Bound for Glory (1976 film)

Last updated
Bound for Glory
Bound for glory Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed by Hal Ashby
Screenplay by Robert Getchell
Based on Bound for Glory
1943 book
by Woody Guthrie
Produced by Robert F. Blumofe
Harold Leventhal
Starring David Carradine
Ronny Cox
Melinda Dillon
Gail Strickland
Randy Quaid
Cinematography Haskell Wexler
Edited by Pembroke J. Herring
Robert C. Jones
Music by Leonard Rosenman (conductor and music adaptor)
George Brand
Joan Biel
Guthrie Thomas
Ralph Ferraro
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • December 5, 1976 (1976-12-05)(United States)
Running time
147 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million [1] or $7 million [2]

Bound for Glory is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Hal Ashby and loosely adapted by Robert Getchell from Woody Guthrie's 1943 partly fictionalized autobiography Bound for Glory . The film stars David Carradine as folk singer Woody Guthrie, with Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland, John Lehne, Ji-Tu Cumbuka and Randy Quaid. [3] Much of the film is based on Guthrie's attempt to humanize the desperate Okie Dust Bowl refugees in California during the Great Depression.

Contents

Bound for Glory was the first motion picture in which inventor/operator Garrett Brown used his new Steadicam for filming moving scenes. [4] Director of photography Haskell Wexler won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography at the 49th Academy Awards.

All of the main events and characters, except for Guthrie and his first wife, Mary, are entirely fictional. The film ends with Guthrie singing his most famous song, "God Blessed America for Me" (subsequently retitled "This Land Is Your Land"), on his way to New York, but, in fact, the song was composed in New York in 1940 and forgotten by him until five years later.

Plot

In 1936, amid the Great Depression, Woody Guthrie performs guitar at a gas station. A customer offers $1 to anyone who can address his worries, and Guthrie succeeds by providing a satisfactory answer. Subsequently, Guthrie begins painting a sign but frustrates his wife, Mary, by abandoning the task—their only reliable source of income—to engage in music instead. At a local bar, Guthrie performs for a woman named Sue Ann and spends the night with her. On his porch, he encounters Heavy Chandler, a recently released mental patient, and encourages him to express his thoughts through painting. After performing at a square dance, a dust storm compels everyone indoors. Guthrie suggests to Mary that he should leave to seek work, and eventually, he departs, leaving her a note.

During his travels, Guthrie rides a train with Slim Snedeger and other hobos. When a fight breaks out, Guthrie and Slim jump to another train; however, railroad enforcers compel those without money to disembark. Slim is able to afford the fare, but Guthrie, being broke, continues on foot, and they part ways. Guthrie later offends a middle-class couple who provide him a ride, leading them to drop him off. In a bar, he earns a meal by playing the piano and spends the night with a waitress. He subsequently rides with a family bound for California, but at the state border, police demand $50 for entry. Guthrie leaves the family and joins a nearby hobo camp. In Los Angeles, he meets Luther and Liz Johnson, a migrant couple struggling to find employment. Upon discovering that jobs are both scarce and poorly compensated, Guthrie offers to paint a sign at a soup kitchen, but his only recompense is a serving of soup.

Later, union organizer Ozark Bule arrives at the camp, performing union songs. When company thugs disrupt the gathering, Guthrie escapes with Ozark, who assists him in obtaining a radio job where Guthrie's songs about the working class achieve popularity. However, station owner Mr. Locke insists that Guthrie refrain from singing about unions and instead focus on entertainment. Although Guthrie initially acquiesces, he eventually resumes performing protest songs, resulting in conflict with Locke. Ultimately refusing to compromise, Guthrie is dismissed from his position. He brings Mary and their children to Los Angeles, but he feels out of place amid the wealth surrounding him. Luther, bruised from a beating, informs Guthrie that his songs provide inspiration to the laborers. Frustrated, Guthrie tears up a list of "safe" songs, leaves the studio, and resumes traveling, performing protest songs at migrant camps and factories.

While performing at a fruit-packing plant, Guthrie is assaulted by company enforcers, who destroy his guitar. Undeterred, he continues to travel by train and perform his songs. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Locke extends one final opportunity to Guthrie, but he is terminated once again after dedicating a song to farm workers. As Guthrie departs, Ozark informs him that an agent has arranged a coast-to-coast radio show for him and secured an audition at the prestigious Ambassador Hotel. Guthrie purchases toys for his children, only to discover that Mary and the girls have already left. During the hotel audition, the owner offers him a position but insists on dressing him in overalls and presenting him as part of a hillbilly act. Refusing to cater to the wealthy, Guthrie walks out, returns to the railroad yard, hops on a train, and resumes singing protest songs from the top of a boxcar, remaining true to his roots.

Cast

with appearances by

Production

Arthur Krim of United Artists agreed to finance the film on the basis of Ashby's reputation, even before a star had signed on. [2]

Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson both turned down the role. Richard Dreyfuss was considered. Tim Buckley was going to be offered the part but died of a drug overdose. Ashby interviewed David Carradine but turned him down, in part because he felt Carradine was too tall. However over time he reconsidered. "He had the right rural look and the musicianship," said Ashby. "And he had a ‘to hell with you’ attitude." [2]

Ashby later said Carradine's "to hell with you" attitude did cause him some problems during filming. "Once, when we were doing a scene, some migrant workers marched by. David started marching with them. By the time we found him, he was two miles away; and he had held up shooting for three hours.” [2]

The railroad scenes were filmed on the Sierra Railroad. Ashby wanted a "big" freight train for the movie, as opposed to the shorter trains commonly used in filmmaking. The railroad assembled a train of 34 freight cars. Scenes taking place on the Texas panhandle that did not include views of a locomotive were filmed near Stockton, California, using diesel locomotives. Scenes showing locomotives utilized three steam locomotives owned by the Sierra Railroad, and were filmed in and around Oakdale, California, and the roundhouse scenes were filmed at what is now Railtown 1897 in Jamestown, California. [5]

Reception

As of January 2024, Bound for Glory holds a rating of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews. The consensus summarizes: "Bound for Glory brings the Dust Bowl era to authentic life thanks to Haskell Wexler's opulent cinematography and Woody Guthrie's resonant music, capturing the American mood at the time as much as it does the folk singer's life." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film, calling it "one of the best-looking films ever made." However, Ebert claimed the beauty of the film was often achieved at the cost of the tone. [7]

Accolades

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Picture Robert F. Blumofe and Harold Leventhal Nominated [8]
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium Robert Getchell Nominated
Best Cinematography Haskell Wexler Won
Best Costume Design William Ware Theiss Nominated
Best Film Editing Robert C. Jones and Pembroke J. Herring Nominated
Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score Leonard Rosenman Won
Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Hal Ashby Nominated [9]
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [10]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama David Carradine Nominated
Best Director – Motion Picture Hal AshbyNominated
New Star of the Year – Actress Melinda Dillon Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Cinematography Haskell WexlerWon [11]
National Board of Review Awards Best Actor David CarradineWon [12]
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Cinematography Haskell WexlerWon [13]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor David CarradineRunner-up [14]
Society of Camera Operators Awards Historical Shot Garrett Brown Won [15]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium Robert GetchellNominated [16]

American Film Institute

Soundtrack

The Academy Award-winning score was released internationally in 1976 by United Artists Records, in an album containing Leonard Rosenman's music and Woody Guthrie's songs with David Carradine in the vocals. In 2012, it was also released as a CD by Intrada Records, with some of the incidental cues remixed into four orchestral suites. [18]

Home media

On February 29, 2000 "Bound for Glory" was released on DVD by MGM. It included dialog dubbed in French, and subtitles in French and Spanish, but no English subtitles. [19]

In January 2016, Bound for Glory was released in Blu-ray format, in a limited edition, by Twilight Time. [20] In April 2022, another Blu-ray was released by Sandpiper Pictures. [21] Both versions have English subtitles.

Related Research Articles

<i>Harold and Maude</i> 1971 film by Hal Ashby

Harold and Maude is a 1971 American romantic black comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama. The plot follows the exploits of Harold Chasen, a young man who is intrigued with death, and who rejects the life his detached mother prescribes for him. Harold develops a friendship, and eventual romantic relationship, with 79-year-old Maude who teaches Harold about the importance of living life to its fullest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Guthrie</span> American singer-songwriter (1912–1967)

Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and composer who was one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He inspired several generations both politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land".

<i>Nashville</i> (film) 1975 American musical comedy-drama film by Robert Altman

Nashville is a 1975 American musical comedy drama film directed and produced by Robert Altman. The film follows various people involved in the country and gospel music industry in Nashville, Tennessee, over the five-day period leading up to a gala concert for a populist outsider running for president on the Replacement Party ticket.

<i>Coming Home</i> (1978 film) 1978 film by Hal Ashby

Coming Home is a 1978 American romantic war drama film directed by Hal Ashby from a screenplay written by Waldo Salt and Robert C. Jones with story by Nancy Dowd. It stars Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford, Robert Carradine and Robert Ginty. The film's narrative follows a perplexed woman, her Marine husband, and a paraplegic Vietnam War veteran with whom she develops a romantic relationship while her husband is deployed in Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Ashby</span> American film director and editor (1929–1988)

William Hal Ashby was an American film director and editor. His work exemplified the countercultural attitude of the era. He directed wide ranging films featuring iconic performances. He is associated with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Mike Nichols, and Sidney Lumet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Carradine</span> American actor (1936–2009)

David Carradine was an American actor, director, and producer, whose career included over 200 major and minor roles in film, television and on stage. He was widely known to television audiences as the star of the 1970s television series Kung Fu, playing Kwai Chang Caine, a peace-loving Shaolin monk traveling through the American Old West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Land Is Your Land</span> Folk song by Woody Guthrie

"This Land Is Your Land" is a song by American folk singer Woody Guthrie. One of the United States' most famous folk songs, its lyrics were written in 1940 in critical response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Its melody is based on a Carter Family tune called "When the World's on Fire". When Guthrie was tired of hearing Kate Smith sing "God Bless America" on the radio in the late 1930s, he sarcastically called his song "God Blessed America for Me" before renaming it "This Land Is Your Land".

<i>Death Race 2000</i> 1975 action film directed by Paul Bartel

Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American dystopian science-fiction action film directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman for New World Pictures. Set in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, the film centers on the murderous Transcontinental Road Race, in which participants score points by striking and killing pedestrians. David Carradine stars as "Frankenstein", the leading champion of the race, who is targeted by an underground rebel movement seeking to abolish the race. The cast also features Simone Griffeth, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov, Martin Kove, and Don Steele.

<i>The Squid and the Whale</i> 2005 film by Noah Baumbach

The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in 1986. The film is named after the giant squid and sperm whale diorama housed at the American Museum of Natural History, which is seen in the film. The film was shot on Super 16 mm, mostly using a handheld camera.

<i>Boxcar Bertha</i> 1972 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Boxcar Bertha is a 1972 American romantic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Roger Corman, from a screenplay by Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington. Made on a low budget, the film is a loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, a pseudo-autobiographical account of the fictional character Bertha Thompson. It was Scorsese's second feature film.

Harold Leventhal was an American music manager. Leventhal's career began as a song plugger for Irving Berlin and then Benny Goodman. While working for Goodman, he connected with a new artist, Frank Sinatra, booking him as a singer for a Benny Goodman event. Leventhal later managed The Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Alan Arkin, Judy Collins, Theodore Bikel, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Mary Travers, Tom Paxton, Don McLean and many others, and promoted major concert events in the genre, thus playing a significant role in the popularization and influence of American folk music in the 1950s and 1960s. He died in 2005 at the age of 86.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Hills</span> Song written by Woody and Jack Guthrie

"Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by Woody Guthrie. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do Re Mi (Woody Guthrie song)</span>

"Do Re Mi" is a folk song by American songwriter Woody Guthrie. The song deals with the experiences and reception of Dust Bowl migrants when they arrive in California. It is known for having two guitar parts, both recorded by Guthrie.

<i>Bound for Glory</i> (book) 1943 autobiography of Woody Guthrie

Bound for Glory is the partially fictionalized autobiography of folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie. The book describes Guthrie's childhood, his travels across the United States as a hobo on the railroad, and his recognition as a singer. Some of the experiences of fruit picking and a hobo camp are similar to those described in The Grapes of Wrath.

"Down in the Valley", also known as "Birmingham Jail", is a traditional American folk song. It has been recorded by many artists and is included in the Songs of Expanding America recordings in Burl Ives' six-album set Historical America in Song.

Goebel Leon Reeves was an American folk singer, born in Sherman, Texas, and raised in Austin.

Bound for Glory may refer to:

"Grand Coulee Dam" is an American folk song recorded in 1941 by Woody Guthrie.

"This Train", also known as "This Train Is Bound for Glory", is a traditional African-American gospel song first recorded in 1922. Although its origins are unknown, the song was relatively popular during the 1920s as a religious tune, and it became a gospel hit in the late 1930s for singer-guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. After switching from acoustic to electric guitar, Tharpe released a more secular version of the song in the early 1950s.

The Railroad Revival Tour is a music festival tour created by David Conway that launched in 2011 featuring popular roots, folk, country, rock, bluegrass and Americana acts.

References

  1. "The Films of Hal Ashby". Beach, Christopher (2009). Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, p. 176, ISBN   978-0-8143-3415-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Harmetz, Aljean (5 December 1976). "Gambling on a Film About the Great Depression". New York Times.
  3. Bound for Glory at IMDb
  4. "Steadicam 30th anniversary press release". Archived from the original on 2014-04-30.
  5. Jensen, Larry (2018). Hollywood's RailroadsE: Sierra Railroad. Vol. Two. Sequim, WashinSgton: Cochetopa Press. pp. 54–55. ISBN   9780692064726.
  6. "Bound for Glory". Rotten Tomatoes .
  7. Ebert, Roger. "Bound for Glory movie review & film summary (1977) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  8. "The 49th Academy Awards (1977) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  9. "Official Selection 1977: All the Selection". festival-cannes.fr. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013.
  10. "Bound for Glory". Golden Globe Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. "The 2nd Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. "1976 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  13. "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. December 19, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  14. "1976 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  15. "Past SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards". Society of Operating Cameramen. December 6, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  16. "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  17. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  18. "Woody Guthrie, Leonard Rosenman, David Carradine – Bound For Glory - Original Motion Picture Score". Discogs (published 2022). 1976. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. Amazon.com: Bound for Glory [DVD] : David Carradine, Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland, John Lehne, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Randy Quaid, Elizabeth Macey, Susan Vaill, Sarah Vaill, Alexandra Mock, Kimberly Mock, Hal Ashby, Robert Getchell, Woody Guthrie: Movies & TV. ISBN   0792843568.
  20. "Bound for Glory Blu-ray Limited Edition to 3000". Blu-ray.com. January 19, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  21. "Bound for Glory Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. April 19, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.