Dreckiger kleiner Billy (1972)

Dreckiger kleiner Billy: Directed by Stan Dragoti. With Michael J. Pollard, Richard Evans, Lee Purcell, Charles Aidman. A more realistic, based-on-reality, unsensationalistic portrayal of the gritty early years of one of the most famous Wild West outlaws in history, Billy the Kid.

“Back in the ancient 1970u0026#39;s, only the high budget pictures had production designers. The others had to rely on the cinematographer to make sure the art director, the set designer, and the make-up/costume people were all on the same page; so that the picture had a consistent look. Ralph Woolsey was one of the better cinematographers at keeping all these elements under control. He was a busy guy in 1972 and two of his pictures were westerns: u0026quot;Dirty Little Billyu0026quot; was made right after u0026quot;The Culpepper Cattle Companyu0026quot;- arguably one of the top ten westerns of all time. And while u0026quot;CCCu0026quot; is significantly better than u0026quot;DLBu0026quot;, they share beautiful cinematography and production design (may have literally shared it because they probably used the same stuff in both productions).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt became popular after Robert Altmanu0026#39;s u0026quot;McCabe and Mrs. Milleru0026quot; (1971) to replace the well-scrubbed Roy Rogers look and portray the west as dirty, dusty, gritty, unshaven, and tattered. Woolsey eagerly embraced this realism and gave us two of the grimiest features we are likely to see. Perhaps the most entertaining thing about u0026quot;DLBu0026quot; was the casting of Lee Purcell as the seediest looking western heroine of all time. Compared to u0026quot;Berleu0026quot;, Susan Tyrellu0026#39;s saloon gal u0026quot;Almau0026quot; (u0026quot;Shoot Outu0026quot;) was a tidy sorority girl. You might expect this look from Barbara Hershey, but Purcell was deservingly typecast as prissy/demure so the movie is worth a look just to imagine her inwardly cringing each time she had to make an appearance on the set.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story itself is extreme historical distortion, but so moronic as to render itself harmless. Still, it is puzzling that they bothered to give it the appearance of being history, as it would have worked fine as fiction. It has a nice surprise ending and several soon-to-be-famous-in-television actors; Mills Watson would go on to great things as bumbling Deputy Perkins in the many u0026quot;Sheriff Lobou0026quot; programs and Dick Van Patten would play father u0026quot;Tom Bradfordu0026quot; on u0026quot;Eight Is Enoughu0026quot;.”