I recently watched
Junior Bonner again and it is an exceptional film. Great script, superb acting,
and as they say in the commentary, "not just good editing, perfect
editing." Like many contemporary Westerns, the script laments a lost
era, but more important to the genre, Bonner reflects the ethos of the
pioneering West.
Peckinpah was a
great director. My favorite Peckinpah films were
Junior Bonner and
The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Both are great character studies. The films showed that Peckinpah didn't need slow motion violence to
tell a good story.
It occurred to me
that
Junior Bonner shares similarities with
Downhill Racer, which starred
Robert Redford. The films show how a good
story can sometimes present a more realistic picture than a documentary. Both
movies revealed the nature of lone athletes compelled to compete against
themselves. There are many great team-sport movies, but these
films captured the primal culture of individual sports. Redford and McQueen
also have never acted with more subtlety.
Even if you don't care about rodeo or skiing, these movies bring you
into a fascinating world very unlike the way most of us live.
One last note: The
Junior Bonner DVD also has an excellent commentary that ought to be listened to
by every film student or film enthusiast.
