DVD The Hired Hand (Collector's Edition)
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 |
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Review(s): DVD The Hired Hand (Collector's Edition) | |
| Dreamy Western Gem |  |
Peter Fonda's superb directorial debut is an elegant, melancholic western tale about loneliness, loss and loyalty. Adventurous movie fans will appreciate the film as a beguiling small masterpiece of its genre. Alan Sharp's lean screenplay explores the bonds between two road-weary saddle tramps (Fonda and Warren Oates) and the woman (Verna Bloom) they both love. The spare story is told with startling emotional depth. While it has its moments of gunplay and violence, THE HIRED HAND will definitely not appeal to the action crowd, as Fonda takes a somewhat languorous approach to the narrative, often allowing genius cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond free rein to linger lovingly on the spectacular desert landscapes. The stunning opening, a slow-motion sequence of breathtaking beauty, will either thrill or bore you, depending on your temperament for extraordinary cinema. Bruce Langthorne's ravishing, unforgettable music score adds an extra element of sheer dreaminess; its surely one of the most criminally underrated of all film soundtracks.Meditative and lyrical, THE HIRED HAND has apparently managed to incessantly haunt the memories of the few people lucky enough to have caught it during its very brief, financially disastrous 1971 theatrical run and/or its subsequent airings on NBC-TV a couple of years later. Since that time, its been nearly impossible to see, rarely getting screened at revival/art theaters and never being issued on videotape. In 2001, the film was quietly restored and subsequently exhibited at a variety of festivals to mostly rapturous critical acclaim. The Sundance Channel has now released the film on DVD in two separate versions. The Standard Edition features the beautifully restored print in wide-screen format, with an informative audio commentary by Fonda as its sole extra. The much more expensive Collector's Edition adds a second disc and several more extras to the mix, including 20 minutes of deleted scenes (a subplot with actor Larry Hagman that actually was previously seen in the NBC-TV airings) and a fine documentary on the making of the film featuring recollections from several of the more prominent participants. With either purchase, you'll end up owning the definitive presentation of a much underappreciated little gem of a western.
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| BETTER LATE THAN NOT AT ALL! | |
THIS IS NICE. I MEAN,"THIS IS NICE!" DURING A TIME(NOW),WHEN THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY MOVIES(95% ARE NOT WORTH A ____). IT IS ALL FOR THE MONEY(AND ADOLESENCE). WE NOW ,THANKS TO SUNDANCE,REVEAL AND EDUCATE A NEW AUDIENCE FOR "THE HIRED HAND." A SLEEPER WHEN RELEASED IN 1971(I SAW IT AT A DRIVE-IN),THIS CLASSIC DOES SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT. FOR ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES, WE VIEWED A FILM THAT WAS REALISTIC,TOLD A MARVELOUS STORY,INCLUDED EXCELLENT ACTING,VISUALS AND A SOUNDTRACK THAT ARE UNFORGETABLE. THAT MY FRIENDS PUTS "THE HIRED HAND IN THE CATEGORY OF A CLASSIC. PETER FONDA IS AN EXCELLANT DIRECTOR AS WELL AS ACTOR. THE LATE WARREN OATES IS SUPERB. VERNA BLOOM IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST ALL TIME ACTRESS(JUST WATCH THIS FILM). I AM A BUFF OF THE WESTERN GENRE,ESPICIALLY THE SPAGHETTI AND LATE 1960'S FILMS)YES,I LOVED "THE WILD BUNCH","THE "DOLLAR" MOVIES,THE "STRANGER" MOVIES,THE BANG BANG,SHOOT 'EM UPS AS WELL. "THE HIRED HAND"IS NOTHING LIKE THESE-IT TOLD ME A STORY. IT TOLD THE STORY SO WELL-IT HYPNOTIZED ME. IT IS UNFORGETABLE,BEAUTIFUL,AND ONE OF A KIND.THIS SET IS OUTSTANDING AND HIGHLY RECOMENDED TO ANYONE(DO NOT EXPECT ANY SLO-MO DEATHS).THE NEW AUDIENCE SHOULD TAKE HEED AND THEY WILL TAKE TO HEART "THE HIRED HAND."
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| 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.
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