Peckinpah: The Western films

Peckinpah:
The Western Films: A Reconsideration

A Review of Paul Seydor's updated
and expanded book.

by Richard Gentner

The cover of this new edition is our first indication of just how carefully every aspect of the book has been reconsidered. A photo of Sam Peckinpah in profile, cowboy hat on his head, his eyes locked in a concentrated gaze that is both introspective and outward looking, he bears a striking resemblance to William Holden as Pike Bishop, perhaps the most complex character in all of Sam's work. Even the typesetting is remarkable. "Peckinpah: The Western Films" is set in white, while "A Reconsideration" and the author's name are set in an autumnal brown that suggests the seasonal feeling of the films as well as capturing the tone dwelling within the complicated personality of the artist who created them.

The previous cover was a b & w high-contrast freeze frame from the opening of 'The Wild Bunch'. In between these two editions lies 17 years, during which Sam died and his cut of 'The Wild Bunch' was restored and released to enthusiastic audiences worldwide. In the interim, Paul Seydor was able to see all of Peckinpah's television work, including 'Noon Wine' and gather new biographical information, which let him set the record straight. He was also working as a film editor and, in between pictures, like Cezanne reworking a canvas, he polished, refined, and expanded his book.

It moves chronologically through Peckinpah's television work, all of his Western features and places him in an American tradition of storytelling. Throughout this new edition, but especially in his chapter on 'The Wild Bunch', no one has ever written more concisely and articulately about film editing. He is able to put into words both how and why the creative collaboration between Peckinpah and his gifted editors, Frank Santillo, Lou Lombardo, Robert Wolfe, Roger Spottiswoode, and Garth Craven worked. This accomplishment alone is reason enough for anyone interested in storytelling with picture and sound to pick up this book.

Though biographical in nature and academic in its rigor and thoroughness, it reads surprisingly like an adventure story. Like a snowball rolling downhill, this insightful publication gains dimension and power as it moves ahead. One chapter presses into the next, making it impossible to put down.

Finally, the film and the book let Sam Peckinpah "Enter his house justified." They are both landmarks, significant contributions not only to cinema, but to American culture as a whole. And, like Walt Whitman before them, both Peckinpah and Seydor are out there, patiently waiting, for the rest of us to catch up.

Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 17, No. 5 - Nov/Dec 1996

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Copyright © 1996, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 776


	Peckinpah: The Western Films: A Reconsideration A Review of Paul Seydor's updated and expanded book. by Richard Gentner
		The cover of this new edition is our first indication of just how carefully every aspect of the book has been reconsidered. A photo of Sam Peckinpah in profile, cowboy hat on his head, his eyes locked in a concentrated gaze that is both introspective and outward looking, he bears a striking resemblance to William Holden as Pike Bishop, perhaps the most complex character in all of Sam's work. Even the typesetting is remarkable. "Peckinpah: The Western Films" is set in white, while "A Reconsideration" and the author's name are set in an autumnal brown that suggests the seasonal feeling of the films as well as capturing the tone dwelling within the complicated personality of the artist who created them. The previous cover was a b & w high-contrast freeze frame from the opening of 'The Wild Bunch'. In between these two editions lies 17 years, during which Sam died and his cut of 'The Wild Bunch' was restored and released to enthusiastic audiences worldwide. In the interim, Paul Seydor was able to see all of Peckinpah's television work, including 'Noon Wine' and gather new biographical information, which let him set the record straight. He was also working as a film editor and, in between pictures, like Cezanne reworking a canvas, he polished, refined, and expanded his book. It moves chronologically through Peckinpah's television work, all of his Western features and places him in an American tradition of storytelling. Throughout this new edition, but especially in his chapter on 'The Wild Bunch', no one has ever written more concisely and articulately about film editing. He is able to put into words both how and why the creative collaboration between Peckinpah and his gifted editors, Frank Santillo, Lou Lombardo, Robert Wolfe, Roger Spottiswoode, and Garth Craven worked. This accomplishment alone is reason enough for anyone interested in storytelling with picture and sound to pick up this book. Though biographical in nature and academic in its rigor and thoroughness, it reads surprisingly like an adventure story. Like a snowball rolling downhill, this insightful publication gains dimension and power as it moves ahead. One chapter presses into the next, making it impossible to put down. Finally, the film and the book let Sam Peckinpah "Enter his house justified." They are both landmarks, significant contributions not only to cinema, but to American culture as a whole. And, like Walt Whitman before them, both Peckinpah and Seydor are out there, patiently waiting, for the rest of us to catch up.
	Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 17, No. 5 - Nov/Dec 1996 Guild Home \| Newsletter Home \| Top of Page Copyright © 1996, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 776