidney may reveal state secrets), Barry McGuire (who penned the perennial 60's anthem Eve of Destruction) as the hippy leader of a band Sidney joins in an effort to lose himself, Walter Burke as the uber-moralistic diminutive, ever suspicious FBR director Henry Lux, and William Daniels (the voice of Kitt on the Knightrider television series) as Wynn Quantrill, the head of a many gun owning (protection against the rabid right wing fascist neighbors) liberal suburban family that, while touring the White House, Sidney deceives into allowing him to leave with them, under the guise of a special presidential project involving learning what the real average American family thinks of the government. He's got one of my favorite lines in the film is when Wynn's son is unloading the car and inquires about bringing in the gun to which Wynn replies something along the lines of, "That's my car gun. My house gun is already in the house, so please return my car gun to the glove compartment." My favorite scene in the film is when Sidney, hiding out with a traveling hippy band, takes an intimate break with a female member of the band in a field of tall grass and flowers and a number of secret agents, who've followed them, meet their demise quietly one after another through various means at the hands of their rivals, as they attempt to kidnap or kill Sidney, all with Sidney and his 'date' not realizing what is going on...

I haven't seen this film before now, and I did notice the IMDb has a run time listed as 103 minutes, while the run time listed here is 102 minutes, suggesting something missing, but I couldn't tell you what. The other reviews seem to indicate a flash of nudity during the make out scene in the field, and a movie theater sequence between Sidney and Nan the hippy chick, but I couldn't say for sure. The music in this release, which is really excellent, is original to the film, which wasn't the case for some previous releases, specifically television versions. I had read another review that stated the film had originally incorporated the anagrams FBI and CIA in the movie, but due to pressures brought by these organizations, they were changed to FBR and CEA, with redubbing after the picture was finished. Apparently, if you pay close attention, you can see the actor's lips mouth FBI and CIA even though the spoken word is different.

The print on this DVD looks clean and crisp in wide screen format, but don't bother looking for any special features, as there are none, not even a theatrical trailer. One odd thing with the case, which I've seen a few times before, is the clasps on the side. You have to unlock them to open the case, which is just a matter of flipping the tabs, but don't try to force it open without manipulating these, as you may damaged the case or even the DVD, and remember, 'Killing is an excellent way of dealing with a hostility problem.'

Cookieman108

great music, over-the-top film
This is a real 60's period piece, in both the good and bad senses of that term. On the debit side, the spy spoof plot is totally goofy and absurdist, perhaps overly so, and the movie jumps all over the place as if it were emulating (poorly) a psychedelic trip. On the plus side, it's got James Coburn, the dialogue is wacky and satirical, it's got a cleverly anti-Establishment thrust (the depiction of G-men as uptight midgets is a hoot), and the music is really great. Other reviewers focused on Barry McGuire, who plays the lead singer in a hippie band, but the real treat is the presence of his "back-up band," played by members of LA group Clear Light, one of the punkier and most hard rocking psychedelic bands of the era. The acid-in-the-punch scene with Clear Light is the high point of the film.

Ah, those changes!
Well, there's good news on DVD. "The President's Analyst" has arrived with its original soundtrack intact -- at least as far as I know. The Barry McGuire music is back, but as far as the "eye ball" sequence that others talk about here, I don't see it. Maybe someone else can describe better what others are talking about and what still may be missing. I think what we have here is the offical release version and this movie is excellent, a wonderful artifact of its era. I'm glad it's finally out on DVD. The 16x9 anamorphic transfer looks great. I'm giving the DVD four stars based on the quality of the movie and its picture transfer (the mono sound is a bit too compressed), but I can't give it five stars because there's no trailer and the movie deserves a commentary track (Hey Paramount Home Entertainment, director Theodore J. Flicker is still alive!), but at least the original music is back...

"The changes that keep going down
And they always will
I can get my fill
If I go along with the changes
That go round and round
It's all there to see
As they come to me
If I go along with the changes..."

Mother's Milk! ... Read more

Description

Nominated for an Academy Award™, The Day of the Dolphin stars George C. Scott as a scientist who trains dolphins to speak, only to find them kidnapped for use in a vicious assassination plot. This beautiful production of an exciting adventure was executed by one of the only creative teams that could pull it off: writer Buck Henry and director Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Catch-22). Based on the novel by Robert Merle, the film is a nostalgic favorite of the generation who grew up with Flipper.An effective and at times amusing action flick, the film is available for the first time in a special edition DVD featuring an astounding new digital transfer enhanced for 16x9 televisions and a slew of charming supplements.

Academy Award™ is the registered trademark of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Eccentric But Powerful Conspiracy Thriller
DAY OF THE DOLPHIN (1973): In a Florida research compound, Dr. Jake Terrell (George C. Scott) and his marine biologist associates devote years secretly teaching two dolphins, Fa and Bee, how to speak a simple form of English. The sweet and loving dolphins are incredibly intelligent and have developed an intense devotion to Dr. Terrell. Word of the success of Terrell's project is leaked to the outside world, and the skills of the easily trained dolphins are eventually sought by a well financed, shadowy consortium with evil intentions.

Arguably the last great film directed by Mike Nichols, DAY OF THE DOLPHIN is a classy, beautifully produced science fiction/political conspiracy thriller with a heart. Despite its potentially maudlin storyline, Buck Henry's serious, unironic screenplay and Nichols' graceful direction carefully avoid sentimentality at every possible turn. Initially the story concentrates on Terrell and his relationship with his coworkers as their long work with the two dolphins is revealed to have achieved truly astounding results. Fa and Bee are lovely and enchanting creatures with very sweet, babyish voices. Things become deadly serious in the film's relentless second half, but because the conspiracy theme has been introduced so gradually the change in tone and the orchestrated melodramatics are perfectly acceptable.

George C. Scott plays the bad tempered Terrell with the actor's trademark intensity. Its a passionate and powerful performance, and its perfectly easy to see why the dolphins look at him like some kind of god who towers above the other humans. Scott is the main show here, but the superb supporting cast, led by Paul Sorvino, Edward Herrmann, Fritz Weaver, Severn Darden and Scott's wife Trish Van Devere ably bring a strong sense of realism to all of the fantasy on view.

Georges Delerue's stirringly emotional music adds immeasurably to the effectiveness of the film; his sad, lovely score turns the deeply moving climactic sequence into a heartbreaking apocalypse of despair. This utterly bleak finale is one of the most potent and uncompromising endings in the fantasy genre.

William A. Fraker's gorgeous cinematography makes the sparkling, shifting waters and deep blue skies breathtakingly luminous. Fraker's stunning imagery alone makes the movie a total pleasure to watch. The underwater scenes, shot by Jordan Klein, contain absolutely some of the finest such work ever seen.

The Home Vision Entertainment DVD is highly recommended for fans of this wonderful film. Presented in the film's original theatrical release aspect ratio (2.35:1), its a spectacularly perfect transfer, with vivid, lush colors and no noticeable speckles or flaws of any kind. A skimpy assortment of extras include an interview with writer Buck Henry, who is clearly and bizarrely embarrassed by his association with this great film, additional interviews with cast members Leslie Charleson and Edward Herrmann, and a trivia gallery. The liner notes are incredibly silly and juvenile. Despite its disappointing array of mostly worthless extras, this DVD is a spectacularly worthy investment for any serious movie fan, the definitive presentation of one of the most exciting and thought provoking of all conspiracy thrillers.

Entertaining political thriller
The Day of the Dolphin was savaged by critics when it was released. They saw the film as nonsense that made an important issue trivial. While it isn't a perfect film, the adaption by Mike Nichols and Buck Henry (Catch 22) is an entertaining adaption of the popular novel. At one time it showed up fairly frequently on network television but has been forgotten over the years. In some respects, Dolphin is a far more successful film adaption than Nichols' and Henry's film version of Catch 22. They were trying to turn a popular satirical novel turned cultural icon into an entertaining film satire. Many fans of the novel were disappointed and critics were, at times, less than kind to it. Here at least the two were working with a lesser novel and there wasn't as much baggage to go with it.

George C. Scott gives a passionate performance. In fact, one thing that you'll note about Scott is whether or not he appeared in trash (The List of Adrian Messenger) or treasure (Patton), his performance is alwasys powerful and committed. Trish Van DeVere also gives a strong performance. She was always underrated as an actress because 1) She was married to Scott and 2)she was always in his shadow. Her performance helps ground what was at the time a farfetched scenerio in reality.

Buck Henry's intelligent screenplay does have some narrative problems but, on the whole, he cleans up the novel's unbelievable plot and jumpy narrative. His screenplay is crisp, clean and his characters strong. An interview with Henry is provided as an extra and his comments demonstrate that he doesn't hold his work on the film in very high regard. It's a pity as he does wonders with the material.

Nichols always straddled the fence between being an actor's director and a film director. As in his past efforts, this pays off handsomely. His work with Scott and the strong supporting cast (including the marvelous Fritz Weaver, Paul Sorvino in one of his early film roles, Edward Herrmann among many other fine character actors)shines.

The plot is fairly straight forward; Scott plays a scientist that has been able to teach Dolphins English and train them to do a number of compliated tasks. He's unaware, though, that the organization funding his efforts has plans to use his research in an assassination attempt on a highly placed political figure.Given what we've learned about the CIA and other organizations over the past decade, it's plot isn't so far fetched. After all, it's certainly more believable than using a powder to make Castro's beard fall out so as to undermine his political power.

The superior DVD transfer surprised me given the age of the film. Virtually free of all analog artifacts, this enhanced transfers looks marvelous. It's a pity that Nichols couldn't provide a director's commentary (or Buck Henry for that matter). Since Scott is gone, it would have been fascinating to get Nichols' take on the film and the performances. While is isn't a 5 star film, it's an engrossing and enjoyable bit of entertainment with a cautionary tale at its core.

MIND IN THE WATERS
THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN (Home Vision Entertainment), released thirty years ago, is as timely as ever. Recent reports of dolphins as underwater spies in the Middle Eastern waters mirrors the plot. George C. Scott is a scientist who teaches dolphins to speak, only to discover them kidnapped in a government conspiracy. Directed by Mike Nichols from Robert Merle's novel, this beautiful-looking, entertaining, adventure-thriller reflects the ground-breaking dolphin research of Dr. John Lily. Cool interview with writer Buck Henry. Great family film. Recommended.

Oowie!
It's a good DVD, but what I like best are the liner notes!

The Day of the Dolphin
Great storyline, scenery, human interests and actors. A real "sleeper" of a movie. High technology for the time it was filmed. I've watched it over and over. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A true rediscovery of the most valuable kind, The Hired Hand has been superbly restored after 30 years of obscurity--which followed a pitifully half-hearted release in 1971. The Western storyline is simplicity itself:after many years, a wanderer (Peter Fonda) returns to his farm and wife (Verna Bloom), with his saddlemate (the incomparable Warren Oates) in tow; violence intrudes. But the subtle sexual politics in Alan Sharp's script, the guitar sound of Bruce Langhorne's music, and the rapturous landscapes in Vilmos Zgismond's cinematography create a fresh take on the old form. This was Fonda's directing debut (two years after Easy Rider), and while it has an unmistakably seventies vibe to it, the film also feels like an "eastern" Western, its minimalist style approaching zen. Give yourself over to its deliberate mood, and by the time the final shot rolls into view you'll know you've seen something special. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Extraordinary Western with '60s Sensibility
The Hired Hand directed by and starring Peter Fonda is a minor masterpiece. This '60s-influenced Western features uncanny poignant performances by Fonda as well as Verna Bloom (still in her Medium Cool period) and Warren Oates. Vilmos Zsigmond's camerawork beautifully captures the dreamlike atmosphere, utilizing scene-on-scene double imagery.

Fonda and Oates set out for California, but Fonda decides to return to his wife (Bloom) and daughter. A painting of many moods, emotions, and atmospheres, and a touching ending.

Definitely superior to "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", and ranks with "Once Upon a Time in the West" as one of the all time great Westerns.

Lend this movie a hand
Hired Hand is foremost a visual masterpiece. Director of cinematography was Vilmos Zgimond, and it's a richly textured, roughhewn, wholewheat grain portrait of the American West. The uses of dissolves here are more beautifully impressionistic and evocative than in any other film I can remember. There are moments when the movie takes on the aspects of painting with images bleeding from watercolor brushstrokes. The opening scene has the camera panning a shimmering river for sun's gold rays. In other moments the landscapes and characters fade into one another as if to contemplate on the relationship of physical space and time. The movie raises a question about the meaning of home and freedom. The central character, after 7 yrs of drifting, decides to return home to his wife and child. But, the home in the movie is a psychological as well as a physical realm. When Peter Fonda goes to save his partner in another town, it's also an act of going home, where he belongs, in doing what he must do. There are other themes as well, developed thru intelligent writing and authentic performances, especially by the female lead. Best of all, themes never degnerate into social statements. Most brilliant of all is perhaps the movie's use of cinematic time. It's well-known how Peckinpah suspended action to accentuate psychological time as opposed to objective time. This film is more radical for slowing not movement--the effect of which is obvious--but stillness itself. It feels as though our perceptions are seeping thru the cracks within time itself. Also, brilliant is the use of sound, as though we're eavesdropping into the whispers of nature, murmurs of the heart. The spare, haunting musical score also accentuates the many hidden ambiguities in the film. Its casting is also noteworthy. Except for Peter Fonda it's devoid of anyone that could have been called a star; even Fonda himself was more a cult movie hero. Warren Oates delivers one of his finest, most thoughtful performaces. And, the woman, plainfaced yet pointedly distinctive is the sort of female lead you simply don't see anymore. Today we have pretty woman or broad types(fat chick, ugly girl, airhead bimbo, etc), but rarely anyone with this kind of unembellished truth to her being. Even the villians are more menacing and repugnant for their ordinary, real qualities. Because they are not villian archetypes we don't feel they could be defeated by the old formula. Finally, it's a film that defies the auteur theory. Peter Fonda, I'm sure, deserves alot of credit, but the film is really a triumph of writing, acting, and perhaps foremost, of cinematography all working together in harmonious chemistry. The uses of colors, techniques such as dissolves, slow motion, still photography are comparable to those in the great McCabe and Mrs Miller, another very differnt kind of Western. It would be wrong to dismiss this film as a post-hippie Easy Riderish western. It's much more; in fact, it defies all categories.

The inevitable connection
Peter Fonda here proves himself an immensely skilled director. Working with one of the best cinematographers in the business, Vilmos Szigmond, he's crafted a Western that eschews flashy gunfights and grandiose plot points, and instead focuses on a simple story that's all the more telling, just because of its simplicity.

And because of the visual artistry on display. Fonda and Szigmond make a great team; the director knows the feeling he wants to convey and the cinematographer knows exactly how to convey it. Fonda goes for the visual montage/collage a number of times in the course of the film and while this may sound dated or gimmicky, the reason it works so well is because he has a keen understanding of how the visual connects to the emotional as closely as possible. The fade ins and outs that overlap one scene to the next make the film resonate with subtle power as the director meant it to. A woman's face superimposed on a vast stretch of land; a silhouetted man against a huge open twilight sky...

The most memorable Westerns should easily connect the characters to the land they reside on, giving the viewer a strong sense of that inevitable connection. The Hired Hand does this so gracefully and naturally it's a wonder few if any other Westerns come close to it. Only Barbarosa has a feeling approaching The Hired Hand, but the latter is unique.

And a good story, Western or not, must involve the reader, the viewer, the participant, in a conflict the main character deals with. It's here, but not in any overly dramatic way. Violence arises suddenly, as is almost always the case, and is dealt with just as suddenly.

Fonda (Harry Collins) and Warren Oates (Arch Harris) have been riding buddies for a long time and while Oates wants to head west to the Pacific Ocean, Fonda realizes he needs to return to his home he abandoned long before, to once again see his wife and child. In spite of his initial desire to go west, Arch decides to accompany Harry. When they arrive, Hannah (Verna Bloom) agrees that Harry can stay on as a hired hand, compensating for his abandoning her previously. That's the story.

Fonda is the right choice to play Harry, the titular character, and even better is Warren Oates as his sidekick. Oates made a career of playing characters who were good at what they did, but nevertheless somewhat mystified or partially beaten down by circumstances, following the path they felt was the only one they could follow because of what life had dealt them. That's true here as well, and Oates is the standout here, stealing the film, characterwise, from both Fonda and Bloom.

But the real star of the show is the quiet visual artistry combined with the pared to the bone dialogue and (intentionally) minimal acting that provides an emotional resonance powerful enough to remember for a long time after shutting off the DVD player.

Highly recommended.

Wisdom
Mark Twain had an old saw about how, when Twain was 17, his father was so stupid. But then, after Twain turned 21, he was amazed at how much the old man had learned in 4 short years! And so it is with The Hired Hand. Few of us were ready in 1971 to see Captain America with anything under him that didn't have two wheels. And now - a mere three plus decades later - how well this film has aged! A spare but compelling storyline supplemented with lush photography and some fine performances make this a DVD-shelf 'keeper' that will hold up well through multiple viewings. And the Peter Fonda commentary adds new elements to the pleasures of this film. I missed a recent screening of the film in Port Townsend with both Fonda and Bloom in attendance and I'm still kicking myself!

Re-cut version a disappointment
Although it is billed as a "restoration", make no mistake about it, this is a re-cut film that is substantially different from the original release. In my opinion, the re-editing was not an improvement. Early scene deletions involving young Dan's fatal trip back to the saloon for another bottle of rotgut have an unfortunate narrative impact, as does the subsequent deletion of Harry and Arch's discovery that the newly deceased Dan's horse is missing. Later substantial deletions in the original storyline involving the death of Ed Plummer, and the subsequent legal investigation by the local sheriff (Larry Hagman)left me drop-jawed and very disappointed.

I suppose that one could argue that since it is Peter Fonda's film, he has a perfect right to recast it as he wishes. To my mind, in his obvious effort to "tighten" the film, he discarded solid gold narrative elements that made the orginial film much better than this "restored" version.

All this being said, the acting, cinematography, music, set design, etc. of The Hired Hand remain outstanding, if not unique. The disappointing editing choices in this new version should not diminish the overall impact of the truly amazing film I first saw over thirty years ago...but they do. ... Read more

Description

He deserted his family to explore the frontier, but life is about to lead him home. After roaming the Wild West, a wayward husband returns home to his wife and child, but rebuilding their family will involve an unexpected test of faith and a vital journey of forgiveness. The Hired Hand reconfigures the traditional Western in a story that emphasizes the human reality that underlines the cowboy myth. Its focus is less on adventure than on the emotional journey and fallout of adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Extraordinary Western with '60s Sensibility
The Hired Hand directed by and starring Peter Fonda is a minor masterpiece. This '60s-influenced Western features uncanny poignant performances by Fonda as well as Verna Bloom (still in her Medium Cool period) and Warren Oates. Vilmos Zsigmond's camerawork beautifully captures the dreamlike atmosphere, utilizing scene-on-scene double imagery.

Fonda and Oates set out for California, but Fonda decides to return to his wife (Bloom) and daughter. A painting of many moods, emotions, and atmospheres, and a touching ending.

Definitely superior to "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", and ranks with "Once Upon a Time in the West" as one of the all time great Westerns.

Lend this movie a hand
Hired Hand is foremost a visual masterpiece. Director of cinematography was Vilmos Zgimond, and it's a richly textured, roughhewn, wholewheat grain portrait of the American West. The uses of dissolves here are more beautifully impressionistic and evocative than in any other film I can remember. There are moments when the movie takes on the aspects of painting with images bleeding from watercolor brushstrokes. The opening scene has the camera panning a shimmering river for sun's gold rays. In other moments the landscapes and characters fade into one another as if to contemplate on the relationship of physical space and time. The movie raises a question about the meaning of home and freedom. The central character, after 7 yrs of drifting, decides to return home to his wife and child. But, the home in the movie is a psychological as well as a physical realm. When Peter Fonda goes to save his partner in another town, it's also an act of going home, where he belongs, in doing what he must do. There are other themes as well, developed thru intelligent writing and authentic performances, especially by the female lead. Best of all, themes never degnerate into social statements. Most brilliant of all is perhaps the movie's use of cinematic time. It's well-known how Peckinpah suspended action to accentuate psychological time as opposed to objective time. This film is more radical for slowing not movement--the effect of which is obvious--but stillness itself. It feels as though our perceptions are seeping thru the cracks within time itself. Also, brilliant is the use of sound, as though we're eavesdropping into the whispers of nature, murmurs of the heart. The spare, haunting musical score also accentuates the many hidden ambiguities in the film. Its casting is also noteworthy. Except for Peter Fonda it's devoid of anyone that could have been called a star; even Fonda himself was more a cult movie hero. Warren Oates delivers one of his finest, most thoughtful performaces. And, the woman, plainfaced yet pointedly distinctive is the sort of female lead you simply don't see anymore. Today we have pretty woman or broad types(fat chick, ugly girl, airhead bimbo, etc), but rarely anyone with this kind of unembellished truth to her being. Even the villians are more menacing and repugnant for their ordinary, real qualities. Because they are not villian archetypes we don't feel they could be defeated by the old formula. Finally, it's a film that defies the auteur theory. Peter Fonda, I'm sure, deserves alot of credit, but the film is really a triumph of writing, acting, and perhaps foremost, of cinematography all working together in harmonious chemistry. The uses of colors, techniques such as dissolves, slow motion, still photography are comparable to those in the great McCabe and Mrs Miller, another very differnt kind of Western. It would be wrong to dismiss this film as a post-hippie Easy Riderish western. It's much more; in fact, it defies all categories.

The inevitable connection
Peter Fonda here proves himself an immensely skilled director. Working with one of the best cinematographers in the business, Vilmos Szigmond, he's crafted a Western that eschews flashy gunfights and grandiose plot points, and instead focuses on a simple story that's all the more telling, just because of its simplicity.

And because of the visual artistry on display. Fonda and Szigmond make a great team; the director knows the feeling he wants to convey and the cinematographer knows exactly how to convey it. Fonda goes for the visual montage/collage a number of times in the course of the film and while this may sound dated or gimmicky, the reason it works so well is because he has a keen understanding of how the visual connects to the emotional as closely as possible. The fade ins and outs that overlap one scene to the next make the film resonate with subtle power as the director meant it to. A woman's face superimposed on a vast stretch of land; a silhouetted man against a huge open twilight sky...

The most memorable Westerns should easily connect the characters to the land they reside on, giving the viewer a strong sense of that inevitable connection. The Hired Hand does this so gracefully and naturally it's a wonder few if any other Westerns come close to it. Only Barbarosa has a feeling approaching The Hired Hand, but the latter is unique.

And a good story, Western or not, must involve the reader, the viewer, the participant, in a conflict the main character deals with. It's here, but not in any overly dramatic way. Violence arises suddenly, as is almost always the case, and is dealt with just as suddenly.

Fonda (Harry Collins) and Warren Oates (Arch Harris) have been riding buddies for a long time and while Oates wants to head west to the Pacific Ocean, Fonda realizes he needs to return to his home he abandoned long before, to once again see his wife and child. In spite of his initial desire to go west, Arch decides to accompany Harry. When they arrive, Hannah (Verna Bloom) agrees that Harry can stay on as a hired hand, compensating for his abandoning her previously. That's the story.

Fonda is the right choice to play Harry, the titular character, and even better is Warren Oates as his sidekick. Oates made a career of playing characters who were good at what they did, but nevertheless somewhat mystified or partially beaten down by circumstances, following the path they felt was the only one they could follow because of what life had dealt them. That's true here as well, and Oates is the standout here, stealing the film, characterwise, from both Fonda and Bloom.

But the real star of the show is the quiet visual artistry combined with the pared to the bone dialogue and (intentionally) minimal acting that provides an emotional resonance powerful enough to remember for a long time after shutting off the DVD player.

Highly recommended.

Wisdom
Mark Twain had an old saw about how, when Twain was 17, his father was so stupid. But then, after Twain turned 21, he was amazed at how much the old man had learned in 4 short years! And so it is with The Hired Hand. Few of us were ready in 1971 to see Captain America with anything under him that didn't have two wheels. And now - a mere three plus decades later - how well this film has aged! A spare but compelling storyline supplemented with lush photography and some fine performances make this a DVD-shelf 'keeper' that will hold up well through multiple viewings. And the Peter Fonda commentary adds new elements to the pleasures of this film. I missed a recent screening of the film in Port Townsend with both Fonda and Bloom in attendance and I'm still kicking myself!

Re-cut version a disappointment
Although it is billed as a "restoration", make no mistake about it, this is a re-cut film that is substantially different from the original release. In my opinion, the re-editing was not an improvement. Early scene deletions involving young Dan's fatal trip back to the saloon for another bottle of rotgut have an unfortunate narrative impact, as does the subsequent deletion of Harry and Arch's discovery that the newly deceased Dan's horse is missing. Later substantial deletions in the original storyline involving the death of Ed Plummer, and the subsequent legal investigation by the local sheriff (Larry Hagman)left me drop-jawed and very disappointed.

I suppose that one could argue that since it is Peter Fonda's film, he has a perfect right to recast it as he wishes. To my mind, in his obvious effort to "tighten" the film, he discarded solid gold narrative elements that made the orginial film much better than this "restored" version.

All this being said, the acting, cinematography, music, set design, etc. of The Hired Hand remain outstanding, if not unique. The disappointing editing choices in this new version should not diminish the overall impact of the truly amazing film I first saw over thirty years ago...but they do. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

gloom, despair, agony, bleak, depressing...I LOVE IT !
Jane Fonda left her fluff pieces behind her and became a REAL actress after her Oscar-nominated performance here as Gloria, the bitter and hopeless woman who joins a grueling dance marathon (a craze of the Depression '30s) with Michael Sarrazin as her partner. She leaves nothing behind and throws herself into this bleak role taking huge risks that 'STAR' actresses don't do anymore. The film also put Sydney Pollack on the map as a director to be reckoned with. Finding an audience for this film may be tough because of its unrelenting gloom, but if you watch it and don't find yourself thinking about it for weeks after you have seen it, you don't know what movies are about. The message here is that there are no winners in life....only survivors. These are the kinds of films I favor (bleak and depressing) as that is what real life is about....it's a struggle. If you're looking for a diversion from real life, don't come here. The film also contains an Oscar-winning turn by Gig Young as the dance marathon's promoter and emcee and an Oscar-nominated performance by Susannah York as a Garboesque wannabe actress looking for a break. Horses is more a disaster film than anything else. No ship hits an iceberg and no building catches fire, but everyone involved experiences disaster. Don't pass this up.

A MASTERPIECE RESTORED
I was overjoyed to receive a gift of the reissue of this video in 1995, that is until I watched it in all its "pan & scan" desecration. It is truly a joy to watch this DVD (VHS is now available in widescreen as well) in the right format with all the extras. But all that aside, this is a towering, neglected masterpiece of American cinema that virtually put director Sydney Pollack on the map and established Jane Fonda as the premier American actress of the Sixties and Seventies. Who else could have captured the tragic essence of the bitter, beaten Gloria but Fonda? Watch her especially in the final elimination round as she desperately (and literally) carries her ailing partner around the floor in a final attempt to win the big prize and (symbolically) maybe give life one more try. Fonda never sentimalizes this great character as a lesser actress would have been tempted to; no simple answers or easy forgiveness will do for Gloria--she is too important to be trivialized. Red Buttons, Susannah York, and Gig Young are also superb in supporting roles; the cinematography and music also deserve kudos. If you haven't seen it, do not miss this American classic and one of the century's greatest actresses just entering her prime. How we do miss Jane.

An Awful Movie
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is an awful film. It is about as interesting as watching water boil. It is also unhistorical in that the 1930's are depicted as a time of prosperity even though in real life that was the decade of the Great Depression.

There is no real depth to the plot. Nor is there anything exceptional about either the direction, photography or the soundtrack. Jane Fonda is badly miscast in this role and she delivers her lines poorly. None of the performances in this movie are especially good.

In sum, this is a movie to avoid.

Possibly the worst movie of all time!
The only movies that may be worse would be Accidental Tourist or maybe Blair Witch Project. It's tough to pin down what exactly made this movie so bad. Thats probably because every facet of it STUNK SO BAD! All I know is that I wasted 2 hours of my life of this tripe, 2 hours that I'll never get back. Go ahead and rate my review as unhelpful if you must, but DON'T SPEND MONEY ON THIS FILM!

Jane Fonda's Performance was Overlooked!
Horace McCoy's depression era play, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is tragically brought to life through the performances of an ensemble cast. Jane Fonda delivers her greatest performance, as Gloria, a loner trying to cope with an everyday painful existence.
Be prepared for a shocking ending, if that's possible. There arises a glimmer of hope that life is better.
Sydney Pollack directs a masterpiece in the exploration of the human condition under the throngs of depression. The utter despair, agony, and suffering of each character is felt, heard, seen, and endured by the viewer. It becomes so intense that you want to scream, "Enough, I can't watch any more." There's no need to scream out. Horace McCoy solves the problem for the viewer, and for Gloria. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Harrison Ford fans, take note
I haven't actually seen this (yes, I know, "0 out of 27 people found this review helpful"), but fans of Harrison Ford will want to know about it because it's his first movie role. It's actually a James Coburn flick, and a very young Ford has about one line as an uncredited bellhop. As I write this, I don't see any mention in the Amazon.com listing about Ford's presence, so I thought I'd post the info for Ford completists. As far as I know, this is also the first time this has been available on home video.

A tad more sophisticated than Waterhole #3
We are used to seeing James Coburn bigger than life. He may be here but blends in to the story and soon you think of him as Eli Kotch or who ever he is at the moment.

Eli Kotch is planning a large caper that will be masked by a visit by the Soviet Premier. He must make some quick cash to cover this plan. Do to his he becomes many people and no one. Wooing maids to gain access to their employer's abodes and pilfering on a large scale. It is fun watching him manufacture his personality and background. He becomes very efficient at this and even the boldness (with that Coburn grimace) will impress you. As in "Waterhole #3" (see my review ASIN: 6300215970) he must chose between the girl and the money. Keep your eyes and ears open for the outcome. Shall justice prevail?

another great coburn performance
this movie is another great james coburn movie somewhat in thespirit of our man and in like flint, as well as presidents analyst. itfeatures a great coburn performance when he was in his prime in the 1960's. well worth the money. ... Read more