Dirty Harry
ACTORS:
Clint Eastwood
Harry Guardino
Reni Santoni
John Vernon
Andrew Robinson
John Larch
John Mitchum
DIRECTOR
Don Siegel
SCREENPLAY
Harry Julian Fink
Rita M. Fink
Dean Riesner
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Bruce Surtees
SYNOPSIS:
A San Francisco Police Investigator hunts down a psychotic serial killer in the 1970s.
CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER
Sometimes you have to break the rules in order to do the right thing. Dealing with the endless red tape that comes from living and working in a bloated and spineless bureaucracy. Coming to terms with the frustrations that we all must face at some point in our lives.
PROS AND CONS
This film is iconic. It set the standard for the 'new' cop/buddy films that were to follow it like a stampede. Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, L.A. Confidential and a slew of others owe their origins to this film. This film solidified Clint Eastwood as a major presence in Hollywood.
This is a film that we have all seen (probably numerous times). It has been a staple of television and cable for years. However, the version I watched on Laserdisc was the uncut original film that I don't believe is seen much these days. This film is easily censored and shortened in order to make more time for commercials and to fit into a 2 hour time slot. After watching this version, there were scenes that I don't recall having seen in the past. Scenes that don't add to the plot, but do flush out the character of Harry Callahan more and make him more complex than I remembered.
In this original version, Harry has a lot of inner demons and is not a nice guy. He is bigoted in a very politically incorrect way. There are racial slurs and references to ethnic stereotypes all through the film. There is also a lot of casual nudity in the background which is something that censors and advertises eagerly cut out to get this film on public television.
Along with "Bullitt" (Steve McQueen's police drama, also set in San Francisco), this film redefined the role of the police from angelic and efficient protector of the populace to the anti-hero where the rogue cop fights not only crime but his own department to get the job done.
Several things stand out in this film. First of all is the wonderful melding of Lalo Schifrin's musical score with John Surtee's camera work. They bring an intimate sense of voyeurism and hip-ness to 1970 San Francisco. Going back to when I first saw this film, I have always been impressed by Scorpio (the serial killer in the film) played by Andrew Robinson. Even at the age of 10 I was curious why he didn't get an Oscar nomination. He scared the bejesus out of me and still does.
As with anything successful (Rocky, Die Hard, Rambo), this film spawned 4 follow-up works all staring Clint Eastwood. The later films are somewhat curious after seeing the first film. At the end of "Dirty Harry", Harry Callahan, throws away his badge and as he has hinted all throughout the film, gives up his life as a police officer. Having disobeyed the police commissioner, the mayor and his supervisor, it seems unlikely that they would have kept him on the force. But then again, box office receipts are a powerful motivator.
This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection which can be viewed here.
Clicking on the "Essential Cinema" title will take you to the Internet Movie Database entry for this film.
Clicking here will take you to a listing of all the "Essential Cinema" reviews in my Blog.
Everything about Scorpio's character was terrifying. Andrew Robinson was awesome in this. Anything he did afterwards would immediately make me think of Dirty Harry.
ReplyDeleteMy parents let me watch that movie when I was maybe about 8 years old. Some friends of theirs had it on a film reel or something and had a film night in their garage. It was very disturbing for me. I can recall a great deal of the detail as they featured in my nightmares for years after.
ReplyDeletei havent watched DH in ages... i really loved that film..
ReplyDeletebut i think you are right.. those scenes you mentioned on your LD do not ring a bell with me, either....
Some of the scenes that I don't recall seeing on the television releases of this film are:
ReplyDeleteThe scene in which Harry and his previous partner are discussing all the types of 'ethnics' they don't like, "Niggers, Chinks, Coons, Dagos, Polacks...and especially Spics." (Harry's new partner is Hispanic. This obviously would get cut from any television release.
Two scenes in which Harry explains the recent loss of his wife in a random automobile accident. Giving more weight to the concept of senseless death and violence.
The second killing by Scorpio, which is a black child. This is a short scene that does not involve a lot of violence. It only appears to show the horror of homicide to Harry's New (Spic) Partner.
The three scenes of nudity which tend to be in the background, the last of which is Scorpio's 4th victim who is pulled totally naked from an underground storm drain overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
All of these scenes would / could be cut to satisfy puritan censors or to add another 5 minutes of commerical time to an on-air release of this film.
I remember seeing this film on TV just days after visiting San Francisco in the 70's. And to my horror, I had swum in the exact same rooftop pool as the murder in the film...
ReplyDeleteMaureen....geez...how freaky is that, you could have been Scorpio's last victim.
ReplyDelete