Introduction
The movie ‘’The Wild Bunch’’ is a movie directed by Sam Peckinpah. A 1969 movie. The movie is centered around a group that has become of age and is considered an outlaw in society who have one last desire to have what would be their last adventure (Canby 3). This is out of a background of a society that is laid back and one that is changing towards realization to a modern world.
The movie centered around this group of outlaws, the basis being the decline and fall of the said group. The movie is a 1969 movie directed by director Sam Peckinapah centered around a group of outlaws, an outlaw gang, on the border of two states that of Texas and the state of Mexico. The group is trying to exist in an ever-changing modern world that threatens the existence of their being.
Themes
The film has a number of themes well intricate and complemented the other. Two themes stand out and are evidently portrayed by the cast as well by the movies directors efforts. Critics of the movie agree that the movie’s theme of a gang of outlaws that is increasingly threatened with extinction. The film seeks to take the theme of violence and has attracted supports and critics alike (‘’The Wild Bunch’). Another theme that is clearly portrayed by the movie’s plot is the theme of betrayal.
The culture of propagating violence in films has been practised for ages. This has generated the notion that a film would only sell and make it to the box office best films of the year if a sexual or violent theme is showcased in the movie. The characters in the film are seen to suffer from the realization of betrayal. Betrayal in many forms and present in a very intriguing manner. This is seen in the betrayal of a friend and as well as leaving the said friend to the fate, that befalls him.
The screenplay is set to follow the intrigues of the Wild Bunch group members. The members of this group are followed right from the members disastrous lives coupled with the members’ experiences that has over time brought the group members no gain. The members end up in a very sadistic state. Although the film is set on a great background and the movie sequence is exceptional including the beautiful well thought of landscapes.
Although the movie is set many years ago, four decades ago, the same kind of themes are still propagated in films to date. The personal relationships of the characters in the film are played out as very perverted relationships with an extraordinary twist of never ending greed as well as lust (Canby 5). Today’s modern movie culture is not any different from the 1969 movie culture as movies of today still bear the same themes. The themes of love, betrayal, lust, violence are still evident in today’s movie culture.
Critic
The movie, The Wild Bunch, is noted for its intricate, multiple angle editing while at the same time using normal and slow motion images. The utilisation of revolutionary cinema technique in 1969.
The critics of this film note that the films theme of coming to an end of an outlaw gunfighter gang regime. The violence in the film stirred a lot of public outrage then just as it is to date. The film’s director Sam Pekinpah once sought to compare the films violence to the then American war in Vietnam. The director further notes that the said war was televised all over America during families meal times (Spiegal 6).
The film was on the public lips for long because of the film’s graphic and bloody violence. The film gave a picture of men who would use and crude weapon as long as it sustained their survival. The movie has also been criticized by feminists alike in the films depiction of women in a degrading manner. The idea of using women as shields in the film has been severely criticized. This in a film that is dominantly male has been criticized.
In the modern culture, films that stir up a lot of public outrage are still released year in year out. Today’s culture has seen an upsurge in the production and release of what can be said to be controversial films in an effort generate publicity for the films. This kind of publicity works to create interest in the movies which in turn pushes the number of movie sales tickets and so on that in turn boosts revenues for film industry players.
Awards
Directors of the film were nominated for best Screenplay Academy Award, the music director was a nominee for best original score. The film’s director earned a nomination for the Outstanding Director Achievement Award by the Guild of America and the cinematographer won the Natural Society of Film critics award (Spiegal 5).
Conclusion
The film is unrelenting in its quest to tell the tales of the the group members comradeship on one hand as well as the tales of friendship (Spiegal 2). The film tells a story of gang members who are bound together by a well-guided code of honour amongst the gang members and their stories of being outlaws hence the film’s title ‘’ The Wild Bunch ‘’
The film as contrasted to other films of its times and those set in the same background such as the movie, The Proposition. The film is set on the background against the difficult and tasking terrain of the olden days. Both movies in their own way tell of a tale of visually stimulating as well as stunning tale of loyalty of a group of members.
Both plots of the films are about revenge, conquest as well as pursue justice in what is largely seen as a lawless state. The film is brutal just as it is unflinching even though with very violent scenes it stirs a thought provoking process accompanied by brilliant performances. This kind of movie story lines are still clearly evident in today’s movie industry.
The Wild Bunch is a movie that still continues to influence today’s movie culture in terms of content as well as themes and character roles in the film industry. Today’s modern culture has embraced technology in the production process to enhance the quality of the films produced. The technology embraced ensures that the sound as well as picture effects are clearly and precisely made to perfection while still trying to retain aspects seen in olden days films and still retaining the same effect on the audience of both cultures.
Works Cited
Canby, Vincent. The Wild Bunch. [1969]. New York Times. Retrieved from <http.||www.movie.nytimes.com|movies|review|res>
Spiegal, Josh. The Wild Bunch. [1969].Retrieved from <http.||www.imdb.com|title|tt0065214|>