The Hired Hand (1971) coming from Arrow

[Akijama]

US/CAN TITLE: The Hired Hand (Blu-ray)

A beautiful elegiac picture that ranks as one of the finest Westerns the seventies had to offer.

Pre-order via Amazon: Link Coming Soon
Release date: 18th September

Having been at the forefront of America’s here-and-now with Easy Rider and the counterculture movies of Roger Corman, Peter Fonda retreated to the past and the American West for his directorial debut, The Hired Hand.

Fonda plays Harry, a man who deserted his wife and child to explore the wide-open plains with his best friend Archie (Warren Oates). “Tired of the life”, he decides to finally return home in order to rekindle his marriage and reacquaint himself with his daughter.

Scripted by Alan Sharp (Ulzana’s Raid, Night Moves), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond (Blow Out, The Long Goodbye) and with a standout score by folk musician Bruce Langhorne, The Hired Hand is a beautiful, elegiac picture that ranks alongside The Outlaw Josey Wales and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid as one of the finest Westerns the seventies had to offer.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by Universal
• Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM Audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by actor-director Peter Fonda
• The Return of The Hired Hand, a 2003 documentary containing interviews with Fonda, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, composer Bruce Langhorne, actor Verna Bloom and others
• Deleted scenes
• The Odd Man, Charles Gormley and Bill Forsyth’s 1978 documentary portrait of Scottish screenwriters, including Alan Sharp
• Interview with Martin Scorsese
• Warren Oates and Peter Fonda at the National Film Theatre, an audio recording of the actors’ appearance at the NFT London in 1971
• Stills gallery
• Trailers
• TV spots
• Radio spots
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Morgan.

https://www.facebook.com/ArrowAcadem...type=3&theater

[wicky_J]

[Richard--W]

I wish they'd put an option on the menu to watch the film with the deleted scenes put back in (via seamless branching). The deleted scenes amplify the film in interesting ways and lend depth to the characters.

I'll never forgive Peter Fonda for refusing to let Verna Bloom do the nude scene she asked for.

But I'll buy it regardless. The Hired Hand is an essential western.

[Member-222782]

A rare US Western from Arrow. My Darling Clementine is the only one I own (I think).

[Richard--W]

My Darling Clementine is the only western you own? how can that be? You're really missing out.

At least you own one of the great ones.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

My Darling Clementine is the only western you own? how can that be? You're really missing out.

At least you own one of the great ones.

It's the only US Western from Arrow in my collection. Arrow's Westerns are almost all spaghetti westerns.

[Richard--W]

Oh, I see.
"spaghetti westerns" are not really westerns. They're some kind of weird perverse copycat like the pod people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They ring hollow.

Still, if you like spags, you'll probably enjoy the three westerns written by Alan Sharp -- The Hired Hand (1971), Robert Aldrich's Ulzana's Raid (1972) and the British-made-in-the-Sinai-desert Billy Two Hats (1973). They have much in common with spags except they're full of substance.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

Oh, I see.
"spaghetti westerns" are not really westerns. They're some kind of weird perverse copycat like the pod people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They ring hollow.

Still, if you like spags, you'll probably enjoy the three westerns written by Alan Sharp -- The Hired Hand (1971), Robert Aldrich's Ulzana's Raid (1972) and the British-made-in-the-Sinai-desert Billy Two Hats (1973). They have much in common with spags except they're full of substance.

There are lots of spaghetti westerns with substance, but they're usually allegories relating to the political climate in Italy at the time. The "zapata" westerns are good examples.

[Aclea]

It's a pity that Arrow didn't include both cuts. The rationale for cutting out Larry Hagman's scenes is quite sound - Fonda wanted Oates to leave because he felt he was getting in the way rather than being asked to leave - and restoring all the deleted footage would change Fonda's intentions, but the TV version has a lot of interesting differences.

Incidentally, this seemed to be a recurring feature of Alan Sharp scripted films - there are two different cuts of Ulzana's Raid (one by Aldrich, the other by Lancaster), two cuts of The Osterman Weekend and two cuts of Cat Chaser (which Sharp co-wrote uncredited in what he described as an 'under the counter cash in hand deal').

[DrBabylon]

Dammit Arrow! I bought the UK version last year because I figured a US one was never coming. If I had known, I would have waited! I've always thought this one was quite the little seen gem.

[Hoke Moseley]

Great news! I didn't even know they had released it in the UK...

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

There are lots of spaghetti westerns with substance, but they're usually allegories relating to the political climate in Italy at the time. The "zapata" westerns are good examples.

Hmm...

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

The Hired Hand is a fantastic western. Very subtle & understated - one of the best westerns from the '70's.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Hmm...

Is this supposed to mean something?

[RCRochester]

So, not a lot of discussion of substance on this release. Watched my copy last night, only my second time viewing it overall. Wonderful overall package and the film is great. Not one for those who are into shoot-em-up westerns (apart from a couple brief scenes)... this is all about the characters, as well as the gorgeous visuals and the music. I love films from this era and this is a gem that deserves to be better known.

[Hoke Moseley]

Watched it last week and the disc definitely looks great.

Really liked the film even though I think Fonda tried a little hard from the director's chair at times... but the cinematography, music, and performance from Warren Oates were all fantastic.

Planning to watch The Return of 'The Hired Hand' documentary on the disc soon... was gonna watch it right after the film but I didn't know it was almost an hour long (which was a pleasant surprise).

[skreemingskulll]

Originally Posted by DrBabylon

Dammit Arrow! I bought the UK version last year because I figured a US one was never coming. If I had known, I would have waited!

Why? The UK disc has been in Arrow's sales for about ten US Dollars, cheaper than the US disc will ever be.

[xxnomad]

Yeah this movie really has stayed with me since seeing it for the first time last year. I bought the vinyl too. Had to.

[easydreamer]

Originally Posted by skreemingskulll

Why? The UK disc has been in Arrow's sales for about ten US Dollars, cheaper than the US disc will ever be.

I think he meant that he wanted the region A playability. I was in the same boat, initially buying the UK disc & later regretted it knowing that it was coming to the US (the same goes for The Day of the Jackal). I have the region free player, but would love the region A playability unless the region B disc is superior. In this case, the disc contents are exactly the same, so there is no point paying for the region B disc.

[The Great Owl]

I ordered this one from Barnes & Noble for $16.99 just now. Thanks for the recommendation, y'all!