tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post3425998501064214253..comments2024-03-03T10:32:45.969-08:00Comments on Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur: Genuine As A SunriseMr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-80323442624445186892010-05-14T14:36:47.916-07:002010-05-14T14:36:47.916-07:00Esoth--
Thanks very much for your comments, you&#...Esoth--<br /><br />Thanks very much for your comments, you've made me think even more about this picture. There is sympathy for Curly, absolutely, but he seems to fall out of the final scenes of the picture. Is it because Junior is who we should be focusing on at that point or is the film just disregarding him as irrelevant? I don't know, but I like the way you put what Ace and Junior feel they have to do and it sheds some light on Peckinpah as well.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-39212413177821274992010-05-14T08:26:38.388-07:002010-05-14T08:26:38.388-07:00I came to the site via Wolcott's link to the r...I came to the site via Wolcott's link to the review (and I'll add it to my feeds) which is kind of fitting in a "Junior Bonner" sort of way. "JB" always struck me as more than just Peckipah's hat tip to a romantacized and departing way of small town life. There's something of himself in the picture, too -- his owm early life in Coarsegold at the rench, but also the way in which his art put him on the road from his family. You can imagine Peckinpah's identification with JR and Ace, and his affection for Elvira, but what is most surprising is Peckinpah's generosity toward Curly, a man who aspired to become what Peckinpah despised and rebelled against -- a man in a suit with all the money and authority. Yet there is ultimately sympathy toward Curly who is as powerless to stop change as Junior, Ace and Elvira. Like all Peckinpah films, there is a bleakness to JB, as you see in the major characters the only responses left to us in the face of change -- keep moving like Junior, flee into fantasy like Ace, endure stoicly pretty much in place like Elvira, or be co-opted like Curly. Oh well, no whines much in "JB", so I guess I won't. "JB" also feels like Peckinpah's mea culpa for his own failings as a husband and father, as Ace and Junior collectively represent the impossibility of living that settled-down quiet life for someone with so much fire in the belly.Esothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350908112885406818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-56037174048246282432010-05-10T21:07:04.552-07:002010-05-10T21:07:04.552-07:00And many thanks to you too Ned! I'm very, very...And many thanks to you too Ned! I'm very, very touched by the response to this one, it means more than I could probably put into words. It's great that people are saying that they want to seek the film out now. It deserves to have more people discover it!Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-52809181835512999732010-05-10T07:57:57.886-07:002010-05-10T07:57:57.886-07:00As everyone else said in one way or another, a bea...As everyone else said in one way or another, a beautiful piece. I too have really come to appreciate the smaller moments that you mention are in such abundance in a piece like JUNIOR BONNER. It's been a good 12-13 years since I saw this for the first time when I was in college and it sounds like I definitely need to revisit. Thanks, Monsieur Peel.Ned Merrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15436251586131278302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-73383425421275835772010-05-07T20:52:00.429-07:002010-05-07T20:52:00.429-07:00The James Wolcott thing has really thrown me for a...The James Wolcott thing has really thrown me for a loop so I'm feeling kind of speechless right now. But thanks to each of you for your wonderful comments and very kind words about the piece. It really means a great deal to me. I'm starting to think that I should go rewatch a few Peckinpah films that I haven't seen for a while.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-42193467590769985212010-05-07T16:00:51.108-07:002010-05-07T16:00:51.108-07:00Not sure what to make of the JACKIE BROWN comparis...Not sure what to make of the JACKIE BROWN comparison. Okay, I'll just say it: it's ridiculous. I mean: please. A terrible idea for a double-feature.<br /><br />This is my favorite Peckinpah movie, rating slightly above BRING ME THE HEAD.<br /><br />If you like this movie, go back and revisit John Ford's DONOVAN'S REEF and SUN SHINES BRIGHT and Nicholas Ray's LUSTY MEN. Those movies have infinitely more in common with BONNER and what they have in common is important and unforgettable: an understanding of the passage of the time and what it means to human beings who can do nothing to stop it. And you'll see the metaphors of rodeos and parades used to the same wonderful effect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-12615909378391843322010-05-06T22:16:13.844-07:002010-05-06T22:16:13.844-07:00Congratulations on the Wolcott mention!!!!!! That ...Congratulations on the Wolcott mention!!!!!! That was one hell of a big swath of text he highlighted!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-88623197686255175982010-05-06T21:39:33.695-07:002010-05-06T21:39:33.695-07:00Best... damn... review of this absolutely wonderfu...Best... damn... review of this absolutely wonderful film I've ever read, Mr. Peel. It is one of the films I saw during the summer '72, a period that continues to tug at me. Every time I watch it, I'm taken back to that period of my youth. It's one of those films, when its end credits show up on the screen, I'd want to look at my surroundings and want to remember what I've just seen, and that moment. Though there were not many in the theater when I took this in, I still can recall when that first portion of the climatic bullride arrives and Peckinpah shows us that agonizingly slow clock, you actually <i>heard</i> everyone there catch their breath. How many times does that happen anymore?<br /><br />I like to think what I see in this film is a small, precious bit of the director that he'd let out and share only on those rare happy occasions. The serendipitous fact that a equally marvelous cast came together to inhabit each of its frames remains magic in a bottle for those that enjoy it. It makes me very happy that you finally experienced it and shared your thoughts about this movie. Thank you very much for this, my friend.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-20289157925982185212010-05-06T19:52:27.190-07:002010-05-06T19:52:27.190-07:00Mr. Peel:
Your BONNER post aced a mention in Jame...Mr. Peel:<br /><br />Your BONNER post aced a mention in James Wolcott's blog in VANITY FAIR on line:<br /><br />http://www.vanityfair.com/online/wolcott/2010/05/notes-of-a-cinematic-nature.htmlTHE FUTURIST!https://www.blogger.com/profile/13738269851546208405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-61715857230389564492010-05-06T19:05:44.024-07:002010-05-06T19:05:44.024-07:00"Junior Bonner" is one helluva picture (..."Junior Bonner" is one helluva picture (& so is this essay). <br /><br />- BobAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-61520266678727619772010-05-06T17:09:54.933-07:002010-05-06T17:09:54.933-07:00I was hoping you would review this, it's one o...I was hoping you would review this, it's one of my favorites. You're right that very little happens in it, and it comes dangerously close a few times to being a "hang out" movie. Every scene in the bar is bliss, from his first glance of Charmaigne, to the fight that starts out mean and gradually moves to a friendly (almost sexual) energy.<br /><br />A few years ago I tried to put together a post all about parades in Peckinpah movies, but it didn't come together. Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway and Junior Bonner all have parades, with the latter being the absolute best.Adam Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11968051066147134504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-21192906949719955882010-05-06T08:58:58.381-07:002010-05-06T08:58:58.381-07:00This is a terrific piece, M.P. You've made me ...This is a terrific piece, M.P. You've made me really regret that I couldn't be there at the New Bev to see <i>Junior Bonner</i>, a film that I too have so far missed, yet at the same time you've inspired me to make sure I see it the next chance I get. The way you describe it, it is seems essential. And frankly, I didn't expect to be moved to tears when reading your assessment, but that's just where your final paragraph took me. Thanks, man.<br /><br />And thanks too for the gallery. That first shot of Barbara Carrera is, um... real pretty!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-82193234511163061382010-05-06T08:41:00.583-07:002010-05-06T08:41:00.583-07:00Very well covered, Mr. Peel.
I particularly like...Very well covered, Mr. Peel. <br /><br />I particularly like the small moment in the picture when Preston and Lupino briefly confront each other on the exterior landing above the bar -- I think it's after the brawl -- and they mostly simply look at each other. Then they just both walk upstairs, presumably to his room. The camera doesn't follow, but we know where they're going, and why.<br /><br />It would be nice to see Tarantino do something subtle along this line at some point. [No disrespect intended.]<br /><br />The slow box-office performance of JUNIOR BONNER in 1972 was not aided by the fact that ABC had exited the movie biz; the Peckinpah film was the last of the network's original ABC Pictures releases. It could have received a bit more support, I think.Griffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-65216624876126013182010-05-06T07:34:21.035-07:002010-05-06T07:34:21.035-07:00Well said! I really enjoyed your heartfelt review ...Well said! I really enjoyed your heartfelt review of this underrated gem. Turner Classic Movies has shown it a few times as of late and that's how I was first introduced to it and was pleasantly surprised at how against type it was for a Peckinpah film. It really showed a more thoughtful, reflective side of the auteur and it's a damn shame that it wasn't better received. Hopefully, its time is due.<br /><br />Interesting comparison to JACKIE BROWN. I never thought of that before but it makes perfect sense if you think about it.<br /><br />I also agree with you on how much the world has changed and how harsh it has become. Maybe it was always that way and we are just more acutely aware of it but I find myself more interested in losing myself in a good film (or book) when I get home from work and less interested in watching the news - it's just way too depressing and disheartening. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.com