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markrath
Reviews
Breezy (1973)
Finally coming out on DVD!
I can't be happier now that BREEZY is coming out on DVD. Since I was too young for PLAY MISTY FOR ME in 1971, I was finally old enough to see BREEZY in 1973, and I saw it a good many times. It was the movie that really made me respect Clint Eastwood. This was his third time directing a feature, and his first without him acting in the film.
I haven't seen it since then, but you can bet I'm buying the DVD. It's the kind of film that just stay on your mind, even after 30 years! Bill Holden is great (alright, SUNSET BLVD. is better--a reversal to BREEZY, too) and Kay Lenz is a wonderful free spirit (I still hate the term "hippy.") One cool thing to watch for is when Holden and Lenz are going to a movie on a date, you can see an one-sheet for an Eastwood film in the background(I forget which one)--kind of like the MISTY reference in DIRTY HARRY.
If someone tells you this is a piece of fluff, open your mind and look at it as a great timepiece from 1973. I can't say enough about this film--it's the one that opened my eyes to the Leone films, the DIRTY HARRY series, BIRD, HONKYTONK MAN, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, etc. And what's so bad about THE ROOKIE? I liked that one, too.
Open your hearts, too -- enjoy BREEZY!
Hidden Guns (1956)
Typical "Oater" of the period, but great for Faron Young fans!
Hidden Guns is a typical, grade B, one-hour-long Republic "Oater" (Western sub-genre) of the period, BUT, if you happen to be a Faron Young fan, it is an amazing look into what a good actor he was. Even though Deputy Faron Young (he used his own name for his character) never picks up a guitar and sings, he does provide an opening song--and also recaps the plot in song several times during the hour just in case you doze off. These songs have never surfaced, even in his Bear Family Box Set, so it's nice to uncover some rare Faron Young. Richard Arlen does a great job as Sheriff Ward Young (Faron's father - Arlin and Young would both appear later in 1967's The Road To Nashville - but not on the screen together), John Carridine chews the scenery (never better) as the hired gun, and don't blink or you'll miss Angie Dickinson (in only her fifth film) as Faron's love interest. Faron only made two more Westerns: Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer (1956) and Raiders of Old California (1957). The other half-dozen films he appeared in were singing performances, and it's great they've been preserved, but a shame Faron did not follow Elvis' road, as he showed great promise as an actor.