Scarecrow

UPC: 012569688865

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: An ex-con learns the value of friendship in Jerry Schatzberg's picaresque road movie. Trying to hitch a ride on a desolate California road, fresh-out-of-prison Max (Gene Hackman) meets ex-sailor Lion (Al Pacino). They are both headed east, as Max dreams of opening a deluxe car wash in Pittsburgh and Lion believes that the wife and child he left behind will still welcome him home. The two decide to journey together, forging an increasingly deep yet uncertain friendship, as Lion teaches Max how not to be so pugnacious and Max senses Lion's fragility. When the pair hits Detroit, Lion finally gets in touch with his wife and discovers how she really feels. When Lion is shattered by the revelation, Max must decide if he should forge on alone or sacrifice his carefully guarded savings to help his friend. One of a cycle of late 1960s-early 1970s buddy movies that included Midnight Cowboy (1969) and California Split (1974), Scarecrow suggests how alienated men had become from such traditional institutions as marriage and family. Max's and Lion's salvation comes from being on the road with each other, rather than settling down with jobs and families. Pacino's first film after his triumph in The Godfather (1972), and Hackman's follow-up to The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and his Oscar for The French Connection (1971), Scarecrow won the 1973 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but the two stars were not enough to make it a hit. Even so, their nuanced performances enhance this moody study of contemporary dislocation. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: International Grand Prix – Cannes Film Festival Film Presented – Telluride Film Festival

Features: ccVintage featurette On the Road With Scarecrow
Theatrical trailer
Languages: English & Fran?ais
Subtitles: English, Fran?ais & Espa?ol (feature film only)

Scarecrow

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 07/12/2005

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 112 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Two on the Road. [5:07]
2. Connecting. [3:41]
3. Partners. [7:05]
4. Laughing Crows. [5:48]
5. Unloadings. [2:23]
6. Conquests. [3:31]
7. Planning Ahead. [3:51]
8. Coley and Frenchy. [5:40]
9. Specialties. [2:57]
10. A Little Privacy. [4:00]
11. Details Over Dinner. [4:29]
12. Why Pittsburgh? [3:21]
13. Store Crazy. [2:00]
14. Farewell Party. [4:42]
15. Fire and Fisticuffs. [3:35]
16. Leave Max Alone. [4:32]
17. Into Washing. [3:02]
18. Have a Nice Life. [3:31]
19. Lion Beaten. [5:17]
20. Giving It to Riley. [2:03]
21. Scarecrows. [3:38]
22. Make 'Em Laugh. [4:08]
23. Detroit. [2:55]
24. Talking to Annie. [6:48]
25. The Fountain. [5:52]
26. Taking Care of Lion. [4:11]
27. Down at the Heel. [2:00]
28. End Credits. [1:52]

Craig Butler

Before Scarecrow's meandering, but enjoyable, "odd couple" plot takes a melodramatic turn at the end, the film is an engrossing and delightful character study. The meandering is not a negative in this instance; the mismatched buddies are themselves drifters, wandering through their lives in search of meaning and purpose. Very much a product of its times, Scarecrow is dated, but not in a bad way. It comes across as a snapshot, both of the mood of the country at the time and of the "free" style of filmmaking that flourished briefly as new directors played with new styles and new themes. Scarecrow is not as consciously experimental as other works from the same period, but its willingness to linger over the quirks and oddities of its two main characters is fairly unusual. Jerry Schatzberg gives the proceedings a rueful atmosphere, helped immensely by Vilmos Zsigmond's evocative and subtly stunning cinematography. But the film's biggest asset is its cast. Gene Hackman and Al Pacino have rarely been better. Hackman uses his curious combination of world weariness and hidden explosiveness to very good effect, and, at times, he dominates the film. Pacino sneaks up on the viewer more, turning in a performance that is more nuanced and much less explosive than is usually his wont. It's a remarkably fine piece of acting. The supporting cast is also quite good, with especially notable work from Richard Lynch, Eileen Brennan and Penelope Allen. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Richard Hackman  Actor 
Al Cingolani  Actor 
Penelope Allen  Actor 
Rutanya Alda  Actor 
Fred Myrow  Composer (Music Score) 
Jerry Schatzberg  Director 
Robert M. Sherman  Producer 
Garry Michael White  Screenwriter 
Gene Hackman  Actor 
Al Pacino  Actor 
Dorothy Tristan  Actor 
Ann Wedgeworth  Actor 
Richard Lynch  Actor 
Eileen Brennan  Actor 

Country: USA