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| Brooke Adams And A Young Sam Shepard |
What these two films have in common — Texas and Shepard — is
more contrast than comparison. In one
we see a wide-screen beautifully photographed drama lazily unfolding with a
young Sam Shepard. In the other, we
see an almost claustrophobic film, moving quickly and eventually explosively
with an aging scruff of a Shepard.
Not well received when it was first released in 1978, Days of Heaven is, in my mind, a modern
classic. It is rare to see such a small
story fill such a vast space. But
therein lies its beauty. Sit back,
relax. Every slow moment is worthwhile. Richard
Gere plays a grifter on the run. He and his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) leave their shady big
city-lives to become migrant workers. They find work in Shepard’s vast farm
estate. The two also work Shepard’s character only to discover the cruel new
con eventually conflicts with the heart. Shepard, who plays a genuinely decent
human being, can say more without dialogue than most can with page after page
of it. The film was written and directed by Terence Malick.
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| Michael C. Hall And An Older Sam Shepard |
When I sat down to watch Cold
in July (2014), I was immediately seduced. A father shoots an intruder in
the middle of the night. The moment the homeowner, played by Michael C. Hall, fires the fatal shot is
excruciatingly real. It is also, as
people say a righteous killing. The police agree. It is dark.
Wife and child are in serious danger. The ordeal appears to be
over. But soon a strange and frightening
older man appears to be stalking Hall and his family. We feel the terror. This
clearly a hardened criminal, one upon whom neither emotional nor logical
appeals can appease the deadness of his soul. The scruffy old man wants payback
for his son’s death — perhaps the son of the man who killed him. Then, the
artful twist. I didn’t see it coming. (No spoiler here) Nor did I realize until the
credits ran that this superbly ominous character was played by Sam Shepard 36
years after Days of Heaven. The twist is worthy or perhaps better than
those of Alfred Hitchcock or Patricia Highsmith and it immediately
made me curious about the author of the book on which the movie was based — Joe Lansdale. On this matter, I am inexcusably behind the
times. However — and it is a however —
the first third of the movie made brought out envy. I want to have written
those early scenes. A nightmare had
happened to an ordinary family. They did nothing to bring it on. It could have
happened to any of us. As I said, we
have a kind of Hitchcock moment here.
The second third we meet the bigger-than life Don Johnson and some nasty but funny, off-the-wall, Elmore Leonard kind of characters show
up. We’ve somehow slipped into a different movie. During the final third, we enter still another
film this time with a Sam Peckinpah influence, effective but with improbable
heroics. The film was directed Jim Mickle.
Despite a few dings on Cold
in July, both films are well worthwhile.
Michael C. Hall (Dexter) shows that he is an actor with range. Don Johnson is a lot of fun. For me though,
the reason to pair these films for an evening of quality filmmaking is Sam
Shepard. For spirits to consume to
accompany this doubleheader, let me suggest whatever it is they drink in East
Texas. Any suggestions?
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