Product Description

Two very different men hitchhike across country and form a unique friendship.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 12-JUL-2005
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14612 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-07-12
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the great lost buddy films of the 1970s, this Jerry Schatzberg movie somehow never found its audience, despite the fact that both lead actors were riding high: Hackman from The French Connection, Pacino from The Godfather. They play a pair of drifters, seeing America by thumb, who hook up and discover unexpected soul mates in each other. Hackman is the loner who would rather pile on another layer of clothes than chance letting someone get close to him; Pacino is the likably funny loser who gets under Hackman's skin and teaches him to open up. Together, they hatch a plan to save up and buy their own car wash. But try as they do to keep each other out of trouble, their friendship provides only limited protection, though each take something positive away. Endearing performances that never sink to sentimentality; Pacino, in particular, proves that he could just as easily have been a screen comic as one of the great dramatic actors. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Another Great Seventies Film
"Scarecrow" is another example as to why the seventies were a great decade for filmmaking. Studios were willing to take a chance on dicey material and stars would eschew their vanity for the sake of art. For a while I thought this film was adrift like it's two main characters Max(Gene Hackman) and Lion (Al Pacino). It's around the midway point of this film that these characters start shedding layers of their respective psyches like the copious clothes that Max wears. The film turns poignant and ultimately tragic and a little hopeful. For me to reveal the details of the plot would be a disservice to any potential viewers so trust me that you will be rewarded. Needless to say both Hackman and Pacino are superb here. The film is beautifully photographed by master cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. Credit director Jerry Schatzberg for taking us on an odyssey with two fascinating, albeit lost, souls.

Great underseen film
This movie is somewhat experimental, yes, but if you like Hackman or Pacino, you will go for this film because it rides on the strength of their collective talents. It's sort of like Of Mice and Men meets Waiting for Godot. Can you imagine two huge movie stars (Hackman and Pacino both in their absolute prime) playing two drifters in a low-budget film like this today? These are great, uncharacteristic performances by both men. In its visual style (lots of long takes and jump cuts) and story arc (or lack thereof) you can see why this film would appeal so much to French audiences (it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes). Therefore, if you detest French cinema, you probably won't like this film much. If you enjoy great acting, though, you will love Scarecrow.

An Overlooked Gem
The gift of a "last match" sparks a friendship between two drifters. Max (Gene Hackman), an ex-con, is a tough, cynical, angry man ("I don't love anybody, I don't trust anybody, and I can tear the ass out of an elephant"). Lionel (Al Pacino), recently back from sea, moves at a different tempo. His theory is that laughter is the key (the farmer's scarecrow makes the crows laugh, so they leave him alone out of appreciation).

Lionel's generosity with the match brings the two diverse characters together, and soon Max reveals his plan to open a car wash in Pittsburgh, and invites "Lion" to "go in bidness" with him. So, they're off to Pennsylvania, with two stops along the way -- a visit to Max's sister in Denver, and then up to Detroit for a confrontation between Lionel and the pregnant girl he abandoned.

Their contradictory personalities act as a magnet that pulls each towards a middle ground, as Max begins to soften in the warmth of his newfound friendship, and events occur that cause Lionel to question his "scarecrow" theory.

Hackman creates an unforgettable character in Max. I've seen most of his work, which obviously includes the award-winning performance in "The French Connection", and this is his best. I think that there is a lot of Gene Hackman infused into "Max", I see pieces of this character in all of his other roles. That's not to slight Al Pacino, who does a fine job as the diminutive Lionel, moving towards a critical and uncertain reunion.

This film grows on you, like a friendship. It has been largely ignored, and deserves a better fate.