Pale Rider [DVD] [1985]

Take the typical Eastwood western character, add a mysterious past, a clerical collar and a title quoting from the Bible and you have "Pale Rider", a film I enjoyed but did not think too deeply about. I have only taken Clint Eastwood really seriously, in terms of his films' content and what he is trying to say, relatively recently - "Flags of our Fathers", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Gran Torino" - but his output has been prolific both as actor and director and he is obviously one of the greats of the film-industry. One of the few actors who made the director move and succeeded, he has a subtle eye capable of going well beyond the stereotypical and anticipated shot. Thirty five titles as director, thirty-four as producer and fifty-five as actor (and still counting) makes him a force to be reckoned with and one of the most experienced Hollywooders around and a long ways from "Go ahead, make my day" partner. In "Pale Rider", directed by Eastwood but written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shyrack, like "Shane", the main character (mostly unexplained) seems to be making a life-change from the gun-fighting character the "Old West" must have been populated with to a less violent, more community thoughtful person; like Shane who struggles with the tree-stump helping his new family friends as the wife looks on amazed at her two men, now unable to choose but leaning towards the "tall stranger", the Preacher helps to break a huge boulder blocking the stream, preventing their small mining operations. Again the wife looks on yearningly from the darkness as her men, dripping with righteous sweat from the true labour of their task, gradually destroy the boulder, freeing the stream and their mining lives. A slight complication is the daughter looking on too, later feeling her mother has already got her man, so why does she need two. It's mean. Later, in a violent rape scene, the Preacher appears on the horizon, shoots with unerring accuracy, wordlessly helps the daughter onto the horse and rides off having saved her from the men of the greedy mining company. (Remember the ranchers in "Shane".) Despite the stereotypical characters and story, it is an enjoyable film, well-acted (in western terms) and directed succinctly, with style, even if many of the shots are well-worked, old standards. Stepping out of the storyline, the film does capture some of the harshness and realities of life in the west in the pioneering days in California - the lawlessness, empire-building and ruthless business corporations, nature at its finest and families trying to make a life for themselves, establish communities and conquer all that nature could throw at them. I think the real lives were probably much worse and not fit to capture realistically on the silver-screen. " ... human kind / Cannot bear very much reality", especially in the cinema. Although I may be doing Clint Eastwood a great dis-service, and, as the auteur theory would have it, this director's film may reflect the director's personal creative vision, made in 1985 and classified as an action western, I think that is what it is, albeit an excellent example of its kind and one which helped to sustain his name, made his money, thereby allowing him to make better films later when, as "auteur", I feel he did have something much deeper to say and was filming it. Just enjoy it. I did, even if the more I consider it, the more there is to write.

Good quality DVD and great film.

The film was brilliant and watched it a few times.

My favourite film , Clint Eastwood at his best , loved it from start to the finish.

Great!

This was one of the string of 'Spaghetti Westerns' that Eastwood appeared in, but possibly one of his best. The gritty Preacher who comes to a troubled prospectors township, gives hope to the homesteaders and lonely female who takes a fancy to him. We never quite know as the viewing audience, if the Eastwood 'Preacher' character is indeed a normal living/breathing man or some form of 'divine intervention sent to help', but that matters not and the air of mystery actually enhances what we see played out. A classic Eastwood western, in which the little man is seen to overcome the bullies!

Trip down memory lane gotta love eastwood

What did you like or dislike? What did you use this product for? These are the questions asked when you are asked to review a product. My last review was not acceptable, so:- Q. What did you like or dislike? I like the idea that Clint Eastwood is a gun fighter in a past time giving full and accurate redress to the way present day society behaves and the hypocrisy of state legislation in the running of our lives. Q. What did you use this product for? I used it to insert in a DVD player to watch and listen to. I hope this is an acceptable review this time!!

Excellent quality DVD and excellent price.

C'est un film avec Clint Eastwood quoi de plus à dire. Bonne journée.

Fast delivery. Everything is all right

Hola ; Cuando miro el producto para comprarle, no dice en que idioma hablan, hay es donde está el error. Por lo que me siento engañado

Great show.