The Ballad of Cable Hogue Directed by Sam Peckinpah 1970
This movie has several things in common with "Once Upon a Time in the West":
Peckinpah is one of the best action directors in the history of cinema, but he also excelled in character study/mood pieces. "Junior Bonner" is a modern Western he directed in a similar style to "Cable Hogue". While I liked "Junior Bonner" and his other mood piece "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", "Cable Hogue" left me completely mystified.
I gave it two out of 10 stars in my IMDb rating. It got skunked in my ranking system with only three points. Only two movies so far have scored worse: "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and "Duel in the Sun".
I found almost nothing to like about this movie. However, I do have a list of criticisms:
This movie has several things in common with "Once Upon a Time in the West":
- Similarities in plot i.e. guy marries a beautiful whore and tries to build his own remote desert transportation stop.
- Both are directed by auteurs with cult followings.
- Both are deliberately paced and favor atmosphere over dramatic plot development.
- Both star Jason Robards.
- Both failed at the box office, but enjoy enthusiastic cult followings today.
- Neither has Indians (just kidding).
Peckinpah is one of the best action directors in the history of cinema, but he also excelled in character study/mood pieces. "Junior Bonner" is a modern Western he directed in a similar style to "Cable Hogue". While I liked "Junior Bonner" and his other mood piece "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", "Cable Hogue" left me completely mystified.
I gave it two out of 10 stars in my IMDb rating. It got skunked in my ranking system with only three points. Only two movies so far have scored worse: "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and "Duel in the Sun".
I found almost nothing to like about this movie. However, I do have a list of criticisms:
- While I think Jason Robards can be an effective supporting actor, I don't think he can carry a movie as the lead.
- "Butterfly Mornings, Wildflower Afternoons" may be the worst song ever inflicted on mankind .and I've seen all of Elvis' movies.
- I hadn't the slightest interest at any point in this movie whether or not Cable got the girl or didn't, was successful financially or wasn't, got revenge on his former partners or didn't, or lived or died.
- In addition to the excruciating "Butterfly Mornings" love montage, there were a number of other non-sequiturs, including Benny Hill style film speed accelerations, Russ Meyers style closeups of breasts and Cable's death scene. Some claim this is Fellini-esquire. Fair enough. I hate Fellini movies. (That Russ Meyers, though, he had some talent).
- I've read that this is the finest performance of Stella Steven's career. I agree. Much better than her work in "Girls, Girls, Girls", "The Silencers" and "Slaughter". Check that. We did get to see her nipples in "Slaughter". That remains my favorite Stella Stevens performance.
- I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what religion Peckinpah belonged to. He's extremely anti-Christian, but seems to believe in some kind of deity. His confused spiritual life was most likely ruled over by a God named Jack Daniels.
- I found the co-themes of the "death of the West" and "societal outcasts are really superior to. hypocritical societal snobs" trite and poorly developed.
- The setting here stretches the limits of the genre "Western". What is it, 1920? This is less of a Western and more of an absurdist romantic comedy with sagebrush and horses for props.
- Oh, I did like one thing, For once, R.G. Armstrong does not play a crazy Christian. Nice to see him stretching his range a bit.