Criterion Review: STRAW DOGS (1971)

Sam Peckinpah’s controversial classic sees new life on Blu

Straw Dogs audiences have never had it easy. Cut by US censors, it was banned in the UK on original release. Even most home video releases have been of edited versions of the feature. The film was given the Criterion treatment on DVD back in 2003, but due to licensing restrictions was only available for a limited time. Thankfully, those problems have been straightened out and Straw Dogs is finally welcomed back to the Criterion family in this re-release of the provocative feature, often regarded as Sam Peckinpah’s finest work.

Synopsis:

In this thriller, perhaps Sam Peckinpah’s most controversial film, David (Dustin Hoffman), a young American mathematician, moves with his English wife, Amy (Susan George), to the village where she grew up. Their sense of safety unravels as the local men David has hired to repair their house prove more interested in leering at Amy and intimidating David, beginning an agonizing initiation into the iron laws of violent masculinity that govern Peckinpah’s world. Working outside the U.S. for the first time, the filmmaker airlifts the ruthlessness of the western frontier into Cornwall in Straw Dogs, pushing his characters to their breaking points as the men brutalize Amy and David discovers how far he’ll go to protect his home — culminating in a harrowing climax that lays out this cinematic mastermind’s eloquent and bloody vision of humanity.

An adaptation of Gordon Williams’ novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm, Peckinpah took the story and made it his own, delivering a controversial feature that stirs as much debate today, when audiences have been exposed to ever more disturbing fare. At its core, it examines concepts of masculinity, of sex and baser instincts punching through the thin veneer that is civilization. David and Amy’s relationship are central to these events. It’s a marriage on the wane, an obvious incompatibility. We see the power-play of an insecure, passive man, one unable to assert himself against other men, smothering his wife to compensate. Above all else, their relationship seems to lack respect. Compounding things is their relocation to the UK, where Amy is back in her niche, leaving David an outsider, more so with his intellectual pursuits and upper class attitude contrasting with the locals, specifically a group of men that instead of admonishing for their behavior, David actually employs to carry out construction work at their home. These internal and external forces contribute to the friction that has a combustible climax.

It’s a part of “masculinity” to challenge others, to vie with the strong for dominance, or to stamp over the weak. David’s pacifism, his inability to meet the escalating challenges to his authority, invite even more aggression from the men, fueled by the sexual energy stemming from his wife’s vivacious nature, as well as her history with one of the men in the group. It all culminates in the film’s most controversial scene, a violation of Amy that is shocking, while layered, full of conflict and interpretation. Much of the buildup is about her allure, in the midst of all these men, who are already stirring their primal natures. Peckinpah subverts the audience from the start; Amy is immediately framed in a sexual manner thanks to a provocative introductory shot by Peckinpah, assisted by the wardrobe department. She may make mistakes, or be naive at times, but the brutality and blame of the incident lie with the men responsible, as it always does. Straw Dogs does not shy away from controversy and brutality, but frames it with the consequences and impact. A later scene following Amy at a church event is one of the most visceral manifestations of the psychological damage of rape committed to film.

The irony that David has absconded to the UK to escape the Vietnam War, only to land himself in the midst of another conflict, is another damnation of his passivity, as are the circumstances in which he finally breaks. Events involving a suspected town pedophile prompt him to make a stand. It’s a mix of morals and viewpoints that only serves to further the audience’s fury with the man after his culpability in Amy’s fate. Violence begets violence; being challenged can test a man’s ideals as much as his limits.

Hoffman gives one of his greatest performances - it’s to his credit that you occasionally feel sympathy for David. The standout in the film is undoubtedly Susan George. It’s a mesmerizing performance that only underlines the film’s effectiveness. Peckinpah expertly ramps up the tension, both in terms of male dominance and sexual energy, as matters build to their breaking point. It’s never forced, never gratuitous, a doom that comes from these forces colliding in the remote English countryside. And yet an ambiguity lingers, a chance at various points for things to be averted. A tragedy, a condemnation of darker parts of our nature, Straw Dogs holds your gaze, no matter how hard you want to look away.

The Package

Being Criterion, you expect a release of the highest quality, and again they deliver. Drawing from something of a muddy palette, I’ve occasionally found past releases of Straw Dogs to be a little murky visually. This new restoration brings greater detail and texture to the transfer, while maintaining natural greens, browns, and skin tones. It’s never looked better. The release includes two discs, with the film on one and special features on the second:

• Audio commentary from 2003 by Stephen Prince, author of Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies: The author makes his case for why Straw Dogs is the pinnacle of Peckinpah’s career, and it’s a very good one too. He touches on technical aspects of the film, as well as more personal tidbits about the director himself. It’s considered, interesting, and often entertaining. One of the best film commentaries I’ve heard.
• Mantrap: “Straw Dogs” — The Final Cut, a 2003 documentary about the making of the film: Just under an hour in length, it blends interviews with cast and crew together with a panel discussion hosted by critic Mark Kermode. It’s a fine addition to the release and a feature that captures much of the reverence held for the Straw Dogs as well as its lasting impact.
• Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron, a 1993 documentary: An old BBC documentary that delves into the life of the director, chronicling his upbringing, while weaving in interviews with friends and family. From his highs to his lows, notably those involving substance abuse, it’s a polished and engrossing affair.
• New conversation between critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker Roger Spottiswoode, one of the editors on the film: A professional, and at times personal, insight into Peckinpah’s creative process, how he organized the shoot, adjusted his approach, and made the book’s story his own. Running around 35 minutes, it’s one of the more interesting features included.
• New interview with film scholar Linda Williams about the film’s controversies: Documentary entitled A Controversial Classic. An interesting addition that focuses on the debate that was stirred up by the film upon its release.
• Archival interviews with actor Susan George, producer Daniel Melnick, and Peckinpah biographer Garner Simmons: Older interviews, each running around twenty minutes, but look like they’ve been given something of a visual update. Each touches on aspects of collaborating with Peckinpah, adaptation of the book, their thoughts on the film and experience of making it.
• Behind-the-scenes footage: Several minutes of footage, presented in black & white, showcasing a few interviews with the cast and director. Not of the best quality, nor does it offer anything not covered in the other extras in some way.
• TV spots and trailers
• PLUS: Criterion Booklet featuring an essay by scholar and critic Joshua Clover and a 1974 print interview with Peckinpah

The Bottom Line

Time has not diminished the impact of Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, a film that lingers in the mind, with Criterion providing the ultimate way to refresh the experience or visit it for the first time, with a host of extras that serve as an education on the director, as well as the film. Harrowing, taut, and engrossing fare.

Straw Dogs is available via Criterion from 27th June, 2017