MovieChat Forums > The Beguiled (2017) Discussion > The original was one of the worst Clint ...

The original was one of the worst Clint Eastwood movies

posted 8 years ago by Johnboy1221
10 replies | jump to latest

The original was one of the sickest films I ever sat through, and some idiot decided to remake it? What's up with that? They can count me out, for sure.

[–] swinggold 8 years ago

The original was actually very good and one of Clint's most underrated movies. Maybe you should watch it with adult supervision and you'll understand it better.

[–] johnnylightfire 8 years ago

Well said. Underrated and quite enjoyable film.

[–] VanillaLimeCoke 8 years ago

Yeah ikr.

Maybe this one will be better.

[–] GravyChugger 8 years ago

The 1971 version of THE BEGUILED is a work of high art, guy. It's exceptionally well-crafted, the acting is superb and that script is both unique and innovative, not to mention exquisitely plotted. What do you mean when you say that it's "sick"? Is it really so offensive to see women get the upper hand with a man? If so, you'd better skip PLAY MISTY FOR ME (another of Eastwood's crowning achievements, although it's not as extraordinary as THE BEGUILED).

[–] Johnboy1221 8 years ago

I'm sorry, but I don't consider a movie in which a group of sick females torture a man to be high art. I don't even consider it watchable. I've seen Play Misty For Me, and it was alright, though again not high art.

[–] GravyChugger 8 years ago

I'm sorry it bothered you so much. It's definitely disturbing, but that's because it's a horror movie at heart, and it was high time that the genders be reversed in such films as it was (and is) typically male aggressors causing mayhem to female victims. I've always been a fan of thrillers and horror films with male protagonists in peril; they freak me out in a very direct way, being that I'm a man who likes to be scared and upset by horror movies.

THE BEGUILED was the first American film (that I know of) to popularize the short-lived (and infrequently explored) sub-genre of the horror/western. As such, it remains the best of the lot. I was offended and upset by it as well, but I realize that was the filmmakers' intention, so I have no choice but to say: They shot, they scored.

And yeah, in the sub-genre this movie belongs to, it's high art on every conceivable level (dramatically, technically, aesthetically, etc.). Sorry you can't see that.

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 7 years ago

There are plenty of horror and thriller films where the villain or aggressor is a woman/women actually. So it isn't a rarity.

[–] joekiddlouischama 8 years ago

I'm sorry, but I don't consider a movie in which a group of sick females torture a man to be high art. I don't even consider it watchable. I've seen Play Misty For Me, and it was alright, though again not high art.

Obviously, the subject matter disturbed you, but The Beguiled is a very artistic film—from the direction, to the cinematography, to the editing, to the score, to the writing, to the acting. Moreover, the film is highly nuanced and complex. I would suggest that your summary is misleadingly simplistic, making The Beguiled out to be some B-movie horror flick. Rather, it is about human complexity, and certainly not all—or even most—of the women engage in cruel or torturous behavior. One female character, who is not necessarily malevolent yet happens to be highly ambiguous, tormented, and vengeful, basically takes the lead in that regard. Another eventually tries to save the man, and the rest are either horrified spectators or susceptible to their own raw emotions and the manipulative leadership of the headmistress.

Play Misty for Me is more of a stalker film, but it is very stylish and actually original. Many movie have since copied its premise, but Misty established it.

The Beguiled, however, really transcends genre.

[–] LetThemEatCake (2717) 7 years ago

yet you surely consider the sadism in something like Pulp Fiction to be art lol.

[–] cookiela2001 8 years ago

OMG...the original is very haunting, perfectly cast, and very well produced. Geraldine Page, especially, is amazing in it.

.