Clint Eastwood's Classic Storytelling On View

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 08 July 2010 16:49

Written by Jack Angstreich

Starting this week at the Walter Reade Theatre, the Film Society of Lincoln Center is mounting a complete retrospective of the films directed by Oscar winner Clint Eastwood, running from from July 9th to 27th, 2010. For many years, appreciation of Eastwood's classical approach to visual storytelling was primarily the province of  French critics -- especially, those at Cahiers du Cinema and a small cadre of American auteurists. I would cite, in particularly, the exemplary writing of the New York Times' Dave Kehr.

Eastwood is now, of course, one of the most prestigious directors in Hollywood. The retrospective also showcases some of his work as an actor with the two directors who most influenced him as a filmmaker, Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Eastwood was molded into a very fine actor under the hand of Leone in the "Dollars Trilogy," which ushered in the actor's stardom. The classical art of underplaying has become an undervalued commodity since the revolution in acting wrought by the Method, but Eastwood mastered this skill, along with a fine sense of dryly comic timing, with Leone's supervision.

The Film Society offered press screenings of three titles in "The Complete Clint Eastwood" series, and I offer a short preview here.

One of the ultimate cult films -- and perhaps the ultimate spaghetti Western -- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the epic culmination of Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" featuring Eastwood as The Man with No Name. Leone, a grim, Marxist ironist whose taste for operatic excess soared into the stratosphere with his subsequent magnum opus, Once upon a Time in the West, was a master of the close-up as well as of the wide shot, both of which are deployed brilliantly here.

All three lead performances -- by Eastwood, Lee van Cleef and Eli Wallach -- are justly famous, as is Ennio Morricone's astounding score. The film's glorious images were photographed by Passolini's great cinematographer, Tonino Delli Colli. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was shot in IB Technicolor, but the Film Society is screening the recent restored version in Eastmancolor. This is a very fine transfer with excellent clarity, although unfortunately the color here doesn't have the vividness of Once Upon a Time in the West's recent restoration. The print screened is in excellent condition with a small amount of wear.

Eastwood dealt with uncharacteristically sentimental material in Breezy, his third film as a director and the first in which he did not appear; however, Eastwood's restrained, somewhat distanced approach works against the material to a profitable end even as the actual shooting style proves to be relatively slack amidst the director's other, more estimable achievements. The film is held together by an extraordinary performance from William Holden, here in his moving, autumnal phase as an actor. The Film Society screened an excellent archival print with outstanding, sharp color.

Siegel's style seems closer than Leone's to Eastwood's. Both American directors have on the whole eschewed the European ostentation favored by Leone, although Siegel has occasionally employed mannerist technique, as in The Beguiled. In general, however, Siegel and Eastwood have both utilized a neutral, functional mise-en-scene, although Eastwood has shown more of an affinity for cultivating handsome images in many of his films.

Siegel's Escape to Alcatraz, screening here, displays the director's sober, stripped-down technique at its purest while the film's screenplay is in line with his thematically consistent focus on mavericks. Escape from Alcatraz is well-acted all around, but Patrick McGoohan's evident relish in playing the prison warden is noteworthy. The film was screened in an excellent archival print with good color.

Absolute Power
Clint Eastwood, 1997, USA; 120m
In this shadowy White House thriller, a burglar (Eastwood) sees something he shouldn't. Philandering President Gene Hackman is not amused.
Tue Jul 20: 3:40
Sat Jul 24: 3:30
 
Bird
Clint Eastwood, 1988, USA; 161m
Forest Whitaker's indelible turn as Eastwood jazz idol Charlie "Bird" Parker is heroic and heartbreaking--an essential performance of the 80s or any decade. NYFF '88.
Sat Jul 17: 6:00
Mon Jul 19: 1:00
 
Blood Work
Clint Eastwood, 2002, USA; 111m
Post heart transplant, a detective (Eastwood) tackles one last murder. "So much more than just a thriller."-Amy Taubin, Film Comment
Fri Jul 23: 1:30
 
Breezy
Clint Eastwood, 1973, USA; 108m
One of the era's most undervalued films, this May-December romance links a divorcé (superb William Holden) and a hippie (Kay Lenz).
Tue Jul 13: 1:15
 
The Bridges of Madison County
Clint Eastwood, 1995, USA; 135m
This "love story for adults" follows the passionate four-day affair between a housewife (Meryl Streep) and a photographer (Eastwood) in 1960s Iowa.
Wed Jul 21: 1:00 & 6:15
 
Bronco Billy
Clint Eastwood, 1980, USA; 116m
A gentle screwball comedy in which a fugitive heiress (Sondra Locke) crashes a New Jersey shoe salesman's Wild West big top.
Fri Jul 16: 1:30 & 8:45
 
Changeling
Clint Eastwood, 2008, USA; 141m
The majestic, fact-based period drama about a missing child stars Oscar nominee Angelina Jolie (and was the Centerpiece of NYFF '08).
Sun Jul 25: 3:30
 
Dirty Harry
Don Siegel, 1971, USA; 102m
Eastwood compatriot Don Siegel galvanizes the vigilante-cop classic with clean, hard filmmaking, with Clint's gunplay and growls in high form.
Sat Jul 10: 9:00
Thu Jul 15: 4:10
 
The Eastwood Factor
Richard Schickel, 2010, USA; 90m
Schickel's warm documentary joins Eastwood on an extraordinary trip down memory lane, with visits to the Warner Brothers lot and his hometown. Following the screening, Schickel will be signing copies of his book, Clint: A Retrospective.
Fri Jul 9: 7:00
 
The Eiger Sanction
Clint Eastwood, 1975, USA; 125m
Paranoia on an Alpine peak! Eastwood does his own mountaineer stunts as an art-collecting ex-assassin called back for one last kill.
Mon Jul 12: 6:30
Tue Jul 13: 3:30
 
Escape from Alcatraz
Don Siegel, 1979, USA; 112m
The classic nail-biter about a 1962 prison break from "The Rock" was the climactic Siegel-Eastwood pair-up-and a doozy.
Thu Jul 22: 4:00 & 9:35
 
Firefox
Clint Eastwood, 1982, USA; 136m
Eastwood steals a secret Soviet warplane! "A level of personal expressiveness all but banished from popular American movies." -Dave Kehr
Fri Jul 16: 3:50
Sat Jul 17: 3:20
 
A Fistful of Dollars
Sergio Leone, 1964, Italy; 96m
The dazzling spaghetti Western trilogy begins: The Man with No Name (Eastwood) pays a small Mexican town a very special visit. Followed by a live conversation and Q&A with Eastwood via Skype!
Sat Jul 10: 2:30
 
Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood, 2006, USA; 131m
Guts and glory get a reality check through the cracked prism of Iwo Jima's flag-raising. With Ryan Philippe and Adam Beach.
Sat Jul 24: 6:00
Mon Jul 26: 6:00
 
For a Few Dollars More
Sergio Leone, 1965, Italy; 130m
The spaghetti Western feast continues: Eastwood's bounty hunter and Lee Van Cleef zero in on a bank bandit.
Thu Jul 15: 1:30
 
The Gauntlet
Clint Eastwood, 1977, USA; 114m
Under an action-packed onslaught, a drunken cop (Eastwood) and a mob-witness hooker (Sondra Locke) try to escape Vegas, or anywhere, alive.
Wed Jul 14: 4:10 & 8:45
 
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Sergio Leone, 1966, Italy; 161m
The One and Only! If you've never seen this tour-de-force Western on the big screen, then you haven't seen it.
Thu Jul 22: 12:30 & 6:15
 
Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood, 2008, USA; 116m
A tough-as-nails Detroit retiree (Eastwood) grudgingly makes nice with Vietnamese neighbors and shows no-good hoods the meaning of honor.
Tue Jul 27: 4:00
 
Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood, 1986, USA; 128m
A hard-drinking old-school Marine sergeant whips his rowdy grunts into shape in this colorful tribute to military life.
Sat Jul 17: 9:00
 
High Plains Drifter
Clint Eastwood, 1975, USA; 105m
A stranger (Eastwood) dispenses his own justice in a corrupt Western town in this unsettling study of the archetypical gunslinger.
Mon Jul 12: 4:20 & 9:00
 
Honky Tonk Man
Clint Eastwood, 1982, USA; 123m
In this "male tear-jerker," a broke-down country singer (Eastwood) aims for the Grand Ole Opry during the Depression.
Fri Jul 9: 4:30
Wed Jul 14: 6:20
 
Invictus
Clint Eastwood, 2009, USA; 134m
Morgan Freeman becomes Nelson Mandela in this uplifting story of rugby triumph (team captain: Matt Damon) in the ashes of apartheid.
Tue Jul 27: 8:40
 
Letters from Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood, 2006, USA; 141m
The notorious island battle gets a harrowing and deeply moving retelling, elegantly structured and told through Japanese eyes.
Sat Jul 24: 8:40
Mon Jul 26: 8:40
 
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Clint Eastwood, 1997, USA; 135m
Eastwood's adaptation of the Georgia-set best-seller stars John Cusack as the Gotham reporter covering local color and maybe murder. With primo Kevin Spacey.
Wed Jul 21: 9:00
 
Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood, 2005, USA; 132m
Reviving the boxing picture, Eastwood's heartbreaking father-daughter-bond story between coach (Eastwood) and scrapper (Hilary Swank) reaped Oscar gold.
Sun Jul 25: 1:00
 
Mystic River
Clint Eastwood, 2003, USA; 137m
Crimes past and present corrode the bonds between childhood Boston friends in this devastating Lehane adaptation starring Oscar-winner Sean Penn. Opening Night NYFF '03.
Fri Jul 23: 6:15
 
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Clint Eastwood, 1976, USA; 135m
A Missouri farmer (Eastwood) journeys to avenge his murdered wife in this nuanced consideration of community and payback.
Sun Jul 11: 3:45
Wed Jul 14: 1:30
 
Pale Rider
Clint Eastwood, 1985, USA; 115m
Before Unforgiven, Eastwood rode to the rescue of the Western with this stark tale of a mining monopolist laid low by guess-who.
Fri Jul 9: 2:00
Fri Jul 16: 6:30
 
A Perfect World
Clint Eastwood, 1993, USA; 130m
This soulful fugitive drama examines the bonds between an enigmatic go-it-aloner (Kevin Costner) and the boy he kidnaps.
Sun Jul 11: 1:00
Tue Jul 20: 1:00
 
Piano Blues

Clint Eastwood, 2003, USA; 85m
Part of PBS's "The Blues" series, this chronicle of masters from Tatum to Brubeck testifies to Eastwood passions as composer/pianist.
Tue Jul 27: 6:15
 
Play Misty for Me
Clint Eastwood, USA, 1971; 102m
For his directorial debut, Eastwood went for cracked obsession: a swinging deejay gets stalked by his number-one lady-fan. Featuring a Roberta Flack hit.
WITH
The Beguiled: The Storyteller
Clint Eastwood, USA, 1971; 12m
A rare documentary shot during the making of Don Siegel's The Beguiled.
Sat Jul 10: 6:30
Mon Jul 12: 2:00
 
The Rookie
Clint Eastwood, 1990, USA; 121m
Charlie Sheen plays the stone-faced protégé to a grizzled cop (Eastwood) determined to stop some German auto thieves and their fast, fast cars.
Mon Jul 19: 4:00 & 8:50
 
Space Cowboys
Clint Eastwood, 2000, USA; 129m
Four silverback pilots (Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland, and Tommy Lee Jones) blast into space to save a satellite in this high-spirited adventure.
Fri Jul 23: 3:45
Sat Jul 24: 1:00
 
Sudden Impact
Clint Eastwood, 1983, USA, 117m
Dirty Harry directs himself for the first time in a no-holds-barred pursuit of an enraged and complex serial killer (Sondra Locke).
Sat Jul 17: 1:00
 
True Crime
Clint Eastwood, 1999, USA; 127m
A womanizing journalist (Eastwood) sets out to exonerate a death-row inmate (Isaiah Washington). With James Woods and Denis Leary as news editors.
Wed Jul 21: 3:40
Fri Jul 23: 9:00
 
Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood, 1992, USA; 130m
Eastwood finally won the Best Director Oscar for this devastating dissection of the mythology of violence and retribution so prominent in his films.
Sun Jul 18: 3:15
Mon Jul 19: 6:20
 
White Hunter, Black Heart
Clint Eastwood, 1990, USA; 114m
In a fictionalized take on the making of The African Queen, a proudly self-destructive filmmaker (Eastwood) almost derails his latest project with his brawling and big-game hunting.
Sun Jul 18: 1:00

Ticket Information:
Single Screening Tickets: $12 General Public/ $8 Seniors & Students/ $7 Members [$10 Affiliate]
Weekday Matinee Screenings, Mon-Fri before 6pm: $9 General Public/ $6 Seniors & Students/ $5 Members
Five Film Pass: $50 General Public/ $35 Seniors & Students/ $30 Members
All Access Pass: $129 General Public/ $109 Seniors & Students/ $99 Members
 
In Person: Walter Reade Theater box office; Hours: Mon-Fri opens at 12:30pm, Sat/Sun opens 1/2 hr before first public screening; closes 15 minutes after last public screening, at 6pm when there are no public screenings.
 For more information call 212 875 5601 or visit www.Filmlinc.com
 
Walter Reade Theater at The Film Society of Lincoln Center
165 West 65th Street, upper level
(between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.)
Subways: 1 train to 66th Street Lincoln Center
Buses: M5 M7 M104
More options available at nearby Columbus Circle

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