Today in Movie History (1969): The Wild Bunch released

The Wild Bunch Released: June 18, 1969 Studio: Warner Bros. Genre: western/action Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 11.0 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: ? Worldwide: 35.26

Directing: Sam Peckinpah Screenwriting: Walon Green, Sam Peckinpah, Roy N. Sickner Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien Review: “For the first half-century of cinema’s existence, the Western was the medium’s defining genre, in America at least. But hundreds of movies — plus primetime television series like Bonanza and Gunsmoke – wore it out, until Sam Peckinpah gave things a New Hollywood kick.” VY “Peckinpah completely rewrites John Ford’s Western mythology – by looking at the passing of the Old West from the point of view of the marginalized outlaws rather than the law-abiding settlers.” T95 “Acting, dialogue, direction, score, photography, and especially editing are world class; an authentic American classic.” LM “All-stars Ernest Borgnine, William Holden, and Robert Ryan deliver stunning performances as outlaws past their prime” ST who still cling “to codes of honor, loyalty, and courage.” FS They “want to pull one final heist before retiring” A98 but meet their demise when they are attacked by “relentless bounty hunters…at the US-Mexico border in 1913.” A07 “The film about men trying to contend with the ever-evolving world around them caused a stir for its raw depictions of survival and what was then considered gratuitous violence.” ST It “is a savagely beautiful spectacle, Lucien Ballard’s superb cinematography complementing Peckinpah’s darkly elegiac vision.” T95 It has been hailed as “one of the best films ever made and instrumental in its introduction of slow-motion violence.” VD It “became Peckinpah’s calling card after the success of this Western masterpiece.” A07 That and “Lou Lombardo’s editing are considered milestones in the Western genre.” A98 Sources: A98 American Film Institute (1998). “AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Movies” A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” ST Stacker.com (4/14/2023). “100 Best Movies of All Time” by Jacob Osborn T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” VY Variety.com (12/21/2022). “The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 2 (Best Story and Screenplay, Best Original Score) Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Awards: Other Lists/Honors: Experts’ Picks: First posted 2/25/2025.

50 years ago: The Bridge on the River Kwai, winner of 7 Oscars, released

The Bridge on the River Kwai Released: December 14, 1957 Studio: Columbia Genre: war epic Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 27.20 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 533.72 Worldwide: ?

Directing: David Lean Screenwriting: Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson Starring: Alec Guinness, William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins Review: Screenwriters Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were blacklisted in Hollywood for “alleged communist associations” MSN so they wrote “this epic World War II action film,” MSN an “outstanding, psychologically complex adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s 1952 novel,” FS in secret. Boulle – who spoke no English – was originally credited as the sole screenwriter. In 1984, Foreman and Wilson were awarded screenwriting Oscars posthumously. MSN The story is about American and English soldiers in a Japanese prison camp who are ordered by camp commander Colonel Saito (Hayakawa) to build a bridge in the Asian jungle of Burma which will transport Japanese troops. “A tremendously antagonistic battle of wills ensues” FS between Saito and Nicholson (Guinness), “the rigid British officer who refuses to bow to torture.” A07 The latter colonel develops “a twisted sense of pride” FS in overseeing the construction of the bridge. His obsession with using “this exercise to show the Japanese as inferior humans and soldiers” VD blinds him to the reality that he is aiding the enemy. Holden is an American who escapes from the camp, only to be tasked with leading a mission back to destroy “the bridge.” A07 The film does “just as well showing the psychological battle of wills as the more epic scenes of military conflict.” BFI Sources: A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” BFI British Film Institute. (1999) “The BFI 100: A Selection of the Favourite British Films of the 20th Century” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Box Office: Oscars: Wins: 7 – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Guinness), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Film Editing Nominations: 8 – including Best Supporting Actor (Hayakawa) Notable Awards: Other Lists/Honors: First posted 5/30/2023.