Scarecrow [Blu-ray]

Overview

An ex-con learns the value of friendship in Jerry Schatzberg's picaresque road movie. Trying to hitch a ride on a desolate California road, fresh-out-of-prison Max (Gene Hackman) meets ex-sailor Lion (Al Pacino). They are both headed east, as Max dreams of opening a deluxe car wash in Pittsburgh and Lion believes that the wife and child he left behind will still welcome him home. The two decide to journey together, forging an increasingly deep yet uncertain friendship, as Lion teaches Max how not to be so pugnacious and Max senses Lion's fragility. When the pair hits Detroit, Lion finally gets in touch with his wife and discovers how she really feels. When Lion is shattered by the revelation, Max must decide if he should forge on alone or sacrifice his carefully guarded savings to help his friend. One of a cycle of late 1960s-early 1970s buddy movies that included Midnight Cowboy (1969) and California Split (1974), Scarecrow suggests how alienated men had become from such traditional institutions as marriage and family. Max's and Lion's salvation comes from being on the road with each other, rather than settling down with jobs and families. Pacino's first film after his triumph in The Godfather (1972), and Hackman's follow-up to The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and his Oscar for The French Connection (1971), Scarecrow won the 1973 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but the two stars were not enough to make it a hit. Even so, their nuanced performances enhance this moody study of contemporary dislocation.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2017
UPC:	0888574535568
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00
Sales rank:	15,870

Special Features

Vintage featurette on the road with: Scarecrow; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gene Hackman	Actor,Mickey
Al Pacino	Actor
Dorothy Tristan	Actor
Ann Wedgeworth	Actor
Richard Lynch	Riley
Eileen Brennan	Darlene
Penny Allen	Annie,Annie
Al Cingolani	Skipper
Rutanya Alda	Woman in Camper
Frank Chartier	le barman
Richard Jamison	le jeune homme
Albert Schmidt	l'homme saoul
Louise Martin	Actor
Fred Myrow	Composer

Technical Credits

Garry Michael White

Jerry Schatzberg	Director
Robert M. Sherman	Producer
Garry Michael White	Screenwriter
Arthur Piantadosi	Sound Effects
Robert M. Reitano	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Before Scarecrow's meandering, but enjoyable, "odd couple" plot takes a melodramatic turn at the end, the film is an engrossing and delightful character study. The meandering is not a negative in this instance; the mismatched buddies are themselves drifters, wandering through their lives in search of meaning and purpose. Very much a product of its times, Scarecrow is dated, but not in a bad way. It comes across as a snapshot, both of the mood of the country at the time and of the "free" style of filmmaking that flourished briefly as new directors played with new styles and new themes. Scarecrow is not as consciously experimental as other works from the same period, but its willingness to linger over the quirks and oddities of its two main characters is fairly unusual. Jerry Schatzberg gives the proceedings a rueful atmosphere, helped immensely by Vilmos Zsigmond's evocative and subtly stunning cinematography. But the film's biggest asset is its cast. Gene Hackman and Al Pacino have rarely been better. Hackman uses his curious combination of world weariness and hidden explosiveness to very good effect, and, at times, he dominates the film. Pacino sneaks up on the viewer more, turning in a performance that is more nuanced and much less explosive than is usually his wont. It's a remarkably fine piece of acting. The supporting cast is also quite good, with especially notable work from Richard Lynch, Eileen Brennan and Penelope Allen.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler