A girl kneels over the grave of her
murdered dog, praying for a miracle, while off in the
distance, a man rides toward town on a pale horse. Clint
Eastwood’s PALE RIDER was the filmmaker’s first Western in
nearly a decade. It finds a pleasant balance between the
mystical revisionism of films such as HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
and the traditional Western. Eastwood stars as the
Preacher, who wanders into a dusty California town and
tries to rescue a community of gold prospectors that is
being terrorized by the local corporate mining operation,
which is strip-mining the land. He’s taken in by Hull
Barrett (Michael Moriarty), who lives with Sarah Wheeler
(Carrie Snodgrass) and her 14-year-old daughter, she of
the murdered pooch, Megan (Sydney Penny). The Preacher is
something of a blend of Eastwood’s Man with No Name and
the title character of George Stevens’s SHANE. The story
and treatment are straightforward and entertaining, and
the strong performances draw the audience in. The Preacher
remains a mysterious character, but in the end, as he
takes on the evil mining corporation’s hired guns, it’s
impossible not to root for him.
Movie Quote: Nothing like a nice piece of hickory.--The
Preacher (Clint Eastwood), after dispatching several thugs
with an ax handle.
The film was shot in Sawtooth National Recreation Area,
Idaho, and in Columbia, California.
Screenwriters Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack also wrote
THE GAUNTLET. They told Eastwood that they wanted to write
a Western, so he worked with them on the treatment for
PALE RIDER.
The film was shown in competition at the Cannes Film
Festival.
Sydney Penny (Megan Wheeler) won a Young Artist Award for
Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Motion
Picture.
This was Eastwood's first Western in nine years, after THE
OUTLAW JOSEY WALES!! |
- Attractive Retail Box
-
Genre: Westerns, Western
-
Rating: 14A (Canadian Home Video Rating)
- Starring:
Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress
- Directed
By:
Clint Eastwood
- Release
Information:
- Studio:
Warner Studios
- Theatrical Release Date: June 28, 1985
- DVD Release Date: September 2, 2003
- Run Time: 116 minutes
- Production Company: Warner Home
Video
- Package Type: Snap Case
- Clint Eastwood Collection
- DVD Features:
- Encoding:
Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other
countries.
- Aspect Ratio(s):
- Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1
- Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1
- Available
Audio Tracks:
- English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
-
Languages: English
- Subtitles: English, French
and Spanish
- Closed Captioned: Yes
- Bonus Features:
-
Soundtrack Remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
-
Production Notes
-
Two (2)
Theatrical Trailers
-
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
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