RARA-AVIS: Partially redeeming myself in Clint Eastwood's eyes

From: Frederick Zackel (fzackel@wcnet.org)
Date: 26 Jul 2009

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    Yep. I screwed up. Mea faux pas, mea faux pas, mea maxima faux pas.

    I meant to say that Clinton Eastwood, Jr., has done only five feature-length western movies in America (!!) since Woodstock. I got ahead of myself and never saw what I had said when I looked back over what I wrote. For that I am deeply ashamed. (Eh.) I promise never to let that happen again ... in public.

    Unforgiven (1992) Pale Rider (1985) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) High Plains Drifter (1973) Joe Kidd (1972)

    My point was that Eastwood's work in westerns was both limited in number and almost cross-the-genre. Those five movies were not typical Hollywood westerns.

    I do not count as true westerns Space Cowboys (2000) or Bronco Billy (1980) nor do I count Paint Your Wagon (1969) where he sings at least as well as
    (or no better than) Lee Marvin. Paint Your Wagon (1969) is dubious, by the way, as an example of cowboy noir, although both Eastwood and Marvin trudge through the script as if they knew they were doomed from the get-go.

    OTOH, The Bridges of Madison County (1995) MIGHT be a western since Madison County, Iowa, was the county seat (and thus the birthplace and home) of John Wayne (born Marion Morrison.)

    In truth, I have been rivetted by Clint since I saw him (and his pompadour) in his first movie role in "Revenge of the Creature" at the movie theater, where he plays a lab tech with a chimp in his arms.

    BTW, Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con, "Sigourney Weaver Says She Can Take On Clint Eastwood." (24 July 2009.) Nope, I didn't say it.

    Merry Christmas in July!

    Fred Zackel



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