A remarkably slow-paced movie - defined largely through its repetitive (though lyrical) guitar-based music and its reliance on somnambulant montages and dissolves. It's a somewhat idealized version of the West as essentially tranquil and taciturn, with violence erupting sporadically and unnaturally. The most intriguing aspect is its handling of sexual politics. There's an acknowledgment of the relationship between the two men as being akin to a loving one, and all the more stable for the lack of demands. This contrasts with the portrayal of the marriage - Bloom is initially tough and unforgiving when Fonda returns, and defiant in admitting that she's slept with hired helps in her hunger for a man; but once his permanence is established she slips easily back into a position of submission. The movie is liberal in taking her actions as they come, but obviously seems to be reasserting a patriarchal code of restrained, stoic male bonding that writes the dominant stories. Well and subtly told, and all the acting is good, but a strange project from Fonda at this point in his career - almost as if he consciously wanted to negate the radical image created by Easy Rider.
Add a Review
-
allyjack26 August 1999
-
Wuchakk11 March 2014Released in 1971, "The Hired Hand" was Peter Fonda's first stab at directing (he only directed two more films). The story involves Fonda going back to his wife and homestead after several years absence; he brings his buddy Warren Oates along with him. His wife, Verna Bloom, isn't so interested anymore with being his wife (and who can blame her?) so she hires him and Oates on as ranch hands, hence "The Hired Hand."
Speaking of Verna Bloom, she's not made out to be very attractive in the film; she just comes across rather bland and plain. One could argue, of course, that this adds to the realism of the picture; after all, would you likely catch a bodacious goddess living alone in the Western wilderness for very long? I only bring this up because Verna appears one year later in Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter," wherein it is revealed that she is actually quite a fair-looking woman. Who knows, perhaps it's simply because she has her hair down in the latter film.
In any event, "The Hired Hand" is a quiet, highly believable picture that boldly sneers at Western film conventions. Yes, you'll see a couple of gun fights, but they're realistic in tone and unconventional to the Western genre.
This may make the film boring to some, but not to me. Truth be known, I like a variety of Westerns, everything from "Shane" to "The Missing" and everything in between. The only Westerns I don't like are ones that have that goofy, unrealistic vibe, like some spaghetti Westerns (I'm not talking about Western comedies here; I love "The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox").
"The Hired Hand" probably won't blow you away or anything; it's a low-key, adult-oriented film. I saw it last December for the first time and, somehow, various sequences have just stayed with me; like they're burnt into my psyche. It's somewhat haunting. If this sounds like your cup of tea, don't miss out.
The film runs 90 minutes and was shot in northern New Mexico (Cabezon, Chama & Santa Fe).
GRADE: B- -
gavin69426 September 2017Harry (Peter Fonda) returns home to his wife and farm after drifting with his friend Arch (Warren Oates) and has to make a difficult decision regarding his loyalties.
Due to the huge financial success of "Easy Rider" (1969), which Fonda co-wrote, produced and starred in, Universal Studios gave him full artistic control over "The Hired Hand", his debut as a director. (Universal also did the same for Dennis Hopper with "The Last Movie" that year.) How interesting that Fonda went or a more conventional western rather than a personal, boundary-pushing film.
Upon release, the film received a mixed critical response and was a financial failure. In 1973, the film was shown on NBC-TV in an expanded version, but soon drifted into obscurity. In 2001, a fully restored version was shown at various film festivals, gaining strong critical praise, and it was released by the Sundance Channel on DVD. It is now considered a classic Western of the period.
My suspicion is the "classic" status is largely because of the names attached. Both Fonda and Oates are cult figures and the cinematographer went on to be rather important. The film, in and of itself, does not really stand out for me. I suppose the idea of a woman doing what she had to do is a bit more frank than usual, which deserves praise.... but otherwise. -
Derek-313 December 2000This is not only an overlooked western, but a sorely overlooked piece of filmmaking, beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond (who uses some of the slowest dissolves anywhere in cinema) and directed by Peter Fonda, who seemed bent on capturing an authentic period flavor often missing from westerns of that time. His eye for detail, and his refusal to insert too much of it, is impressive for a young director. That is, the visual authenticity, like the acting performances and dialogue, work by way of understatement. This is a very understated film, at a time when few coming from the American market were.
Ultimately, it is a sort of 'buddy' film about the deep friendship between two characters played by Fonda and Warren Oates. It also has in common with EASY RIDER the tragic, "backward" movement from West to East, which goes against the "natural" flow of American history and literature, and which ends in death here as in the earlier film, when the "hired hand" of the title takes on a sadly ironic new meaning.
Fonda directs his actors in an understated, low-key, highly naturalistic style; Warren Oates was never warmer or more at ease seeming on camera. It is good to see him relaxed and even jovial. His character is genuinely disturbed when forced to shoot in self defense a menacing drunk taking shots at him. Larry Hagman even gives a good performance here in an uncredited role as a town sheriff, caught in an awkward spot when peace in the community demands he ask Oates to leave his jurisdiction. The off-beat comedian and actor Severn Darden (memorable from THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST, 1966) appears here in an uncharacteristic role as a malignant villain. Bruce Langhorne's music is among the most haunting anywhere in film. It will stay with you.
This film is a work of true film ART, where most westerns of its day (e.g. John Wayne's) were little more than loud, mass-market entertainments. The understated THE HIRED HAND will probably not satisfy western fans looking for action and violence in the Wayne or Eastwood mold. It is closer in feel to, say, Jan Troell's ZANDY'S BRIDE, made in the mid-70s, or HEARTLAND, the highly realistic drama of frontier struggle that closed the 70s. Yet even those who favor Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH (1969) should appreciate the literate script of THE HIRED HAND, written by Alan Sharp, whose credits include Arthur Penn's NIGHT MOVES (1975), and the equally overlooked Robert Aldrich western, ULZANA'S RAID (1972), which presents even more intense moral complexities.
THE HIRED HAND is, alas, now difficult to see. But make the effort, and you will be greatly rewarded.
-- Derek Bousé -
yourke22 September 2005I agree with the above commenter though there were distracting storytelling and editing flaws that kept me from considering this excellent film a "masterpiece". I watch movies carefully but I am not clear what the story was of those kidnappers - something didn't connect for me. And who did Harry & Arch shoot when they left that miserable town the first time?
Also minor problems with some of the cuts - creative (I loved the fading freeze-frame as an old life gets left behind), but not always well executed (he lifts the glass of the kerosene lamp, the flame goes out, THEN he blows on the flame, THEN the light fades).
But these are quibbles. The film takes its languid time with wonderful Vilmos Zsigmond cinematography and Bruce Langhorne soundtrack, with pauses and silences galore that makes me ache for more movies with that quality. The relationships work themselves out and hearts reveal themselves in the looks, the silences, and the visuals, a hallmark of the best Westerns. Verna Bloom's part is very strong.
Well done, Peter Fonda. -
rooee20 November 2016The definition of the "elegiac western", The Hired Hand was the directorial debut of the ubiquitous Peter Fonda. Fonda also stars, as Harry, a world-weary wanderer finally planning to move back to his ranch and make good on his marriage to his wife Hannah (Verna Bloom) and their daughter. Tagging along is his BFF Arch (Warren Oates) – although at some point he too will move on, and Harry will have to up his game as a family man.
Meanwhile, the ghosts of the past are stirring. It seems like there's some bad blood in Harry's home town, and – to mix in yet another metaphor – the chickens are coming home to roost.
If it sounds like I'm being vague, that's because the plot of The Hired Hand is looser than a half-tied lasso. Remember, this came hot on the heels of another Fonda vehicle, Easy Rider, and as such you'll regard its laid-back tempo and mannered editing either as richly layered or a load of hippie nonsense. Personally, I found the mix of Bruce Langhorne's eerie music and the mournful rhythm quite hypnotic.
This is a slow and moody western where the dramatic beats come from the exchanges between characters rather than exchanges of gunfire. Bloom is exceptional in the role of Hannah, a woman who is at once rebuked for sharing her bed with other men in Harry's absence, but then who in one withering speech entirely justifies her behaviour. Her presence, as a fully-fleshed out female character in a male- swamped genre, is most welcome.
Thematically it's tempting – as with all American New Wave cinema of the decade – to position The Hired Hand in the context of the Vietnam War. It's a link that can be overstated, but there are undoubtedly parallels: the gunman yearning to return home from a long journey; his struggle to adapt to civilian existence in a place where life has continued without him; the breaking of brotherhood in favour of fatherhood; and the violence of his past returning to haunt him.
So, a deep sorrow hangs over the film. Fonda was only 31 when he made this, and it's questionable whether, with his slight frame and young eyes, he can beard himself up to achieve sufficient world- weariness. Oates, however, nails it, that permanent grimace of his both warm and worn in equal measure. Capturing them exquisitely is the peerless Vilmos Zsigmond (the first casualty of this year's terrible roster of obituaries), who virtually takes us back in time with the preciseness and depth of his framing. The desperately sad final shot is worth the (relatively brief) running time alone.
One reason The Hired Hand isn't better-remembered is because it is by its nature low-key; quiet and sombre. Consider as well that at the time the western genre was in decline – the real classic, McCabe and Mrs Miller, also came out in 1971, and Robert Altman's film (also shot by Zsigmond) is the superior of the two. Still, there is much to admire about The Hired Hand – and I use that verb carefully because it's as much a film to sink into for its mood as it is to conventionally enjoy. -
faith_b10 May 2004You know a film has impact on you when you remember it 30 years later. Those that are mediocre all merge together and fade from memory quickly, but a good one you're still thinking of a week later --a great one, years later. The Hired Hand is like that. I saw the movie in 1971 and thought it mesmerizing. The other night I was delighted to see the remastered copy in Blockbuster, and I had to rent it right then and there! It was even better than I had remembered. The cinematography was nothing less than stunning -- especially the sunsets. It has the most unusual and haunting soundtrack of any movie I've seen.
I have to laugh at the reviewer who thought Verna Bloom was ugly. Verna was perfect for the role of the quintessential pioneer woman -- strong and direct, with an amazing presence and an inner beauty. I guess that "beautiful Hollywood people" have been playing the guys and gals next door for so long that average looks have become "ugly" to us. Heaven help us all.
Some of the scenes in the movie are quiet but powerful. One is strangely erotic -- Verna Bloom is sitting in her rocker on the front porch and Warren Oates on the step near her. As she explains to him that it wouldn't really matter who she slept with that night (either he or Harry would be interchangeable), Warren Oates character is visibly moved and caresses her bare foot for a few seconds before the scene fades to black. This is a example of a how "less can be more" in an erotic scene -- it was brillantly done.
I give this movie my highest recommendation. -
jboothmillard13 November 2015I would never have found this film if it wasn't for it featuring in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it had good reviews and a good leading cast, so I hoped it would be worth it, directed by Easy Rider producer, writer and star Peter Fonda. Basically saddle tramps Harry Collings (Peter Fonda) and Arch Harris (Warren Oates) have been wandering through the American Southwest for seven years, and have grown weary. Alongside younger companion Dan Griffen (Robert Pratt) they stop in the middle of nowhere in the ramshackle town of Del Norte, which is run by the corrupt McVey (Severn Darden). Harris and Griffen discuss travelling to California for work, but Collins informs them abruptly he will be returning to his wife who he left behind years ago. Griffen leaves the two in a bar temporarily to go and buy supplies, but he is shot dead, out of pure meanness, by town thugs, Collings and Harris escape, but return at night and McVey is crippled by Collings shooting him. Collings rides hundreds of miles back to his old house, his wife Hannah (Verna Bloom) gives him a cold welcome, but to be allowed to stay he offers his services as a "hired hand", she agrees and quickly puts him to work. Gradually distrust and unease caused from years of being apart slips away, Collings and Hannah become close again, Collings is willing to settle down for the first time, but Harris wants to leaves and "see the ocean". McVey and his gang of hooligans return and interrupt, they kidnap Harris, forcing Collings to leave Hannah again to save his friend, a subsequent brutal shootout between him and the gang takes place, all the villains are killed, but Collings is fatally wounded, and Harris rides alone back to Hannah's house. Also starring Robert Pratt as Dan Griffen, Ted Markland as Luke, Owen Orr as Mace, Gray Johnson as Will, Rita Rogers as Mexican Woman and Al Hopson as Bartender, and Dallas's Larry Hagman as Sheriff (depending which version you are watching). Fonda is good both acting and directing, Oates does well, and Bloom makes an impression in her time on screen, I will admit I agree this is not the traditional film in the genre, there are less gun filled sequences, horse chases and general action, it is certainly more talky than anything else, but it is interesting in its own right, a worthwhile western. Good!
-
I saw the last half or so of this film many years ago, on a small black-and-white television. Even then, I was impressed by a film I had only heard described as a commercial flop and a come-down after "Easy Rider." Maybe people were expecting another "counter-cultural" demythologizing of America's past, as was common in those days, and didn't know what to make of a surprisingly traditional and sensitive drama about loyalty, love, and the desire for new horizons versus the call of home.
Finally, thanks to the 30th Anniversary restoration, I was able to see the entire work, and was not disappointed. Not only is this a well-told and -acted drama, it's easily one of the most stunning-looking films I've ever seen. Nor is it merely "pretty photography," but key to the inner life of the characters, in that you can see how one could be drawn by such beauty into either wandering off through the world in search of new wonders, or returning to those which you've already known.
It's a shame, to me, that Peter Fonda only went on to direct two more (relatively obscure) films. In a decade now recognized as one of the greatest in American filmmaking, "The Hired Hand" is worthy of being considered among the classics. -
Hey_Sweden11 January 2017Peter Fonda stars in and directs "The Hired Hand", acting with his frequent co-star and real- life good friend Warren Oates. Peter plays Harry Collings, a cowboy who abandoned his wife Hannah (Verna Bloom) and daughter (Megan Denver) years ago. For a long time he's been roaming the West with Arch (Oates) and Dan Griffen (Robert Pratt). But now he gets it into his head to return to the family homestead and work at mending his relationship. This he wants to do by doing odd jobs around the farm.
Alan Sharp, who also wrote "Night Moves", one of the great gems of the 1970s, concocted this narrative. As directed by Peter Fonda, it's done in a lyrical, beautiful way, but some viewers can just see certain things as pure self-indulgence on Fondas' part. However, there's no denying that this Western drama / character study, in its best moments, is a gentle, sensitive film. Granted, there is some ugliness and violence in the first act that will be paid off with a melodramatic finish to the third act. But it's so lovingly shot (by cinematography legend Vilmos Zsigmond) and wonderfully acted (especially by Bloom), that viewers can fall under its spell. There's an effectively odious supporting performance by folksy character actor Severn Darden as a dubious lawman named McVey.
At its core, it's a sober, thoughtful look at a man who must make a tough decision regarding loyalty.
Seven out of 10. -
arsalanz-16 June 2020Movie is boring... Just watch sergio's & tersntino's westerns & spare this one
-
EyeDunno19 August 2005I had forgotten about renting "Hired Hand" until I saw the DVD in my mailbox. Looking at the printing on the disk, I shook my head, thinking the movie had to have been a mistake. But the whole film simply embraced my senses and I didn't want them to let go, even as the film ended.
Visually, it was no typical Western, Spaghetti or traditional. In fact, this isn't the kind of movie to watch if you're into the drama of the shoot-out or chase. Emotionally, it captured nuances and a sensitivity that the likes of masters John Ford and Sergio Leone steered clear of. Please, watch this film in its completely, and then play it with the commentary of director Peter Fonda. He adds some interesting information, including that the voice of Larry Hagman was even used for just a moment at one point in the film.
The characters gallop far from the typical. The movie simply looks western, but doesn't feel western. Nor do the sounds, as the music was beautifully atmospheric. This film should have been included for submission to the Academy Awards. The cinematography might make some feel somewhat put off by the layers of fades and dissolves, but relax and let yourself become absorbed by the acting, writing and production.
Overall, this movie, while it has an incredible climax, lives through subtlety, which is captured by a director who seems to been a labor of love. -
mossgrymk6 November 2023Peter Fonda's initial foray into film making is slow as a hobbled calf and more than a bit on the artsy/fartsy side but still manages to be fairly impressive for a directorial debut. There is just enough intelligence and interest in Alan Sharp's screenplay and Warren Oates' and Verna Bloom's excellent performances so that most of the annoyance generated by Vilmos Zigmund's self consciously prettified cinematography, Bruce Langhorne's Ry Cooder wannabe music and. Frank Mazzola's flashy, avant-garde editing is somewhat vitiated. And Fonda the director handles the two action/violence scenes pretty well. Give it a generous B minus.
PS...Kinda wished Starz had shown the TV version, with Larry Hagman's sheriff. -
Johnny_West3 August 2017Peter Fonda's career in westerns was about tearing down everything that his father, Henry Fonda, ever stood for. Where Henry Fonda was a top gun in most westerns, Peter Fonda is more like a sad and thoughtful loser.
Where Henry Fonda always had women lusting after him in the westerns, Peter Fonda's movie wife, Verna Bloom, does not want much to do with him. While traditional western women are faithful to their men, Bloom is open about screwing all of the men she hires to help at the ranch, because her husband was away, and she needed sex.
This movie throws a lot of darts at the westerns that Henry Fonda made. In many ways, it is an anti-western, and anti-Henry Fonda. As a movie, while the photography is beautiful, the actual story is very lame and boring. Peter Fonda loves to have close-ups of his face. It is like he is in love with himself.
There is not much story here. One day Peter Fonda decides to go home to see what happened to his wife after seven years of abandonment. Warren Oates, his best friend, tags along. That is the whole movie.
The end of the movie was badly choreographed and features a sub-par shootout that once again contrasts the difference between the great Henry Fonda, and his stoner son, Peter Fonda. This is a space cadet Western for flower children. -
If you've known me for a while, you've probably heard me mention that I generally don't pay attention to acting in films. Like, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against people who do. It's just typically not something which bothers me, with very few exceptions (and by the same token, the converse is also true: that acting generally isn't one of the things I enjoy about a film). While watching this film, however, I couldn't help but fixate on Peter Fonda's performance. I've seen a handful of film buffs I'm close to refer to Peter Fonda as the least talented of the Fonda family by a long shot and that might be true. The last time I watched Peter Fonda onscreen was in "Easy Rider", and that was at least a few years ago (as expected, I don't recall his acting affecting my opinion of the film much). I found Fonda's performance in this film though to be remarkably bland and emotion-free to the point I was somewhat bored whenever Warren Oates wasn't onscreen. To cut the film some slack though, Fonda's acting does suit the character he plays to a certain degree. When we first meet Harry, it's apparent that he lacks any direction in life and has no idea what to do with his future. Often when characters attempt to speak to him, we simply get a close-up of him looking around aimlessly. This effect continues when he arrives at Hannah's ranch, given the distant and somewhat unnerved reaction he displays around her. So, for a little while, Fonda's acting suits the film well. The more time he spends around Hannah though, he begins to warm up and grow closer to her. In spite of that, his acting remains wooden, thus making it hard for me to buy his supposed change. Unless this was to imply that he never actually warmed up to her, but his final conversation to Hannah says otherwise. Regardless of whether it was Fonda's intention or not, I did appreciate his wooden acting in the first half or so of the film, but the further I got, the more this effect wore off. Plus, going up against Oates oozing personality and charm in every scene did him no favors. In spite of that, I did find the film somewhat interesting due to the aforementioned first half (and Warren Oates, I suppose), and that helped to keep me from disliking the film. Another key takeaway was the amount of cross dissolves in the film. I generally dig them and while we don't get much, given the film's mostly straight face, I appreciated it whenever the film threw me a bone. Like, I straight up love the first scene, for instance. And not because you get to somewhat see Warren Oates naked...okay, fine; that's partly why.
-
rwint161110 August 2008THE PLOT: A cowboy (Fonda) decides to go back and work for the wife that he left several years before.
THE POSITIVE: The cinematography and camera work is outstanding as well as the editing. There are a few angles and shots here that I haven't seen done anywhere else. The soundtrack is also excellent and helps create a real nice moody feel to a presentation that has a very good gritty and realistic look. The shootouts and especially the death scenes stand out the most and raise this up a few notches from the standard western. Verna Bloom is a great choice for the hard living and vanquished wife. Her plain face and weathered complexion looks like something one would realistically find in that environment and time period.
THE NEGATIVE: The impressive camera work and elaborate presentation belie the fact that the story really isn't much. The plot is very thin and filled with a lot of elements that you can find in any western. The characters needed to be fleshed out a lot more and the pace is too leisurely. It is great to see eccentric character actor Severn Darden cast as the bad guy, but he needed to be given a lot more screen time.
THE LOWDOWN: The production as a whole is excellent with a nice evocative style that draws you in and really holds your attention. Unfortunately the story is too routine and not profound enough to allow the movie to stand out anymore than it does.
THE RATING: 6 out of 10. -
I enjoyed The Hired Hand because of its simplicity. I like a slow moving western in which the characters can be developed. The Hired Hand had three interesting characters who used dialog sparingly(Fonda, Oates, Bloom). The movie had a sense of believability to it. It is a well done movie and I applaud its creators. I had not heard of this film until stumbling across it yesterday. I plan on recommending it to friends. The realism contained in the acting and scenery make it stand out. Although it contains some violence, it was secondary to the build-up of tension that led to it. I enjoyed Fonda's quiet nature and Oates' sincere friendship he had for Fonda. Movies this good that you have never heard of before are hard to find.
-
bkoganbing21 December 2020Peter fonda directed and starred in this rather downbeat western The Hired Hand. He plays a man who tried settling down as a farmer with a wife Verna Bloom and a daughter who now thinks he's dead.
But after a few years of some hellraising with Warren Oates, Fonda is getting nostalgic for home and hearth. He goes back, but has to pretend he's just a hired hand at least temporarily by the rules set down by Bloom.
Turns out she knows her husband only too well.
It's an interesting character study, but has a lot of dry spells and a bit more action is definitely called for. Oates who never disappoints steals the film in the scenes he's in, but the best acting performance far and away is from Verna Bloom.. -
Bob-4518 December 2003I had seen `The Hired Hand' when it first opened, on the bottom half of a double bill with `The Beguiled'. I had gone to the double feature to see Eastwood. I'd always thought Fonda was a dull actor and I'd figured he'd also be a dull director. Well, `The Hired Hand' blew me away, so much so that I never bothered to comment it on it on the IMDB for fear of not doing it justice. Until recently it was very hard to find, and the VHS copies don't do it justice; because, quite frankly, `The Hired Hand' is the most stylistically beautiful western I've ever seen and one of the great westerns of all time. WARNING SPOILERS The plot of `The Hired Hand' is deceptively simple. Harry (Peter Fonda), Arch (Warren Oates) and Dan_ (Robert Pratt) are sidekicks, drifting from noplace to nowhere, living free and, mostly, off the land. Harry is quiet and reserved, Arch is warm and Friendly. Dan is wild-eyed innocent, the kind of man both the younger Harry and older Arch had been when they began their drifting. Harry has become of late, wearing of the road, never more so after his fishing line accidently snags the body of a little girl drowned in the river. For Harry is a married man, who, at 20 married a woman 10 years his senior and had fathered a little girl. The responsibility had frightened him so much he had run away to wander for six years. Now, Harry knew, it was time to go home. Harry tells Arch and Dan over bad tequila in another dark, dirty cantina. However, Dan wants to go to California. He tells Arch and Harry his dreams about California, and their reactions reflect the weary knowledge that things are never as good as we believe they will be. Arch knows about Harry's wife and daughter and knows his place is on the road with Dan What none of the trio know is that cantina owner McVey (Severn Darden ) has taken a fancy to Dan's horse. While Dan is away from Harry and Arch, he is lured into a comprising position by McVey's slutty wife and is shot by McVey , `a husband protecting his wife.' Dan dies in front of Arch and Harry; and they know, but cannot prove their friend was murdered. Harry and Arch bury Dan and Arch reads profound words from Jesus apparently hand written on folded sheets. The next morning Harry and Arch set out to McVey's ranch to reclaim Dan's horse. While Harry keeps watch, Arch takes the horse. Harry looks through a ranch house window and sees McVey, asleep, laying on the bed, his big feet exposed. Harry shoots McVey through both feet, crippling him before escaping. Arriving at Harry's home, Arch first meets Hannah (Verna Bloom) and Harry's little girl. Immediately, Arch feels a longing for what Harry has. For Hannah is handsome, sensuous and passionate and Harry's little girl is adorable. Harry is not so sure. He is humbling himself to return, to be a hired hand to his own wife; to keep his identity secret from his own daughter. To feel the resentment every day from the woman he abandoned. Harry leaves Arch an opening and Arch does his best to resist the temptation. But, when Arch finds out from an obnoxious jerk that Hannah has been sleeping with the previous hired help, his resolution crumbles. However, Harry has overheard part of the conversation and insists that Arch tell him the rest. The next day he returns to town and posts a notice that he has returned and that his wife was no longer in need of `hired help'. While Harry has warned other men away, he still makes no moves on Hannah. He remains aloof, trying to sort out his feelings. Arch goes to Hannah and, as she sits on the porch, Arch tries to speak on Harry's behalf. Instead of replying, Hannah brazenly admits to Arch the physical longing she felt while Harry was away and how afraid she was he would leave again with Arch. Arch removes his hand from Hannah's lower calf and knows it is time to leave Harry to the happiness he will ultimately claim. Harry moves out of the shed and takes a bath. Hannah strokes her hair in anticipation of having the lover back she had so long missed. The love scene is brief but very telling, for Harry is still something of a child-man, and Hannah's love is as maternal as it is sexual. Arch leaves `for California' and Harry fully reintegrates himself into his life with Hannah and his daughter. But, one day, one of McVey's henchmen return's with Arch's horse and the little finger from Arch's hand. He tells Harry, If harry doesn't come with him, McVey will take a finger a week, and then begin on Arch's toes. Horrified, Harry prepares to ride out. Hannah, at once resentful and terrified, begs Harry to forget Arch and accuses them of planning this so that Harry and Arch could go away together. It's clear from her tone that Hannah believes nothing of what she says, even about abandoning Arch. Hannah just doesn't want to be alone again. Harry leaves with the henchmen, anyway and, that night, murders the henchman to improve his chances against McVey and his other men. Meanwhile Arch is trying to convince McVey's abused, slutty wife to bring him a gun. She doesn't, but it's obvious she helps Arch escape. However, Arch's freedom is too late, because Harry is already mortally shot by McVey and the remaining henchmen. Arch kills the remaining henchmen and Harry kills McVey before he can kill Arch. Knowing he is dieing, Harry asks Arch to hold him and the scene freezes on that embrace. However, that is not the final, for that is Hannah watching from the porch, then going inside as Arch returns and puts away his horses and gear in the barn. For Arch is now the `hired hand' who will claim for himself and his memories of Harry the life that both he and Harry wanted with Hannah and her daughter. END OF SPOILERS However, nothing I have said captures the pure lyrical beauty of `The Hired Hand;' for, how much can one explain about a five minute opening scene without dialogue of Dan swimming in the river while Harry fishes from the bank that is so beautifully scored and montaged that it is positively exhilarating, yet reinforces the plot by establishing the mood, history and future of the sidekicks? This is nothing short of brilliant filmmaking, and Peter Fonda has been very generous to his costars, even in cast billing. `The Hired Hand' is also exceptional technically, be it sound, editing, cinematography and optical effects. Warren Oates and Verna Bloom were never better, and, Fonda gives a beautifully understated performance which further reinforces Oates and Bloom. `The Hired Hand' is more likely to appeal to a generation raised on music videos than on the generation that first shunned it. It is available in either a single disk or a 2 disc `Special Edition'. This may be one of the few times the `Special Edition' is worth the extra money, especially if Fonda's commentary is as interesting as his FILMFAX interview. It's truly sad how Universal betrayed Fonda for his loyalty, since he turned down an opportunity to move the production to a more sympathetic United Artists. While `The Hired Hand' does not possess the epic sweep (or pretenses) of such classic westerns as `The Searchers,' `Dances With Wolves' or `Unforgiven', it is superior as art to all three of these films. Fonda has largely created the perfect counterpoint to the Sergio Leone masterpieces, `For a Few Dollars More,' `The Good, The Bad & The Ugly' and `Once upon a Time in the West'. While Leone's films where grim, sweeping and action packed, with surprising touches of humor and sentiment, `The Hired Hand' is lyrical, personal and tender, with surprising touches of sudden grim, bloody violence. It is certainly, in my opinion, the greatest `small' western in the history of film. I give it a 10.
-
jojodancer-140536 August 2020This flick is just too slow and event-less to be saved by the artistry The dialogue is pointless because the result is absolutely predictable.
-
ranwev28 January 2002If ever a film was so overlooked, this is probably the best film you never saw. During a time when the western genre was filled with action,Fonda slipped this film in.It is a story about relationships and values that few films, this day have(they make way too many movies anyway). Beautifully photographed(eye candy as some would say)by Vilmos Zsigmund(Easy Rider,Sugarland Express),and a score to that will hypnotize(Bruse Langhorne-the one man band).A cast of strong stalwart performers,(Warren Oates,Verna Bloom,Severn Darden) who are actually into their parts,round out this film.
-
This movie is a perfect argument for why I take notes when watching a movie. Before reading them, I wasn't even convinced I had seen it. It's not a bad movie; it captures the sloppy reality of the old west nicely, the wife character is a nice "eff you" to most western women characters, & the almost-romantic relationship between the two male partners is really effective. Unfortunately, Fonda doesn't really work in front of or behind the camera.
-
pbmcd26 April 2004If you're into film that has to have a cut every 3 seconds to stay interesting, skip this one. But if you're into film as an art form, this is a must see.
The photography is masterful by Vilmos Zsigmond. From the deeply rich silhouettes made with the natural light of a sunset to the shading and textures of lamp and fire light, this film is a profound lesson in painting with light.
The montage scenes blend the beautiful images into a pensive and graceful passage of time. The editing creates a deliberate pace that recreates a time when a horse trot was the natural speed. But when the gun battles begin the pace quickens to a gallop.
The delicate music is perfect blend of instruments for the visuals and provides the emotional depth that music should.
Under Peter Fonda's creative direction the film's elements deliver a story of a man who returns home to make things right because he had the courage to change. And just when the man and his wife restore their love and trust in each other, he had the courage go away again to save his longtime friend. -
I just have to add my praise to continue the interest in the Peter Fonda master work-"The Hired Hand."In many ways, this is a KEY '70s era film;from casting(c'mon-Oates ,Verna Bloom,Dardren !!!),the very definition of psychedelic 19th century photography,the Bruce Langhorne lost& found ~out of time~ score...the best of what was & continues to shimmer out across the universe!I saw it in "the day" & have been depressed by the washed out video offerings that seem to have been it's fate since.The main point of this listing is to pass on the fact of it's restoration & re-release glory,in England...so far.Last Dec./'01, a beautiful new print was theatrically released; I have been in touch with the Landmark Theater chain(revival/contemporary foreign find specialists) & they said there is a strong possibility that the release rights for the North American market may be imminently secured.To bring this forgotten film to an audience now, would be just rewards !So...contact the Landmark Theater people...other distributors as well..keep the interest up.Maybe there will be cinematic justice for "The Hired Hand" !