Little Big Man (1970) and Midnight Cowboy (1969)

I've been wanting to see this movie forever, and finally did and really liked it! It reminded me of Dances with Wolves from 1990, primarily because it's about a white man raised by an indigenous tribe. Dustin Hoffman was an interesting choice to play this part. He was a big box office star from this time period, and he brings alot of that everyman essence to this part which I think is important for this role.

At the start of the film we meet Hoffman's character - a 120 year old man being interviewed by a reporter (William Hickey) interested in his long life and his supposed acquaintanceship with Civil War General Custer in the 1800s.

The old man lives in a nursing home; I have a relative who just moved into such a place, and they can be lonely places. I could understand why this old man would want to talk and tell his life story to someone who will listen. And he's had a long life, a really long life. He talks about being raised by a Cheyenne tribe, and later befriends historical figures Bill Hickock and General Custer. These sequences are episodic, but I really seeing him brush with historical figures. This was an idea that was used somewhat similarly later in the movie Forrest Gump, but I think works really good in this film.

I like how the old man narrates the movie throughout; this gave me the feeling that I was always being told the old man's story and not someone else's. He talks about the various "stages" of his life.... "My Indian Years", "My religious years", "My Outlaw Days", etc.  Faye Dunaway has a small supporting part where she plays a religious man's wife who becomes a prostitute later on.

I couldn't believe that it was Richard Mulligan playing a dramatic role as General Custer; I only knew him for his comedy roles on TV but he is really good in this.

There is also great standout performance by a Native American actor in the film - Chief Dan George. His part is significant as Hoffman's father figure and wise mentor who has some interesting (and racy) dialogue. I imagine that the audience of 1970 would like his line where he says, "Does she show enthusiasm when you mount her?" (referring to Hoffman's spouse).

It's unfortunate that the movie's marketing posters (as shown above) make this movie to look like a comedy, with Dustin Hoffman made to look like Don Knotts in The Shakiest Gun in the West. This is a really profound drama (with occasional comic relief), that was ahead of its time showing the perspectives of both indigenous and white peoples. Equally unfortunate is the lack of accolades that year - no Oscars...not even a Best Picture nomination. In 1970, the big winner was "Patton", which was a more traditional war film with a hero that audiences could probably relate to more. Little Big Man was unfortunately overshadowed by it, and I don't think audiences were quite ready to embrace such a film yet. Not until Dances with Wolves 20 years later.

I also re-watched Midnight Cowboy which I haven't seen in more than 20 years but remember liking it overall, especially the chemistry of the two leads (Voight and Hoffman). I forgot that there was a sequence where they go to a hippy artists' party in New York, and there are some real cameos by Andy Warhol protégés. After attending a Warhol art exhibit recently, I've been reading some of his biographies and a book of his journal entries; interestingly in one entry he wrote that he wanted to do a cameo in Midnight Cowboy but couldn't do it because he was in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound (in the summer of '68).

I loved seeing all the on-location scenes of New York; I kept my eye peeled for any interesting posters that would have been of the times. I saw one poster/billboard with Jonathan Winters on it. And another poster was a movie ad for "Doctor Doolittle" starring Rex Harrison, which was interesting. Flash forward 50 years and we have yet another remake of "Doolittle" in theaters starring Robert Downey Jr (I'm planning to skip since it doesn't look all that appealing to me).

Another scene in Midnight Cowboy that I had forgotten about happens at the end where Joe Buck beats the old man in his hotel room, almost killing him (his actual death isn't shown but it's implied he might have killed him). This makes me feel less sympathetic toward the character, and even reminded me of what Brad Pitt does at the end of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (my least-favorite sequence in that movie); now I'm wondering if Tarantino intended that scene to be an homage to Midnight Cowboy.

Read a blog post about this movie by Avvaganda.com here

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and the real Blanche Barrow

It's been 50 Years since the release of this film. Its starts -Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - have been receiving some attention lately for their recent Oscar Awards appearances. Bonnie and Clyde has always been one of my favorite movies ever since I was in high school and first watched it on TV.  I always enjoy the visual style of this movie - the close-ups, editing and dialogue (influenced by the French new wave), the music, and the performances.

On my latest rewatch, I became very interested in learning more about the real Buck and Blanche Barrow. In the film, Buck is played by Gene Hackman and Blanche is played by Estelle Parsons.

I went to my local library to see if I could find anything about them, and I found a biography written by Blanche Barrow called "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde". It's a fascinating book with a detailed chronology, photos, and dozens of pages of references and notes.

The real Blanche, who died in 1988, also had a few interesting things to say about the famous 1967 movie and about the actress who played her, Ms Parsons.

Also interesting to learn from the book is that that Blanche Barrow's name was never used in any of the other previous movies about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, such as You Only Live Once (1937), They Live By Night (1949), Gun Crazy (1949), or The Bonnie Parker Story (1958).

Some other takeaways from the book -

• Producer Warren Beatty wanted to use her name in the film and had to ask her for permission; she agreed to meet with him at her lawyer's office, and she read the script. After approving, she signed a contract allowing her name to be used in the film.
• One of Clyde's brothers visited the set one day, and jokingly said to Warren Beatty and Gene Hackman, "Howdy there, brothers!"
• Beatty came to Blanche's house a few times to visit and played the piano.
• She did not like the finished movie (claiming the script was rewritten), and said of her portrayal: "That movie made me look like a screaming horse's ass!"

Blanche never wanted media attention after the movie, yet she did ultimately make money from the movie's success.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

This has been one of my favorite movies since I was in high school, and I try to watch it every few years or so to see something new in it that I hadn't noticed before. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as the title characters. Arthur Penn directed. Released by Warner Brothers. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were notorious real life bank robbers in the early 1930s and constantly on the run from the law; this movie depicts their story.

I remember seeing Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers when it came out in 1994, and remember some comparisons to this film. But that film had a different tone, and was trying to tell a different story, I feel.

What I like about this film is that its a very hip, groundbreaking late-60s movie, as well as anti-establishment/anti-capitalistic/anti-banks - and very violent in its time. And its box office success paved the way for directors to be explicit in they way they show sexuality and violence in films, such as "Midnight Cowboy" and the "The Wild Bunch" in the following years.

 All of the principle members of the cast were nominated for Oscars for their roles, including Gene Hackman enthusiastically playing Clyde's brother Buck Barrow, who tags along with them on their crime spree through the south for a short while. In between the robbery-and-shootout scenes is a romance - Clyde and Bonnie, escaping the real world through crime, and always talking/arguing about their future plans together as a wealthy couple, which never happens.

Also starring Dub Taylor who went on to co-star in aforementioned "Wild Bunch". Here he plays a kindly old father of one of the crime duo's recruits (Michael J. Pollard). Estelle Parsons plays another recruit.  The film's cinematography, costumes, and sets recreate the days of the depression. A good scene shows the characters going to the picture show to watch "42nd Street" - and showing the famous "We're in the Money" sequence.

The real-life couple's poses for photographs and a poem that Bonnie Parker wrote and published while they were on the lam - are all depicted in the movie. I have always loved the great car chase scenes, the banjo-picking score (including "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"), and the humorous cameo by Gene Wilder - whose car is stolen by the "punks". Also co-starring Denver Pile as a local sheriff who does them in.

Read Blondie's post on Bonnie and Clyde from October 2009.