In 1973, Sam Peckinpah was not the respected director that we regard him as today. He was an alcoholic who did not get along within the studio system. His films were overtly violent, which caused numerous problems with censorship boards in this and other countries. His masterpiece, The Wild Bunch, was cut by 20 minutes by the studio, but for financial reasons only quieter moments were cut, not the excessive violence. The studio decided that if the film was shorter it could be shown more times a day, thus garnering greater profits. The film was threatened with an “X” -rating, but eventually was given an “R” by the MPAA. Critics seemed to be split down the middle, with younger critics like Roger Ebert calling it a great film and a landmark and older critics calling it profane.
Peckinpah’s next feature, The Ballad of Cable Hogue received a mixed reception from critics and fans. After its failure, Straw Dogs, a supremely violent picture about a man defending his home and wife, was another divisive film. All of the bloodletting lead to some that regarded The Wild Bunch as a masterwork to turn their backs on Peckinpah’s latest effort. Pauline Kael, perhaps the most respected film critic of the 20th Century, called it “a fascist classic.” The film was even banned in the United Kingdom.
This was all a lead up to the demise of one of Peckinpah’s greatest and most personal films, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Rumored to be drinking to a point of near incompetence, Peckinpah struggled with MGM through a troubled production, and a post-production that saw Peckinpah barred from the editing room by the studio. Through a war of editors hired by both MGM and Peckinpah, the film was gutted, and relationships, such as Peckinpah’s with Editors Roger Spottiswoode and Robert L. Wolfe, were severed forever. Critics, even knowing the film was incomplete to some degree, still savaged it, and it failed to make a last stand at the box office.
In 1988, the film was resurrected to some degree with the restoration of the film’s preview cut, which was the first cut of the film screened for the studio. With this re-release the film garnered new life, but still had several flaws. This cut was the very first cut of the film following principle photography, and really hadn’t had much fine-tuning. In 2005 Peckinpah expert and biographer Paul Seydor headed up a project to try to restore the film again, in order to get it to a place where it could be appreciated to its fullest. While we’re dealing with a slippery slope here, with editors tampering with a film after the death of the director, their project seems to be a success to some degree. While no definitive version of this movie may ever exist, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is still a wonderful experience to behold.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid Starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. Directed by Sam Peckinpah
I absolutely love the first moments of this film. James Coburn’s Pat Garrett, circa 1905 is having trouble with men trying to muscle in on his land. The argument turns into an assassination as the men were actually sent out to eliminate Garrett. Garrett is shot several times and falls from his wagon. As he dies, the shots of his assassins are intercut with shots of Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) and their last few moments together as real friends.
This is a beautiful, somber beginning to this film, shot in a sepia tone that sets it apart from the rest of the picture. The remainder of the movie is apparently the dying dream of a mortally wounded man, reliving the moments where he stopped living life in order to just survive.
This is a masterful turn by Coburn. He’s a man fighting with himself, wanting in some capacity to let William “Billy the Kid” Bonney go free, because he identifies parts of himself with the Kid. When he catches Bonney early in the film, it seems more like a game between the two than it does a serious contest of wills. As the film progresses, Garrett’s personal struggle gets deeper. His civilized side, who became a Sheriff and got married, seems to be dying off, as his natural instincts as a killer take over when knows he must choose his duty as a lawman over his friendship with Billy. He knows the men ordering him to kill Bonney are more corrupt than Billy will ever be, but he also knows that to live on when Billy dies he must kill that wild part of himself. To live as a civilized man he has to kill one of the few friends he has left.
Billy the Kid was the first major screen role for Kris Kristofferson and he definitely embodies many of the mythic qualities of the character. For many, Emilio Estevez may actually be the actor that they associate with the role, but Kristofferson’s take is different in many ways. Here the Kid is a free spirit, but very easy going, not the high strung gun slinger from Young Guns. He still has to think quickly on his feet, which is evident when he’s able to shoot his way out of most situations. The Kid is given quite a few moments of sentiment, but his darker side is shown as well. Several times his ruthlessness allows him to get his neck out of the hangman’s noose, but good men have to die in order for him to do it.
Of all of Peckinpah’s films, this one has perhaps the most ambiguous of characters. Garrett is a man whose wife says he is “dead inside”, and indeed he is. He is cold-blooded to many he comes across in his search for the Kid’s whereabouts. He orders men to be deputized, knowing they’ll probably die in carrying out the mission he sets before them. Garrett’s wild side seems to get one last hurrah, as he goes to a whorehouse and has his way with several women, but after this it seems life leaves him. Billy is even more ambiguous, as he acts benevolent towards those who follow and love him, but still he is merciless to many that come across his path.
Surprisingly, two of the film’s most memorable moments occur with actors not necessarily known for their poignancy. Jack Elam, an actor known mostly for his crazy looking eyes and a veteran of many comedies plays doomed Deputy Alamosa Bill. The man who played Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing in the Cannonball Run movies and Rattlesnake in Hot Lead and Cold Feet would seem to be the last person you would expect to pull a dramatic performance, but Peckinpah pulls out a performance of humility and courage from the actor. You know his eventual duel with Bonney will end badly for Alamosa, but he does his duty because he believes it is the right thing to do.
Even more unbelievable is the screen time given to Slim Pickens. The man who made the West look foolish as Taggart in Blazing Saddles and rode the nuclear bomb at the end of Dr. Strangelove plays Sheriff Colin Baker, another man pressed into service for Garrett. The death scene given to his character is one of the most beautiful ever put on film. As Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door plays on, he stares into the eyes of his wife (Katy Jurado), as a beautiful sky at dusk provides a staggering backdrop. The scene is absolute visual poetry.
Indeed, Bob Dylan is a major part of the film’s success as he has his first dramatic role playing Alias in the film, as well as providing the film’s entire score. As the film’s composer, much of the picture’s mood is derived from his unforgettable score. The film’s theme song sticks with you as the movie comes to a close, and the use of Heaven’s Door is absolutely shattering during Baker’s last moments as well as the duel with Billy and Alamosa Bill. As an actor Dylan has a few noteworthy moments. His acting is very much downplayed, and Dylan certainly doesn’t embarrass himself in the film’s shootouts.
The film’s ending is absolutely wonderful and very powerful, yet quiet for this type of film. Those wanting the orgy of violence characteristic of The Wild Bunch or Straw Dogs will be disappointed. There are only two bloodless shots fired, both signifying the death of Garrett and that of the Old West itself. Few words are even spoken, letting Peckinpah’s images do the work.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a beautifully lyrical movie. The film’s story is the dying dream of a man who gave all he had to a country that was less than wholesome. Even though the film will probably never have a completely finished form, we can still see the majesty of Peckinpah’s work. There is so much love for the story and Westerns in general. Much like many geniuses unappreciated in their time, Peckinpah was a man who had to fight the studios for the films he wanted to put on screen. With Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid that was never accomplished, but at least we get to share some insights into his vision on DVD.
Picture Credits: outnow.ch, impawards.com, DVDtimes.com
