Essential Cinema - 49

Cool Hand Luke

ACTORS:

Paul Newman ... Luke
George Kennedy ... Dragline
J.D. Cannon ... Society Red
Lou Antonio ... Koko
Robert Drivas ... Loudmouth Steve
Strother Martin ... Captain
Jo Van Fleet ... Arletta
Dennis Hopper ... Babalugats
John McLiam ... Boss Keen
Wayne Rogers ... Gambler
Harry Dean Stanton ... Tramp (as Dean Stanton)
Joy Harmon ... The Girl
Joe Don Baker ... Fixer (uncredited)

DIRECTOR
Stuart Rosenberg

SCREENPLAY
Donn Pearce (screenplay) and
Frank Pierson (screenplay) (as Frank R. Pierson)
Donn Pearce (novel)

CINEMATOGRAPHER
Conrad L. Hall

SCORE
Lalo Schifrin

International Movie Database Entry




SYNOPSIS:
A young man with a chip on his shoulder for authority finds himself on a Louisiana chain gang, where he bonds with the other inmates and plots his escape.





CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER:
Learning to deal with the classes of society and the struggle of the individual to break free from the shackles that law and order places on us all.





PROS AND CONS
First of all, there are no cons to this film. It is one of those films that I watched as young man and found it entertaining. When I watched it again with my wife some 30 years later, it was a whole different experience.





This is a consummate 'guy' film. It is about a man's struggle in a man's world and all the trials and lessons that men learn. It is a bonding film about how men relate to one another and how we all struggle to be individuals and not just another sheep in the flock.





In this film, Paul Newman as Luke, struggles with his inability to conform to the rigid parameters of the good ole boy south. While doing so he must also contend with his strained relationship with his dying mother and his need for acceptance and praise from his peers in the prison camp.





The cast of supporting characters in the film is astounding. When first viewed back in the 70s, most were not that well known. Now we can look back at George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Harry Dean Stanton, Wayne Rogers, Dennis Hopper, and Joe Don Baker and just imagine what it must have been like on the set. Nothing but talented character actors with a really meaty script and sharp dialogue.





The direction by Stuart Rosenberg is superb. The cinematography by Conrad Hall, beautiful. The soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin, evocative. Then there is Newman who lays to rest once and for all just how good an actor he really was.





I will leave you with a scene from the film in which Newman sings a song on banjo that, taken out of context, almost seems funny to watch. Yet in the context of the film, it is one of the most touching and poignant scenes. Paul Newman, singing 'Plastic Jesus'.







This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection which is located on the LaserDisc Database.

Clicking on the "Essential Cinema" title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. The listing of all the LaserDiscs that I have reviewed on IMDB can be found here.

Clicking here will take you to a listing of all the "Essential Cinema" reviews in my Blog.