{"id":23212,"date":"2024-09-20T21:46:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T20:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=23212"},"modified":"2024-09-29T21:16:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-29T20:16:30","slug":"media-joe-kidd-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=23212","title":{"rendered":"MEDiA\/FiLM: Joe Kidd, 1972"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This movie was a fairly fun watch. Not great. Just dependable fun. The music, by Lalo Schifrin is occasionally rather groovy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plot is fairly lame. Broadly grouped with \u2018revisionist Westerns\u2019, we find Clint\u2019s Kidd initially siding with the villains, before (kind of) crossing over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of several visually iconic moments.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not a plot that bears much scrutiny. But it\u2019s the McGuffin that drives what is – for all that it\u2019s supposedly \u2018revisionist\u2019 – a very bog-standard set of Western movie tough guy clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a couple of moments that are almost worthy of classic 1960s James Bond levels of silliness. I\u2019m thinking of the train through the saloon scene, and Kidd\u2019s moment as judge, jury and executioner, in the courtroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The chair spins\u2026*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*one more than half expects Eastwood to have a furry white kitten in his lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026 the camera zooms in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eastwood gives the standard full-Clint: tough, taciturn, in like Bond with the babes, and, well\u2026 scowling, etc. Robert Duvall is perfect as the arch-villain, with a crowd of suitably ne\u2019erdowell hangers on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The landscapes are stunning, and the acting and direction dependable if not inspired. Far from being a classic. But fun, and worth watching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The landscape deserves its own billing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Woah\u2026 Nelly!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t help but think that the cast and\/crew, or production team, must\u2019ve recently read some James Bond. In particular Diamonds Are Forever<\/em>, with the Spectreville\/Old West train scene, springs to mind\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also found a website online that refers to the \u2018phallic imagery\u2019 of this movie. Certainly the hijacked train achieves deep penetration! And whilst such phrases as phallic imagery seem too baldly literal, it\u2019s undoubtedly true that Clint\u2019s persona is, like Janes Bond, an archetypal male fantasy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The villainous Harlan (Duvall).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Eastwood on set, 1972.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This movie was a fairly fun watch. Not great. Just dependable fun. The music, by Lalo Schifrin is occasionally rather groovy. The plot is fairly lame. Broadly grouped with \u2018revisionist Westerns\u2019, we find Clint\u2019s Kidd initially siding with the villains, before (kind of) crossing over. It\u2019s not a plot that bears much scrutiny. But it\u2019s … <\/p>\n

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