The Beguiled [DVD] [1971]

There have been many strange Westerns in that genres history, but none that I can recall being quite so strange as "The Beguiled". I watched this film many years ago as part of a film studies course. I recall thinking afterwards "What on Earth was that all about". How was I to write an essay on it. Well I did but I doubt it made much sense. But one thing was absolutely certain, I remembered it vividly. It is one of those films like "Night of the Hunter" that haunts your imagination. There has been nothing like it before or since. The closest film to it is possibly Rob Reiner's "Misery" based on Stephen King's novel.

The film is set near the close of the American Civil war. A badly injured Yankee soldier played by Clint Eastwood is rescued by a 12 year old girl from a Louisiana boarding school. He is taken there to recover from his wounds. Initially the staff and pupils are frightened but as he gets better he charms them all, one by one. This leads to jealousy, deceit and eventual tragedy.

The director Don Siegal collaborated with Clint Eastwood on four other films. "Coogans Bluff", "Dirty Harry", "Two Mules for Sister Sarah" and "Escape from Alcatraz". All admirable films but they bear little similarity to this film, and in my opinion are nowhere near as good. Eastwood's "Play Misty for Me" bears far more similarities, and appears to have been heavily influenced by his work on "The Beguiled". The script was written by Albert Maltz but both Eastwood and Siegal were unhappy with the ending, wanting something more faithful to Thomas Cullinan's book "The Painted Devil" that it was based on. They had their way.

The film has been described as a Gothic Western. This has nothing to do with the architecture of an earlier period, but more to do with the gloomy and grotesque connotations of that word. The films strength is the build up of tension and an overwhelming sense of foreboding. It is an atmosphere reminiscent of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. The location filming in in the Ashland-Belle House in Louisiana with its eerily clad trees festooned in Spanish moss helped this greatly.

The film is the most ambitious and elaborate of Siegal's films and deserves to be much better known in the UK. I am only the third reviewer at this time. On Amazon US there are over forty reviews which goes to show it has a far greater reputation across the Atlantic. It is a highly unusual film but ultimately very rewarding. The Western goes Gothic, and amazingly it works incredibly well. Highly recommended. Five stars for originality carried through with great flair.

There have been many strange Westerns in that genres history, but none that I can recall being quite so strange as "The Beguiled". I watched this film many years ago as part of a film studies course. I recall thinking afterwards "What on Earth was that all about". How was I to write an essay on it. Well I did, but I doubt it made much sense. But one thing was absolutely certain, I remembered it vividly. It is one of those films like "Night of the Hunter" that haunts your imagination. There has been nothing like it before or since. The closest film to it is possibly Rob Reiner's "Misery" based on Stephen King's novel.

The film is set near the close of the American Civil war. A badly injured Yankee soldier played by Clint Eastwood is rescued by a 12 year old girl from a Louisiana boarding school. He is taken there to recover from his wounds. Initially the staff and pupils are frightened but as he gets better he charms them all, one by one. This leads to jealousy, deceit and eventual tragedy.

The director Don Siegal collaborated with Clint Eastwood on four other films. "Coogans Bluff", "Dirty Harry", "Two Mules for Sister Sarah" and "Escape from Alcatraz". All admirable films but they bear little similarity to this film, and in my opinion are nowhere near as good. Eastwood's "Play Misty for Me" bears far more similarities, and appears to have been heavily influenced by his work on "The Beguiled". The script was written by Albert Maltz but both Eastwood and Siegal were unhappy with the ending, wanting something more faithful to Thomas Cullinan's book "The Painted Devil" that it was based on. They had their way.

The film has been described as a Gothic Western. This has nothing to do with the architecture of an earlier period, but more to do with the gloomy and grotesque connotations of that word. The films strength is the build up of tension and an overwhelming sense of foreboding. It is an atmosphere reminiscent of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. The location filming in in the Ashland-Belle House in Louisiana with its eerily clad trees festooned in Spanish moss helped this greatly.

The film is the most ambitious and elaborate of Siegal's films and deserves to be much better known in the UK. I note that I am the only reviewer at this time. On Amazon US there are over forty reviews which goes to show it has a far greater reputation across the Atlantic. It is a highly unusual film but ultimately very rewarding. The Western goes Gothic, and amazingly it works incredibly well. Highly recommended. Five stars for originality carried through with great flair

Anyone who has seen this film knows already it is great. It is kind of overlooked by Action-Clint fans but it really is a powerful movie. Watch it alongside 'Play Misty for Me' for an alternative Clint night.
The only problem with the DVD is it is not a particularly good transfer, mono soundtrack and no extras. Would have loved some inside info on the making of the film, some interviews and a commentary.
Still its better than my VHS copy, taped from TV years ago, with ad breaks. Buy it anyway.