Straw Dogs is a Sam Pekinpah film, adapted from 'The Siege of Trenchers Farm' a 1969 novel by Gordon Williams, it is known by many simply for the brutal violences which seemed shocking at the time but now seems brutal but not out of the ordinary.
It has a reputation due to a brutal rape scene, which is awful, but absolutely relevant to the story and the dramatic events that follow. As it was not allowed for home release it developed a notoriety along with Clockwork Orange which wasn't entirely deserved.
The film is about David and Amy Sumner (Dustin Hoffman and Susan George) a couple who move to the remote Cornish village where Amy grew up ironically to escape the violence and brutality of inner city America. Due to a misunderstanding over some building work the Sumners ask for on their broken down farmhouse, a local builder Charlie Venner (Del Henney) and his workmen create whispers about the Sumners and a campaign of deep seated mistrust and resentment develops into something much more brutal, as the initially playful bullying forces David to stand up for his family in the only manner they understand.
The film is interestingly relevant today prevailing on man's ability to hurt and destroy others, it looks at taking somebody from the brutal landscape of inner city America and shows that rural Cornwall is just as dangerous, because man is the same no matter where you go, he just talks differently. Hoffman and George are very good in their roles as suburban-ites forced to deal with something they really had no wish to, Hoffman shows great range going from weak willed city boy to a man who understands there must be only one way to protect his family. George brings depth to her role as his wife, knowing she is the reason they've moved back to this hellish place and realising her memories aren't quite in touch with life in this enclosed community.
The portrayal of the Cornish community is a bit clichéd and does bring to mind the Alan Partridge quote about 'Big eared boys', it makes them too simplistic and easily led by their powerful patriarch.
The film is fairly open in a number of ways, we see a lot of violence and have to question who is right and wrong, who is the hero here. Is David a hero, or do his actions make him worse than the bullies, I actually like this as it allows us the viewers to make some decisions rather than being told what to think, I watched the film ten years ago and watched it again last week, I came to different conclusions about its morality as I'm now at a different point in my life, I love that it's a film with an uncomfortable sense of ethics and one that makes you think and question everything. It is violent and at times its scarily so having lived in the country and seen the way people can use isolation and whispers to intimidate outsiders. The film is beautifully shot and Pekinpah builds the pace of the film slowly, using real suspense to create a claustrophobic dimension of realism which adds fear.
The idyllic setting looks amazing, but its very desolate beauty adds to the tension and feelings of fear that exhude through the film, the score underplays the action perfectly and overall I'd say it's a very good film that isn't Pekinpah or Hoffman's best but is damned good, it isn't as violent as the hype and not as scary as you might imagine, it's a tense tightly written and directed diatribe about man's ability to harm each other.
The DVD is available for £7.68 on Amazon.com.
This review also appears on Dooyoo under the same name
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According to critic Pauline KaelStraw Dogswas "the first American film that is a fascist ... more
work of art". Sam Peckinpah's only film shot in Britain is adapted from a novel by Gordon M Williams calledThe Siege of Trencher's Farmwhich Peckinpah described as...
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According to critic Pauline KaelStraw Dogswas "the first American film that is a fascist ... more
work of art". Sam Peckinpah's only film shot in Britain is adapted from a novel by Gordon M Williams calledThe Siege of Trencher's Farmwhich Peckinpah described as...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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Peckinpah's notoriously controversial 1971 classic STRAW DOGS will be released completely uncut on this Special Edition DVD. Based on Gordon M. Williams's novel The Siege ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78536003.jpg "Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]")
![Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78496737.jpg "Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]")
Sep 28th, 2009
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