Vier Vögel am Galgen (1974)

Vier Vögel am Galgen: Directed by Richard Fleischer. With Lee Marvin, Gary Grimes, Ron Howard, Charles Martin Smith. Three farm boys in the Old West help a wounded bank robber, who teaches them the trade.

“This is probably Richard Fleischeru0026#39;s last good movie;itu0026#39;s considered polite to say that all he did after u0026quot;solyent greenu0026quot; is worthless.Richard Fleischer made lots and lots of great movies from u0026quot; follow me quietlyu0026quot; to u0026quot; the narrow marginu0026quot; ,from u0026quot;20,0000 leagues under the seau0026quot; to u0026quot;The Vikings u0026quot;and from u0026quot;Barabbasu0026quot; to u0026quot;the Boston strangleru0026quot; to the stunning (and perhaps his masterpiece) u0026quot;10 Rillington Placeu0026quot; After u0026quot;Solyent greenu0026quot; which featured the extremely moving scene of the death of Edward G.Robinson (who eventually died some months after),only u0026quot;Spikes gangu0026quot; shows something of the unqualified brilliance that accompanies Fleischer in his career through u0026quot;Solyent greenu0026quot; .It is a western which has nothing to do with the epics of Ford,Daves or Walsh or Mann.It has also (fortunately) nothing to do with Peckinpah.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilmed in Spain,its spirit is actually close to that of Arthur Penn,particularly u0026quot;Bonnie and Clydeu0026quot;.When Grimes is daydreaming and sees his father tell him :u0026quot;youu0026#39;re no longer my son;youu0026#39;re deadu0026quot; ,it recalls that scene when Bonnie meets her mom for a picnic and the old lady says u0026quot;youu0026#39;re already dead ,Bonnie Parkeru0026quot; .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe three lads are in search of a father ,which is very Pennesque ,notably in u0026quot;the left handed gunu0026quot; .even in a non-western film such as u0026quot;the miracle workeru0026quot; Ann Sullivan was Helen Kelleru0026#39;s second mom. Grimesu0026#39; father was a religious man ,perhaps not far from being a fanatic (his part is too underwritten).Remember that scene in the bank where the ticking of the clock merges into the memories of the whip coming down .Lee Marvin is their new father and I go as far as to write that Grimes is some kind of father to his two mates too when he is absent.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe three lads are amateurs and cannot free them of the concept of right and wrong ,coming from a religion which does not give any answer;when theyu0026#39;re eating hosts and drinking sacred wine,one of the youngest speaks of blasphemy but their leader tells them so u0026quot;Christ would give them to us if He were hereu0026quot; .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLee Marvinu0026#39;s character is extremely interesting.Lee Marvin never overplays and the discovery that he was once married to an educated wife ,a teacher who spoke several languages and played the piano comes aside as a shock.This memory is necessary ;without it,the ending would not make any sense.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAn inferior director would have made u0026quot;menu0026quot; of the three teenagers ;but they canu0026#39;t :their dreams ,their remorse,the letter one of them sends to his mom,the trust they put in Marvin,all indicates that when they die they will still be big children.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike this?try this…..u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Run for coveru0026quot; Nicholas Ray 1955”