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Posted: |
Jun 20, 2012 - 9:35 AM
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By: |
Rollin Hand
(Member)
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Never seen Straw Dogs, Jim?!!!
Whatever next! Get down to that DVD store, man!
Two years later, and I stumble upon the 2004 MGM bare bones edition of STRAW DOGS ($3.00 at "Big Lots"; no Frankenberry cereal, though) on this gloomy rainy day that would make England proud. I'll be watching the film this weekend. 
As for the checkered DVD history of the movie, I see and lament the OOP status of the two-disc Criterion edition. Then there's the one I just got, and now there's an Anchor Bay edition of an "unrated" cut. It's listed as 118 minutes, but then so is my MGM disc. Makes no sense, though I believe Anchor Bay merely reissues old titles without any additions or remastering other than what was already done.
Anyone know why the Criterion edition went OOP so fast?
Hello Jim,
I bought one SD Criterion DVD at Olive Films after it became OOP.
http://www.olivefilms.com/
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Posted: |
Aug 13, 2012 - 9:07 AM
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By: |
lexedo
(Member)
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Chris - I believe you have misunderstood the theme from the movie, hence your unfavorable review. I have the BR, which only includes the movie, and a trailer.
Consider the film's theme to be "the weak defeating the strong." In this regard, David (Dustin Hoffman) represents "the weak," and everyone else, including Susan George (Amy), represents "the strong." Please recognize that Susan George (Amy) is actually portrayed exactly as feminists architected "that image" in the late 60s / early 70s. As examples: she does not wear a brassiere for support; she tries to sexually advance on her husband while driving - so much so that the husband leaps from the car; she openly goes topless, and is empowered by other men observing her; she drinks and smokes; she calls her husband a coward; and she refutes her husband's notion of what a wife is. (All things Jill Clayburgh or Jane Fonda would have done in their respective 70s movies - e.g., Clayburgh as dancing, bra-less Erica in An Unmarried Woman, for which she was a 1978 Best Actress nominee.) Clearly, Susan George's Amy is an early 70s female power-player.
Even after a few moments during the rape-scene, she is actually enjoying herself w Charlie - panting and moaning, soft caresses, whispers, etc. She envisions her husband in place of Charlie - Charlie provides her the "strength" she needs, and that her husband cannot provide.
This is also why Dustin Hoffman (David) leaves her at the end - they are too different. More deeply, her desires and local affiliations run counter to his more intellectual and worldly outlook. Even more, David, as the weak, conscience-driven protagonist, has defeated the "stong and corrupt," an antagonistic group in which Amy had taken a key role.
In summary, while misogynosim is used as a bludgeon to create and foster an image of weakness and helplessness wrt women - none of which are displayed in Peckinpah's film, revisionism and the re-writing of history are Stalinesque, and just plain evil -- the 70s film is much much better on any number of levels.
I'd hate to see what you would do with Raging Bull, buddy...
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Posted: |
Mar 18, 2017 - 12:03 PM
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By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
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Criterion will release a new dvd of Straw Dogs June 27, 2017.
New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Audio commentary from 2003 by Stephen Prince, author of Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies.
Mantrap: “Straw Dogs”—The Final Cut, a 2003 documentary about the making of the film, featuring cast and crew.
Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron, a 1993 documentary about the director featuring actors Kris Kristofferson, Jason Robards, Ali MacGraw, and many others.
New conversation between film critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker Roger Spottiswoode, who worked as one of the editors on the film.
New interview with film scholar Linda Williams about the controversies surrounding the film.
Archival interviews with actor Susan George, producer Daniel Melnick, and Peckinpah biographer Garner Simmons
Behind-the-scenes footage.
TV spots and trailers.
PLUS: An essay by scholar and critic Joshua Clover.
https://www.criterion.com/films/730-straw-dogs
Meanwhile, I'll have to continue to watch my bare bones MGM release.
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