Thursday, March 18, 2021
Wise Blood
- Commentary: I don't know why (although, maybe it's because, on my mother's side, two of my ancestors were preachers, one of whom was a fire-and-brimstone circuit rider; another ancestor was a deaconess; a third was a PhD trained church organist as well as a music professor; I never met any of them, they were long dead when I was close enough in the world to meet them, but, you know, DNA and all ...) but I love "preacher" movies, especially the weird ones (weird preachers, that is) and this one sounds like a delightful doozy.
This is definitely the first and likely the last movie write-up in which a car is one of the characters. Hazel's car, though, plays an important part in this story and in Hazel's life. Remember, although this story takes place after an unspecified war, car culture was clearly in its prime throughout most of the 20th century, so it should be no surprise that Hazel's car is an extension of himself, his "home", as he casually christens it, and he treats it as such. In a way, Hazel's car narrows the time frame of the story, at least in the movie. Its model speaks to the Vietnam War era, although Motes could have been returning from service in any part of the world within the time frame suggested by the car. It was an old car, remember.
More later. Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Brad Dourif Hazel Motes John Huston Grandfather Dan Shor Enoch Emory Mary Nell Santacroce Landlady Harry Dean Stanton Asa Hawks Amy Wright Sabbath Lily Hawks Ned Beatty Hoover Shoates William Hickey Preacher J.L. Parker Karl Marvin Sapp Raymond Betty Lou Groover Leora Watts Hazel Motes' Car 1958 Fairlane 500 Town Sedan
The Wikipedia write-up for this film is here.
Release Date: 1979
Directed by John Huston.
Labels: brad-dourif, Criterion1, harry-dean-stanton, ned-beatty, religion2, southern-gothic
