Jump to content

Sam Peckinpah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sam Peckinpah
Peckinpah in 1968
Born
David Samuel Peckinpah

(1925-02-21)February 21, 1925
Fresno, California,U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 1984(1984-12-28)(aged 59)
Inglewood, California,U.S.
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active1957–1984
Spouses
Marie Selland
​
​
(m.1947;div.1960)​
​
​
(m.1964;div.1965)​
​
​
(m.1965;div.1967)​

​
​
(m.1974)​
Joie Gould
​
​
(m.1971;div.1972)​
Children5

David Samuel Peckinpah(/ˈpɛkɪnˌpɑː/;[1]February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969WesternepicThe Wild Bunchreceived an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on theAmerican Film Institute's top 100 list. His films employed a visually innovative and explicit depiction of action and violence as well as arevisionistapproach to the Western genre.

Peckinpah's films deal with the conflict between values and ideals, as well as the corruption and violence in human society. His characters are often loners or losers who desire to be honorable but are forced to compromise in order to survive in a world ofnihilismand brutality. He was given the nickname "Bloody Sam" owing to the violence in his films.

Peckinpah's combative personality, marked by years of alcohol and drug abuse, affected his professional legacy. The production of many of his films included battles with producers and crew members, damaging his reputation and career during his lifetime. Peckinpah's other films includeRide the High Country(1962),Major Dundee(1965),The Ballad of Cable Hogue(1970),Straw Dogs(1971),The Getaway(1972),Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid(1973),Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia(1974),Cross of Iron(1977) andConvoy(1978).

Family origins[edit]

The Peckinpahs originated from theFrisian Islandsin the northwest of Europe. Both sides of Peckinpah's family migrated to the American West bycovered wagonin the mid-19th century.[2]Peckinpah and several relatives often claimed Native American ancestry, but this has been denied by surviving family members.[3]Peckinpah's great-grandfather, Rice Peckinpaugh, a merchant and farmer inIndiana,moved toHumboldt County, California,in the 1850s, working in the logging business, and changed the spelling of the family name to "Peckinpah".[4][5]

Peckinpah Meadow and Peckinpah Creek, where the family ran a lumber mill on a mountain in theHigh Sierraeast ofNorth Fork, California,have been officially named on U.S. geographical maps.[3]Peckinpah's maternal grandfather wasDenver S. Church,a cattle rancher, Superior Court judge andUnited States Congressmanof a California district includingFresno County.[6]

Sam Peckinpah's nephew isDavid Peckinpah,who was a television producer and director, as well as a screenwriter.[7]He was a cousin of formerNew York YankeesshortstopRoger Peckinpaugh.[8]

Life[edit]

David Samuel Peckinpah was born February 21, 1925, to David Edward (1895–1960) and Fern Louise (néeChurch) Peckinpah (1893–1983) inFresno, California,where he attended both grammar school and high school.[9]He had an elder brother, Denver Charles (1916–1996).[10]He spent much time skipping classes with his brother to engage incowboyactivities on their grandfatherDenver Church's ranch, including trapping, branding, and shooting. During the 1930s and 1940s,CoarsegoldandBass Lakewere still populated with descendants of the miners and ranchers of the 19th century. Many of these descendants worked on Church's ranch. At that time, it was a rural area undergoing extreme change, and this exposure is believed to have affected Peckinpah'sWesternfilms later in life.[11]

He played on the junior varsity football team while atFresno High School,but frequent fighting and discipline problems caused his parents to enroll him in the San Rafael Military Academy for his senior year.[12]

In 1943, he joined theUnited States Marine Corps.Within two years, his battalion was sent to China with the task of disarming Japanese soldiers andrepatriatingthem followingWorld War II.While his duty did not include combat, he claimed to have witnessed acts of war between Chinese and Japanese soldiers. According to friends, these included several acts of torture and the murder of a laborer by sniper fire. The American Marines were not permitted to intervene. Peckinpah also claimed he was shot during an attack by Communist forces. Also during his final weeks as a Marine, he applied for discharge in Beijing, so he could marry a local woman, but was refused. His experiences in China reportedly deeply affected Peckinpah, and may have influenced his depictions of violence in his films.[13]

After being discharged in Los Angeles, he attendedCalifornia State University, Fresno,where he studied history. While a student, he met and married his first wife, Marie Selland, in 1947. A drama major, Selland introduced Peckinpah to the theater department and he became interested in directing for the first time. During his senior year, he adapted and directed a one-hour version ofTennessee Williams'The Glass Menagerie.

After graduation in 1948, Peckinpah enrolled in graduate studies in drama atUniversity of Southern California.He spent two seasons as the director in residence at Huntington Park Civic Theatre near Los Angeles before obtaining his master's degree. He was asked to stay another year, but Peckinpah began working as astagehandat KLAC-TV in the belief that television experience would eventually lead to work in films. Even during this early stage of his career, Peckinpah was developing a combative streak. Reportedly, he was kicked off the set ofThe Liberace Showfor not wearing a tie, and he refused to cue a car salesman during a live feed because of his attitude towards stagehands.[14]

In 1954, Peckinpah was hired as adialogue coachfor the filmRiot in Cell Block 11.His job entailed acting as an assistant for the movie's director,Don Siegel.The film was shot on location atFolsom Prison.Reportedly, the warden was reluctant to allow the filmmakers to work at the prison until he was introduced to Peckinpah. The warden knew of his influential family from Fresno and was immediately cooperative. Siegel's location work and his use of actual prisoners as extras in the film made a lasting impression on Peckinpah. He worked as a dialogue coach on four additional Siegel films:Private Hell 36(1954),An Annapolis Story(1955, and co-starringL. Q. Jones),Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956) andCrime in the Streets(1956).[15]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers,in which Peckinpah appeared as Charlie the meter reader, starredKevin McCarthyandDana Wynter.It became one of the most critically praisedscience fictionfilms of the 1950s. Peckinpah claimed to have done an extensive rewrite on the film's screenplay, a statement which remains controversial.[16]

Throughout much of his adult life, Peckinpah was affected byalcoholism,and, later, other forms of drug addiction. According to some accounts, he also suffered from mental illness, possiblymanic depressionorparanoia.[17]It is believed his drinking problems began during his service in the military while stationed in China, when he frequented the saloons ofTianjinand Beijing.[18]After divorcing Selland, the mother of his first four children, in 1960, he married Mexican actressBegoña Palaciosin 1964. A stormy relationship developed, and over the years they married on three separate occasions. They had one daughter together.[19][20]His personality reportedly often swung between a sweet, softly-spoken, artistic disposition, and bouts of rage and violence, during which he verbally and physically abused himself and others. An experienced hunter, Peckinpah was fascinated with firearms and was known to shoot the mirrors in his house while abusing alcohol, an image which occurs several times in his films.[21]

Peckinpah's reputation as a hard-living brute with a taste for violence, inspired by the content in his most popular films and in many ways perpetuated by himself, affected his artistic legacy.[22]His friends and family have claimed this does a disservice to a man who was actually more complex than generally credited. He used such actors asWarren Oates,L. Q. Jones,R. G. Armstrong,James Coburn,Ben Johnson,andKris Kristofferson,and collaborators (Jerry Fielding,Lucien Ballard,Gordon Dawson, and Martin Baum) in many of his films, and several of his friends and assistants stuck by him to the end of his life.[citation needed]

Peckinpah spent a great deal of his life inMexicoafter his marriage to Palacios, eventually buying property in the country. He was fascinated by the Mexican lifestyle and Mexican culture, and he often portrayed it with an unusual sentimentality and romanticism in his films.[23]

From 1979 until his death, Peckinpah lived at theMurray HotelinLivingston, Montana.[24]Peckinpah was seriously ill during his final years, as a lifetime of hard living caught up with him.[25]Regardless, he continued to work until his last months. He died ofheart failureat age 59 on December 28, 1984, inInglewood, California.[26]At the time, he was working on the script forOn the Rocks,[27]a projected independent film to be shot in San Francisco.[28]

Television career[edit]

On the recommendation ofDon Siegel,Peckinpah established himself during the late 1950s as a scriptwriter ofWesternseries of the era, selling scripts toGunsmoke,Have Gun – Will Travel,Broken Arrow,Klondike,The Rifleman,andDick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre,the latterFour Star Televisionproductions.[29]He wrote one episode "The Town" (December 13, 1957) for theCBSseries,Trackdown.[30]

Peckinpah wrote a screenplay from the novelThe Authentic Death of Hendry Jones,a draft that evolved into the 1961Marlon BrandofilmOne-Eyed Jacks.[31]His writing led to directing, and he directed a 1958 episode ofBroken Arrow(generally credited as his first official directing job) and several 1960 episodes ofKlondike,(co-starringJames Coburn,L. Q. Jones,Ralph Taeger,Joi Lansing,andMari Blanchard). He also directed the CBSsitcomMr. Adams and Eve,starringHoward DuffandIda Lupino.[32][33]

In 1958, Peckinpah wrote a script forGunsmokethat was rejected due to content. He reworked the screenplay, titledThe Sharpshooter,and sold it toZane Grey Theater.The episode received popular response and became the television seriesThe Rifleman,starringChuck Connors.Peckinpah directed four episodes of the series (with guest starsR. G. ArmstrongandWarren Oates), but left after the first year.The Riflemanran for five seasons and achieved enduring popularity in syndication.[34][35]

The Westerner[edit]

Main article:The Westerner (TV series)
Brian Keith withSpikeinThe Westerner(1960)

During this time, he also created the television seriesThe WesternerforFour Star Television,starringBrian Keithand in three episodes also featuringJohn Dehner.Peckinpah wrote and directed a pilot calledTrouble at Tres Cruzes,which was aired in March 1959 before the actual series was made in 1960. Peckinpah acted as producer of the series, having a hand in the writing of each episode and directing five of them. Critically praised, the show ran for only 13 episodes before cancellation mainly due to its gritty content detailing the drifting, laconic cowboy Dave Blassingame (Brian Keith). Especially noteworthy are the episodesJeffandHand on the Gun,extraordinary in their depiction of violence and their imaginative directing, forerunners of his later feature films. Despite its short run,The Westernerand Peckinpah were nominated by theProducers Guild of Americafor Best Filmed Series. An episode of the series eventually served as the basis for Tom Gries' 1968 filmWill PennystarringCharlton Heston.The Westerner,which has since achievedcult status,further established Peckinpah as a talent to be reckoned with.[36][37][38][39]

In 1962, Peckinpah directed two hour-long episodes forThe Dick Powell Theater.In the second of these,The Losers,an updatedremakeofThe Westernerset in the present day withLee Marvinas Dave Blassingame andKeenan Wynnas Dehner's character Bergundy Smith, he mixed slow motion, fast motion and stills together to capture violence, a technique famously put to more sophisticated use in 1969sThe Wild Bunch.[40]

Early film career[edit]

The Deadly Companions[edit]

Main article:The Deadly Companions

After cancellation ofThe Westerner,Brian Keithwas cast as the male lead in the 1961 Western filmThe Deadly Companions.He suggested Peckinpah as director and the project's producerCharles B. Fitzsimonsaccepted the idea. By most accounts, the low-budget film shot on location inArizonawas a learning process for Peckinpah, who feuded with Fitzsimons (brother of the film's starMaureen O'Hara) over the screenplay and staging of the scenes. Reportedly, Fitzsimons refused to allow Peckinpah to give direction to O'Hara. Unable to rewrite the screenplay or edit the picture, Peckinpah vowed to never again direct a film unless he had script control.The Deadly Companionspassed largely without notice and is the least known of Peckinpah's films.[41][42]

Ride the High Country[edit]

Main article:Ride the High Country

His second film,Ride the High Country(1962), was based on the screenplayGuns in the Afternoonwritten by N.B. Stone, Jr. Producer Richard Lyons admired Peckinpah's work onThe Westernerand offered him the directing job. Peckinpah did an extensive rewrite of the screenplay, including personal references from his own childhood growing up on Denver Church's ranch, and even naming one of the mining towns "Coarsegold." He based the character of Steve Judd, a once-famous lawman fallen on hard times, on his own father David Peckinpah. In the screenplay, Judd and old friend Gil Westrum are hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. Westrum hopes to talk Judd into taking the gold for themselves. Along the way, following Judd's example, Westrum slowly realizes his own self-respect is far more important than profit. During the final shootout, when Judd and Westrum stand up to a trio of men, Judd is fatally wounded but his death serves as Westrum's salvation, aCatholictragedy woven from the cloth of the Western genre. This sort of salvation became a major theme in many Peckinpah's later films. Starring aging Western starsJoel McCreaandRandolph Scottin their final major screen roles, the film initially went unnoticed in the United States but was an enormous success in Europe. BeatingFederico Fellini's8½for first prize at the Belgium Film Festival, the film was hailed by foreign critics as a brilliant reworking of the Western genre. New York critics also discovered Peckinpah's unusual Western, withNewsweeknamingRide the High Countrythe best film of the year andTimeplacing it on its ten-best list. By some critics, the film is admired as one of Peckinpah's greatest works.[43][44]

Major Dundee[edit]

Main article:Major Dundee

Peckinpah's next film,Major Dundee(1965), was the first of Peckinpah's many unfortunate experiences with the major studios that financed his productions. Based on a screenplay byHarry Julian Fink,the film was to starCharlton Heston.Peckinpah was hired as director after Heston viewed producerJerry Bresler's private screening ofRide the High Country.Heston liked the film and called Peckinpah, saying, "I'd like to work with you."[45]The sprawling screenplay told the story ofUnion cavalryofficer Major Dundee who commands aNew Mexicooutpost ofConfederateprisoners. When anApachewar chief wipes out a company and kidnaps several children, Dundee throws together a makeshift army, including unwilling Confederate veterans, black Federal soldiers, and traditional Western types, and takes off after the Indians. Dundee becomes obsessed with his quest and heads deep into the wilderness of Mexico with his exhausted men in tow.

Filming began without a completed screenplay, and Peckinpah chose several remote locations inMexico,causing the film to go heavilyoverbudget.Intimidated by the size and scope of the project, Peckinpah reportedly drank heavily each night after shooting. He also fired at least 15crew members.At one point, Peckinpah's mean streak and abusiveness towards the actors so enraged Heston that the normally even-tempered star threatened to run the director through with his cavalrysaberif he did not show more courtesy to the cast. Shooting ended 15 days over schedule and $1.5 million more than budgeted with Peckinpah and producer Bresler no longer on speaking terms. The movie, detailing themes and sequences Peckinpah mastered later in his career, was taken away from him and substantially reedited. An incomplete mess which today exists in a variety of versions,Major Dundeeperformed poorly at the box office and was trashed by critics (though its standing has improved over the years). Peckinpah maintained, nonetheless, throughout his life that his original version ofMajor Dundeewas among his best films, but his reputation was severely damaged.[46][47][48]

Peckinpah was next signed to directThe Cincinnati Kid,a gambling drama about a young prodigy who takes on an old master during a bigNew Orleanspokermatch. Before filming started, producerMartin Ransohoffbegan to receive phone calls about theMajor Dundeeordeal and was told Peckinpah was impossible to work with. Peckinpah decided to shoot in black and white and was hoping to transform the screenplay into a social realist saga about a kid surviving the tough streets of theGreat Depression.After four days of filming, which reportedly included some nude scenes, Ransohoff disliked therushesand immediately fired him.[49]Eventually directed byNorman Jewisonand starringSteve McQueen,the film went on to become a 1965 hit.[50][51]

Noon Wine[edit]

Peckinpah caught a lucky break in 1966 when producerDaniel Melnickneeded a writer and director to adaptKatherine Anne Porter's short novelNoon Winefor television. Melnick was a big fan ofThe WesternerandRide the High Country,and had heard Peckinpah had been unfairly fired fromThe Cincinnati Kid.Against the objections of many within the industry, Melnick hired Peckinpah and gave him free rein. Peckinpah completed the script, which Porter enthusiastically endorsed, and the project becamean hour-long presentationforABC Stage 67.

Taking place in turn of the centuryWest Texas,Noon Winewas a dark tragedy about a farmer's act of futile murder which leads to suicide. StarringJason RobardsandOlivia de Havilland,the film was a critical hit, with Peckinpah nominated by theWriters Guildfor Best Television Adaptation and theDirectors Guild of Americafor Best Television Direction. Robards kept a personal copy of the film in his private collection for years as he considered the project to be one of his most satisfying professional experiences. A rare film which had no home video release until 2014,Noon Wineis today considered one of Peckinpah's most intimate works, revealing his dramatic potential and artistic depth.[52][53][54]

International fame[edit]

The Wild Bunch[edit]

Main article:The Wild Bunch

The surprising success ofNoon Winelaid the groundwork for one of the most explosive comebacks in film history. In 1967,Warner Bros.-Seven Artsproducers Kenneth Hyman and Phil Feldman were interested in having Peckinpah rewrite and direct an adventure film,The Diamond Story.An alternative screenplay written by Roy Sickner andWalon Greenwas the WesternThe Wild Bunch.At the time,William Goldman's screenplayButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidhad recently been purchased by20th Century Studios.

It was quickly decided thatThe Wild Bunch,which had several similarities to Goldman's work, would be produced in order to beatButch Cassidyto the theaters.[55]By the fall of 1967, Peckinpah was rewriting the screenplay into what becameThe Wild Bunch.Filmed on location in Mexico, Peckinpah's epic work was inspired by a number of forces—his hunger to return to films, the violence seen inArthur Penn'sBonnie and Clyde,America's growing frustration with theVietnam War,and what he perceived to be the utter lack of reality seen in Westerns up to that time. He set out to make a film which portrayed not only the vicious violence of the period, but the crude men attempting to survive the era. During this period, Peckinpah said that his life was changed by seeingCarlos Saura'sLa Caza(1966), which profoundly influenced his subsequent oeuvre.[56][57]

The film detailed a gang of veteran outlaws on the Texas/Mexico border in 1913 trying to survive within a rapidly approaching modern world.The Wild Bunchis framed by two ferocious and infamous gunfights, beginning with a failed robbery of the railway company office and concluding with the outlaws battling the Mexican army in suicidal vengeance prompted by the brutal torture and murder of one of their members.[58]

Irreverent and unprecedented in its explicit detail, the 1969 film was an instant success. Multiple scenes attempted inMajor Dundee,includingslow motionaction sequences, characters leaving a village as if in a funeral procession and the use of inexperienced locals as extras, were perfected inThe Wild Bunch.Many critics denounced its violence as sadistic and exploitative. Other critics and filmmakers hailed the originality of its unique rapideditingstyle, created for the first time in this film and ultimately becoming a Peckinpah trademark, and praised the reworking of traditional Western themes. It was the beginning of Peckinpah's international fame, and he and his work remained controversial for the rest of his life.[59]The film was rankedNo. 80on theAmerican Film Institute's top 100 list of the greatest American films ever made andNo. 69as the most thrilling, but the controversy has not diminished.[60]

The Wild Bunchwas re-released for its 25th anniversary, and received anNC-17rating from theMPAA.[61]Peckinpah received his onlyAcademy Awardnomination (forBest Original Screenplay) for this film.[62]

The Ballad of Cable Hogue[edit]

Main article:The Ballad of Cable Hogue

Defying audience expectations, as he often did, Peckinpah immediately followedThe Wild Bunchwith the elegiac, funny and mostly non-violent 1970 WesternThe Ballad of Cable Hogue.Using many of the same cast (L. Q. Jones,Strother Martin) and crew members ofThe Wild Bunch,the film covered three years in the life of small-time entrepreneur Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) who decides to make his living by remaining in the desert after having miraculously discovered water when he had been abandoned there to die. He opens his business along astagecoachline, only to see his dreams end with the appearance of the firstautomobileon the horizon.

Shot on location in theValley of FireinNevada,the film was plagued by poor weather, Peckinpah's renewed drinking and his brusque firing of 36 crew members. The chaotic filming wrapped 19 days over schedule and $3 million over budget, effectively terminating his tenure withWarner Bros.-Seven Arts.In retrospect, it was a damaging career move asDeliveranceandJeremiah Johnson,critical and enduring box office hits, were in development at the time and Peckinpah was considered the first choice to direct both films.[63]

Largely ignored upon its initial release,The Ballad of Cable Hoguehas been rediscovered in recent years and is often held up by critics as exemplary of the breadth of Peckinpah's talents. They claim that the film proves Peckinpah's ability to make unconventional and original work without resorting to explicit violence. Over the years, Peckinpah cited the film as one of his favorites.[64][65][66]

Straw Dogs[edit]

Main article:Straw Dogs (1971 film)

His alienation from Warner Brothers once again left him with a limited number of directing jobs. Peckinpah traveled to England to directStraw Dogs(1971), one of his darkest and most psychologically disturbing films. Produced by Daniel Melnick, who had previously worked with Peckinpah onNoon Wine,the film's screenplay was based on the novelThe Siege of Trencher's FarmbyGordon Williams.

It starredDustin Hoffmanas David Sumner, a timid American mathematician who leaves the chaos of collegeanti-war proteststo live with his young wife Amy (Susan George) in her native village inCornwall,England. Resentment of David's presence by the locals slowly builds to a shocking climax when the mild-mannered academic is forced to violently defend his home. Peckinpah rewrote the existing screenplay, inspired by the booksAfrican GenesisandThe Territorial ImperativebyRobert Ardrey,which argued that man was essentially acarnivorewho instinctively battled over control of territory.[67]

The character of David Sumner, taunted and humiliated by the violent town locals, is eventually cornered within his home where he loses control and kills several of the men during the violent conclusion.Straw Dogsdeeply divided critics, some of whom praised its artistry and its confrontation of human savagery, while others attacked it as amisogynisticandfascisticcelebration of violence.[68]

Much of the criticism centered on Amy's complicated and lengthy rape scene, which Peckinpah reportedly attempted to base on his own personal fears rooted in past failed marriages. To this day, the scene is attacked by some critics as an uglymale-chauvinistfantasy.[69]The film was for many years banned on video in the UK.[70][71][72]

Junior Bonner[edit]

Main article:Junior Bonner

Despite his growing alcoholism and controversial reputation, Peckinpah was prolific during this period of his life. In May 1971, weeks after completingStraw Dogs,he returned to the United States to begin work onJunior Bonner.The lyrical screenplay by Jeb Rosenbrook, depicting the changing times of society and binding family ties, appealed to Peckinpah's tastes. He accepted the project, at the time concerned with being typed as a director of violent action. The film was his final attempt to make a low-key, dramatic work in the vein ofNoon WineandThe Ballad of Cable Hogue.

Filmed on location inPrescott, Arizona,the story covered a week in the life of agingrodeorider Junior "JR" Bonner (Steve McQueen) who returns to his hometown to compete in an annual rodeo competition. Promoted as a Steve McQueen action vehicle, the film's reviews were mixed and the film performed poorly at the box office. Peckinpah remarked, "I made a film where nobody got shot and nobody went to see it." The film's reputation has grown over the years as many critics considerJunior Bonnerto be one of Peckinpah's most sympathetic works, while also noting McQueen's earnest performance.[73][74]

The Getaway[edit]

Main article:The Getaway (1972 film)

Eager to work with Peckinpah again, Steve McQueen presented himWalter Hill's screenplay toThe Getaway.Based on theJim Thompsonnovel, the gritty crime thriller detailed lovers on the run following a dangerous robbery. Both Peckinpah and McQueen needed a hit, and they immediately began working on the film in February 1972.[75]Peckinpah had no pretensions about makingThe Getaway,as his only goal was to create a highly polished thriller to boost his market value.[76]McQueen played Doc McCoy, a convicted robber who colludes with corrupt businessman Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson) to be released from prison and later masterminds a bank heist organized by Beynon.

A series of double-crosses ensues and Doc and his wife Carol (MacGraw) attempt to flee from their pursuers to Mexico. Replete with explosions, car chases and intense shootouts, the film became Peckinpah's biggest financial success to date earning more than $25 million at the box office.[77]Though strictly a commercial product, Peckinpah's creative touches abound throughout, most notably during the intricately edited opening sequence when McQueen's character is suffering from the pressures of prison life.[78]The film remains popular and wasremade in 1994,[79][80][81]starringAlec BaldwinandKim Basinger.

Later career[edit]

The year 1973 marked the beginning of the most difficult period of Peckinpah's life and career. While still filmingThe GetawayinEl Paso, Texas,Peckinpah sneaked across the border intoJuarezin April 1972 and married Joie Gould. He had met Gould in England while filmingStraw Dogs,and she had since been his companion and a part-time crew member. Peckinpah's intake of alcohol had increased dramatically while makingThe Getaway,and he became fond of saying, "I can't direct when I'm sober." He began to have violent mood swings and explosions of rage, at one point assaulting Gould. After four months, she returned to England and filed for divorce. Devastated by the breakup, Peckinpah fell into a self-destructive pattern of almost continuous alcohol consumption, and his health was unstable for the remainder of his life.[82]

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid[edit]

Main article:Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

It was in this state of mind that Peckinpah agreed to makePat Garrett and Billy the Kid(1973) forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.Based on the screenplay byRudolph Wurlitzer,who had previously pennedTwo-Lane Blacktop,a film admired by Peckinpah, the director was convinced that he was about to make his definitive statement on the Western genre.[83]The script offered Peckinpah the opportunity to explore themes that appealed to him: two former partners forced by changing times onto opposite sides of the law, manipulated by corrupt economic interests. Peckinpah rewrote the screenplay, establishing Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid as friends, and attempted to weave an epic tragedy from the historical legend. Filmed on location in theMexican stateofDurango,the film starredJames CoburnandKris Kristoffersonin the title roles, with a huge supporting cast includingBob Dylan,who composed the film's music,Jason Robards,R. G. Armstrong,Richard Jaeckel,Jack Elam,Chill Wills,Katy Jurado,Matt Clark,L. Q. Jones,Rutanya Alda,Slim Pickens,andHarry Dean Stanton.[84]From the beginning, Peckinpah began to have clashes with MGM and its presidentJames Aubrey,known for his stifling of creative interests and eventual dismantling of the historic movie company.[85]Numerous production difficulties, including an outbreak of influenza and malfunctioning cameras, combined with Peckinpah's alcoholism, resulted in one of the most troubled productions of his career.Principal photographyfinished 21 days behind schedule and $1.6 million over budget. Enraged, Aubrey severely cut Peckinpah's film from 124 to 106 minutes, resulting inPat Garrett and Billy the Kidbeing released in a truncated version largely disowned by cast and crew members. Critics complained that the film was incoherent, and the experience soured Peckinpah forever on Hollywood. In 1988, however, Peckinpah's director's cut was released on video and led to a reevaluation, with many critics hailing it as a mistreated classic and one of the era's best films. Filmmakers, includingMartin Scorsese,have praised the film as one of the greatest modern Westerns.[86][87]

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia[edit]

Main article:Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

In the eyes of his admirers,Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia(1974) was the "last true Peckinpah film." The director himself claimed that it was the only one of his films to be released exactly as he intended it. A project in development for many years and based on an idea by Frank Kowalski, Peckinpah wrote the screenplay with the assistance of Kowalski, Walter Kelley and Gordon Dawson. An alcohol-soaked fever dream involving revenge, greed and murder in the Mexican countryside, the film featured Bennie (Warren Oates) as a thinly disguised self-portrait of Peckinpah, and co-starred a burlap bag containing the severed head of a gigolo being sought by a Mexican patrone for having impregnated his young granddaughter. Bennie is offered a reward of ten thousand dollars for Alfredo's death or proof thereof, and Alfredo's head is demanded as proof the contract has been fulfilled. The macabre drama was partblack comedy,action filmandtragedy,with a warped edge rarely seen in Peckinpah's works. Most critics were repulsed, and it was listed in the bookThe 50 Worst Films of All Timeby Harry Medved and Randy Dreyfuss.[88]One of the few critics to praise the film wasRoger Ebert,and the film's reputation has grown in recent years, with many noting its uncompromising vision as well as its anticipation of the violent black comedy ofDavid LynchandQuentin Tarantino.[89]A failure at the box office, the film now has a cult following. In 1991, theUCLAfilm school's festival of great but forgotten American films includedBring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.[90][91]It is reportedlyTakeshi Kitano's favorite film.

The Killer Elite[edit]

Main article:The Killer Elite

His career now suffering from consecutive box office failures, Peckinpah once again was in need of a hit on the level ofThe Getaway.For his next film, he choseThe Killer Elite(1975), an action-filled espionage thriller starringJames CaanandRobert Duvallas rival American agents. Filmed on location in San Francisco, Peckinpah allegedly discoveredcocainefor the first time thanks to Caan and his entourage.[92]This led to increasedparanoiaand his once legendary dedication to detail deteriorated. Producers also refused to allow Peckinpah to rewrite the screenplay for the first time since his debut filmThe Deadly Companions.Frustrated, the director spent large amounts of time in his on-location trailer, allowing assistants to direct many scenes. At one point heoverdosedon cocaine, ending up in a hospital with a secondpacemaker.The film was reasonably successful at the box office, although most critics panned it. Today, the film is considered one of Peckinpah's weakest films, and an example of his decline as a major director.[93][94]

Cross of Iron[edit]

Main article:Cross of Iron

Still renowned in 1975, Peckinpah was offered the opportunity to direct the eventual blockbustersKing Kong(1976) andSuperman(1978).[95]He turned down both offers and chose instead the bleak and vividWorld War IIdramaCross of Iron(1977). The screenplay was based on a novel about a platoon ofGerman soldiersin 1943 on the verge of utter collapse on theTaman Peninsulaon theEastern Front.The German production was filmed inYugoslavia.Working with James Hamilton and Walter Kelley, Peckinpah rewrote the screenplay and screened numerousNazi documentariesin preparation. Almost immediately, Peckinpah realized he was working on a low-budget production, as he had to spend $90,000 of his own money to hire experienced crew members. While not suffering from the cocaine abuse which markedThe Killer Elite,Peckinpah continued to drink heavily, causing his direction to become confused and erratic. The production abruptly ran out of funds, and Peckinpah was forced to completely improvise the concluding sequence, filming the scene in one day. Co-starringJames Mason,Maximilian Schell,David WarnerandSenta Berger,Cross of Ironwas noted for its opening montage utilizing documentary footage as well as the visceral impact of the unusually intense battle sequences. The film was a huge box office success in Europe, inspiring the sequelBreakthroughstarringRichard Burton.[96]Cross of Ironwas reportedly a favorite ofOrson Welles,who said that afterAll Quiet on the Western Frontit was the finest anti-war film he had ever seen.[97]The film performed poorly in the U.S., ultimately eclipsed byStar Wars,though today it is highly regarded and considered the last instance of Peckinpah's once-great talent.[98][99]

Convoy[edit]

Main article:Convoy (1978 film)

Hoping to create a blockbuster, Peckinpah decided to take onConvoy(1978). His associates were perplexed, as they felt his choice to direct such substandard material was a result of his renewed cocaine use and continued alcoholism. Based on the hitsongbyC. W. McCall,the film was an attempt to capitalize on the huge success ofSmokey and the Bandit(1977). In spite of his addictions, Peckinpah felt compelled to turn the genre exercise into something more significant. Unhappy with the screenplay written by B.W.L. Norton, Peckinpah tried to encourage the actors to re-write, improvise and ad-lib their dialogue. In another departure from the script, Peckinpah attempted to add a new dimension by casting a pair of black actors as members of the convoy,Madge Sinclairas Widow Woman andFranklyn Ajayeas Spider Mike. Filmed inNew Mexicoand starringKris Kristofferson,Ali MacGrawandErnest Borgnine,Convoyturned out to be yet another troubled Peckinpah production, with the director's health a continuing problem. Friend and actorJames Coburnwas brought in to serve assecond unit director,and he filmed many of the scenes while Peckinpah remained in his on-location trailer. The film wrapped in September 1977, 11 days behind schedule and $5 million over budget. Surprisingly,Convoywas the highest-grossing picture of Peckinpah's career, notching $46.5 million at the box office, but was panned by many critics, leaving his reputation seriously damaged. For the first time in almost a decade, Peckinpah finished a picture and found himself unemployed.[100][101]

2nd unit work onJinxed![edit]

For the next three years, Peckinpah remained a professional outcast. But during the summer of 1981, his original mentorDon Siegelgave him a chance to return to filmmaking. While shootingJinxed!,a comedy drama starringBette MidlerandRip Torn,Siegel asked Peckinpah if he would be interested in directing 12 days of second unit work. Peckinpah immediately accepted, and his earnest collaboration, while uncredited, was noted within the industry. For the final time, Peckinpah found himself back in the directing business.[102][103][104]

The Osterman Weekend[edit]

Main article:The Osterman Weekend (film)

By 1982, Peckinpah's health was poor. Producers Peter S. Davis andWilliam N. Panzerwere undaunted, as they felt that having Peckinpah's name attached toThe Osterman Weekend(1983) would lend thesuspense thrilleran air of respectability. Peckinpah accepted the job but reportedly hated the convoluted screenplay based uponRobert Ludlum's novel, which he also disliked. Multiple actors in Hollywood auditioned for the film, intrigued by the opportunity. Many of those who signed on, includingJohn Hurt,Burt LancasterandDennis Hopper,did so for less than their usual salaries for a chance to work with the legendary director. By the time shooting wrapped in January 1983 in Los Angeles, Peckinpah and the producers were hardly speaking. Nevertheless, Peckinpah brought the film in on time and on budget, delivering hisdirector's cutto the producers. Davis and Panzer were unhappy with Peckinpah's version, which included an opening sequence of two characters making love. The producers changed the opening and also deleted other scenes they deemed unnecessary. Peckinpah's final film was critically panned. It grossed $6.5 million in the United States (nearly recouping its budget) and did well in Europe and on the new home-video market.[104][105]

Julian Lennon music videos[edit]

Peckinpah's last work as a filmmaker was undertaken two months before his death. He was hired by producerMartin Lewisto shoot two music videos featuringJulian Lennon— "Valotte"and"Too Late For Goodbyes."The critically acclaimed videos led to Lennon's nomination for Best New Video Artist at the 1985MTV Video Music Awards.[106][107]

Documentaries[edit]

  • Peckinpah has been the subject of four documentaries; theBBCproductionSam Peckinpah: Man of Iron(1992), directed by Paul Joyce;Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade(1994);The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage(1996), directed by Paul Seydor; and theTCMproductionPeckinpah Suite(2019), which focused on Peckinpah's daughter, Lupita Peckinpah.The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montagewas nominated for anAcademy AwardasBest Documentary Short Subject.
  • Over a 4-year period German film maker Mike Siegel produced and directedPassion & Poetry – The Ballad of Sam Peckinpaha two-hour long film about Sam Peckinpah which includes rare Peckinpah interviews and statements. In 2009 the two-disc special edition with a running time of 270 minutes was released on DVD.

In popular culture[edit]

Filmography[edit]

Films[edit]

Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer Actor Other Role
1961 The Deadly Companions Yes No No No
1962 Ride the High Country Yes Uncredited No No
1965 Major Dundee Yes Yes No No
1969 The Wild Bunch Yes Yes No No
1970 The Ballad of Cable Hogue Yes No No Yes Producer
1971 Straw Dogs Yes Yes No No
1972 Junior Bonner Yes No Yes No Role: Man in Palace Bar (uncredited)
The Getaway Yes No No No
1973 Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid Yes No Yes No Role: Will (uncredited)
1974 Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Yes Yes No No
1975 The Killer Elite Yes No No No
1977 Cross of Iron Yes No No No
1978 Convoy Yes No Yes No Role: TV Reporter (uncredited)
1983 The Osterman Weekend Yes No Yes No Role: Danforth's Aide (uncredited)

Other film work[edit]

Year Title Credited as Notes
Writer Actor Other Role
1954 Riot in Cell Block 11 No No Yes Production Assistant (uncredited)
Private Hell 36 No No Yes Dialogue Director
1955 Dial Red O No Yes Yes Dialogue Coach
Role: Cook in Diner (uncredited)
The Blue and the Gold No Yes Yes Dialogue Coach
Role: Pilot (uncredited)
Wichita No Yes No Role: Bank Teller (uncredited)
1956 World Without End No No Yes Dialogue Coach (uncredited)
Crime in the Streets No No Yes Dialogue Director
Invasion of the Body Snatchers No Yes No Role: Charlie
1961 One-Eyed Jacks Uncredited No No
1965 The Glory Guys Yes No No
1968 Villa Rides Yes No No
1972 Morbo No No Yes Script Supervisor (uncredited)
1978 China 9, Liberty 37 No Yes No Role: Wilbur Olsen
1979 The Visitor No Yes No Role: Dr. Sam Collins
1982 Jinxed! No No Yes Second Unit Director (uncredited)

Television[edit]

Music videos[edit]

Year Title Artist
1984 "Valotte" Julian Lennon
"Too Late for Goodbyes"

Notes[edit]

  1. ^"Peckinpah",Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
  2. ^Current Biography 1973,p. 327.
  3. ^abSimmons,p. 3.
  4. ^Weddle,p. 15.
  5. ^Fine,p. 12.
  6. ^Weddle,p. 16.
  7. ^David E. Peckinpah & IMDB.
  8. ^Simmons,p. 5.
  9. ^FilmReference.
  10. ^"Director Sam Peckinpah, the rugged auteur director of films..."UPI.RetrievedFebruary 14,2022.
  11. ^Simmons,pp. 10–11.
  12. ^Simmons,p. 18.
  13. ^Weddle,pp. 52–59.
  14. ^Weddle,pp. 104–05.
  15. ^Weddle,pp. 116–119.
  16. ^Weddle,p. 120.
  17. ^Weddle,pp. 499–500.
  18. ^Weddle,p. 56.
  19. ^Simmons,pp. 63–64.
  20. ^"LUPITA PECKINPAH TALKS ABOUT HER FATHER, SAM PECKINPAH".Money-into-light.com.RetrievedJuly 9,2022.
  21. ^Weddle,pp. 163, 479.
  22. ^Weddle,p. 380.
  23. ^Rowl, Paul; s."LUPITA PECKINPAH TALKS ABOUT HER FATHER, SAM PECKINPAH".RetrievedDecember 6,2022.
  24. ^Cohen,pp. 77–80.
  25. ^Coburn, Robyn L. (2021).Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn.U of Nebraska Press. p. 325.ISBN978-1-64012-500-1.
  26. ^Weddle,p. 550.
  27. ^McCarthy, Todd. "Sam Peckinpah, Controversial Director, Dead At 59".Variety.January 2, 1985. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  28. ^Harrington, Richard."Sam Peckinpah, Director Of 'Wild Bunch,' Dies at 59".The Washington Post.December 29, 1984. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  29. ^Sam Peckinpah & IMDB.
  30. ^Weddle,p. 126.
  31. ^Simmons,p. 28.
  32. ^Simmons,pp. 28–29.
  33. ^Klondike & IMDB.
  34. ^Simmons,pp. 29–30.
  35. ^Rifleman & IMDB.
  36. ^Simmons,pp. 31–34.
  37. ^Westerner & IMDB.
  38. ^Westerner Trivia & IMDB.
  39. ^Weddle,pp. 168–184.
  40. ^Simmons,pp. 55–6.
  41. ^Weddle,pp. 197–198.
  42. ^Simmons,pp. 36–39.
  43. ^Weddle,pp. 198–219.
  44. ^Simmons,pp. 41–54.
  45. ^Fine,p. 84.
  46. ^Weddle,pp. 229–44.
  47. ^Simmons,pp. 55–72.
  48. ^Major Dundee Trivia & IMDB.
  49. ^Carroll.
  50. ^Weddle,pp. 257–63.
  51. ^Simmons,pp. 73–81.
  52. ^Weddle,pp. 280–95.
  53. ^Simmons,pp. 76–80.
  54. ^Noon Wine & IMDB.
  55. ^Weddle,pp. 307–309.
  56. ^"The BFI's Spain (Un)censored Season".Time Out London.Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2018.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
  57. ^Kinder, Marsha (2001)."the Cultural Reinscription of The Wild Bunch"(PDF).In Slocum, John David (ed.).Violence and American Cinema(PDF).Psychology Press.pp. 64–100.ISBN9780415928106.ISSN2577-7610.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
  58. ^Weddle,pp. 310–31.
  59. ^Weddle,pp. 376–377.
  60. ^AFI 100.
  61. ^Wild Bunch Trivia & IMDB.
  62. ^"The 42nd Academy Awards".Academy Awards.Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.April 7, 1970.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
  63. ^Weddle,pp. 391–92.
  64. ^Weddle,pp. 383–89.
  65. ^Simmons,pp. 108–20.
  66. ^Cable Hogue Trivia & IMDB.
  67. ^Weddle,p. 396.
  68. ^Weddle,p. 427.
  69. ^Weddle,pp. 399–400.
  70. ^Weddle,pp. 393–403.
  71. ^Simmons,pp. 121–38.
  72. ^Straw Dogs Trivia & IMDB.
  73. ^Weddle,pp. 428–34.
  74. ^Simmons,pp. 139–53.
  75. ^Weddle,p. 434.
  76. ^Weddle,p. 436.
  77. ^Getaway Box Office & IMDB.
  78. ^Weddle,p. 439.
  79. ^Getaway & IMDB.
  80. ^Simmons,pp. 154–68.
  81. ^Weddle,p. 442.
  82. ^Weddle,pp. 444–450.
  83. ^Weddle,p. 453.
  84. ^Pat Garrett & IMDB.
  85. ^Weddle,p. 463.
  86. ^Weddle,p. 483.
  87. ^Simmons,pp. 169–188.
  88. ^Medved,pp. 51–55.
  89. ^Ebert review.
  90. ^Weddle,pp. 492–498.
  91. ^Simmons,pp. 189–208.
  92. ^Weddle,p. 499.
  93. ^Weddle,pp. 498–500.
  94. ^Simmons,pp. 209–224.
  95. ^Weddle,p. 504.
  96. ^Breakthrough & IMDB.
  97. ^Simmons,p. 236.
  98. ^Weddle,pp. 504–513.
  99. ^Simmons,pp. 225–237.
  100. ^Weddle,pp. 514–518.
  101. ^Simmons,pp. 232–236.
  102. ^Jinxed! & IMDB.
  103. ^Weddle,pp. 534–535.
  104. ^abSimmons,p. 239.
  105. ^Weddle,pp. 535–537.
  106. ^Weddle,pp. 541–543.
  107. ^MTV.
  108. ^SNL Episodes & IMDB.
  109. ^Weddle,p. 428.
  110. ^"The Truth About Benny Hill, Collins, Andrew".Sabotagetimes.com.RetrievedFebruary 22,2020.
  111. ^Davis, Glyn (2008).Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story.Wallflower Press.ISBN978-1-905674-88-6.
  112. ^Cooper, Ian (2011).Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-1-906660-32-1.
  113. ^Zacharek, Stephanie (August 11, 2000)."Cecil B. DeMented".Salon.com.RetrievedAugust 23,2019.
  114. ^"Kris Kristofferson - A Moment of Forever Album Reviews, Songs & More".AllMusic.RetrievedJuly 9,2022.

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Bliss, Michael (2012).Peckinpah Today: New Essays on the Films of Sam Peckinpah.Southern Illinois University Press.ISBN978-0-8093-3106-2.
  • Simons, John L. (2011).Peckinpah's Tragic Westerns: A Critical Study.McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-6133-2.
  • Hayes, Kevin J. (2008).Sam Peckinpah: Interviews.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-1-934110-64-5.
  • Engel, Leonard (2003).Sam Peckinpah's West: New Perspectives.University of Utah Press.ISBN0-87480-772-7.
  • Mesce, Bill Jr. (2001).Peckinpah's Women: A Reappraisal of the Portrayal of Women in the Period Westerns of Sam Peckinpah.Scarecrow Press.ISBN0-8108-4066-9.
  • Seydor, Paul (1999).Peckinpah: The Western Films, A Reconsideration.University of Illinois Press.ISBN0-252-06835-1.
  • Dukore, Bernard F. (1999).Sam Peckinpah's Feature Films.University of Illinois Press.ISBN0-252-06802-5.
  • Bliss, Michael (1993).Justified Lives: Morality and Narrative in the Films of Sam Peckinpah.Southern Illinois University Press.ISBN0-8093-1823-7.
  • Evans, Max (1972).Sam Peckinpah: Master of Violence.Dakota Press.ISBN0-88249-011-7.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Peckinpah&oldid=1234065100"