Saturday, November 10, 2007

No. 33 - Oates & Fonda Trilogy

Warren Oates and Peter Fonda must have enjoyed working together. They did three films during the 70's:

The Hired Hand: The sort of existential, laid-back Western that could only be made in the early 70's. Fonda directs, and shows the sort of sensitivity to natural beauty that director Dennis Hopper displayed in Easy Rider.

Race With The Devil: How 70's can you get? Oates and Fonda take their wives on vacation in an RV, and they are chased by Satan worshippers. One of the wives is played by Loretta Swit, Hot Lips on TV's MASH. This one is ripe for a remake.

92 in the Shade: Off-beat does not begin to describe this crime melodrama set in the Florida Keys, which was written and directed by noted author Thomas McGuane. Fonda plays a fledgling tour guide whose career aspirations disrupt the livelihoods of two old-school guides (Oates and the wonderful Harry Dean Stanton). Oates plays a semi-psychotic, hard-drinking ex-con who would not be out of place in a Warren Zevon or Jimmy Buffett song. Features such 70's stars as Margot Kidder and Elizabeth Ashley.

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