tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post3538631174749676350..comments2024-03-22T14:34:39.101-04:00Comments on MONDO 70: A Wild World of Cinema: CROSS OF IRON (1977)Samuel Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post-74869562800461774252009-09-12T12:50:59.012-04:002009-09-12T12:50:59.012-04:00I still hold that 'Cross of Iron' is Pecki...I still hold that 'Cross of Iron' is Peckinpah's last great film, but in honesty I think I'd side with Dave as preferring 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'.Neil Fulwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14686296295535235988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post-79663447261283810922009-09-01T23:57:29.730-04:002009-09-01T23:57:29.730-04:00Thanks for writing, all.
Tom: It is good, if not ...Thanks for writing, all.<br /><br />Tom: It is good, if not great.<br /><br />Rev: I definitely saw the Peckinpah touch in the slo-mo death scenes and the intercutting in The Inglorious Bastards, while whether Castellari was directly inspired by the Cross of Iron scene with the female soldiers is still a matter for speculation.<br /><br />Neil: I think you can tell the difference between Peckinpah's deliberately disorienting editing in the concussion scene and the sometimes disoriented editing in some of the battle scenes, but I grant that they all tend to have the same effect. My problem with Coburn isn't the accent itself but what I heard as the inconsistency of it. There are times when he seems to be consciously trying to sound foreign, and others when I heard no accent at all. His characterization is another matter, and you're right to approve of it.<br /><br />Dave, I ended up liking Cross better than Pat Garrett, but that doesn't guarantee that you will. It's worth a try for any admirer of the man, in any event.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post-20515305392906945792009-08-31T21:06:05.306-04:002009-08-31T21:06:05.306-04:00In my recent love affair with Pat Garrett and Bill...In my recent love affair with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, I'm now much more receptive to trying out any and all Peckinpah... so this one has been bumped on the good ol' Netflix queue.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post-70813408560590210762009-08-31T05:56:27.686-04:002009-08-31T05:56:27.686-04:00I find 'Cross of Iron' benefits from repea...I find 'Cross of Iron' benefits from repeated viewings. The look of the film suffers from its budgetary shortcomings (Peckinpah pumped $90K of his own money into the production just to bring it to practical completion, and even then had to sacrifice some of the more elaborately planned sequences).<br /><br />I find the slightly off-kilter editing (not, as you accurarely note, in keeping with Peckinpah's usual sharp editing) works in the context of Steiner's psychological state, particularly in the hospital scenes. There's a wooziness to the film that probably has a lot to do with Peckinpah's extreme drug and alcohol consumption at the time, but I find it fits the "gotterdammerung" tone of the film.<br /><br />Coburn's drawly American intonation jars on first viewing, but I've come to consider Steiner one of his best characterisations. He captures the world-weariness of the character, his disillusion with the war, with his superiors; the only loyalty he has is to his men. It's an archetypal Peckinpah theme, this.<br /><br />I'm dedicating December to Peckinpah on The Agitation of the Mind (Dec 28th marks the 25th anniversary of his death) and I'll definitely be linking to your post. I'd like to read your thoughts on some of his other work.Neil Fulwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14686296295535235988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post-26331245567479671142009-08-30T21:11:43.875-04:002009-08-30T21:11:43.875-04:00Love Pekinpah, but have yet to see this one. It wo...Love Pekinpah, but have yet to see this one. It wouldn't surprise me if this film inspired Castellari, I've heard him say several times, in interviews, that he is a huge fan of Pekinpah and credits all his use of slow motion in action scenes to Sam.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02208109184435483950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149411832127844385.post-75670091662243908042009-08-30T02:32:11.970-04:002009-08-30T02:32:11.970-04:00This looks good!This looks good!Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212743923364795680noreply@blogger.com