BOUND FOR GLORY
US, 1976, 148 minutes, Colour.
David Carradine, Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland, Randy Quaid, John Lehne.
Directed by Hal Ashby.
Bound For Glory is a look at Depression worn and weary Texas/California in 1936 (Oscar nomination 1976) and the placing of Woody Guthrie and his songs of social concern in this context, must have great American appeal. But its quiet intensity, the vividness of its re-creation of the times and an excellent cast headed by an engaging David Carradine as Woody Guthrie should mean local interest and enjoyment. The desperation of poverty and the inroads on human dignity, when people are denied work and livelihood and are cruelly exploited, make the film a forceful comment on 20th century conditions.
1. The quality of the film? American acclaim and recognition? Did it deserve the awards that it won?
2. The purpose in making the film? Based on the autobiography of Woody Guthrie? His particular view of the Depression and social injustice? Woody Guthrie as an American folk hero, the prototype of the hobo, hippie with a purpose? The significance of his music in itself, social protest, place in the American tradition, style? The personality of the man and the impact in his time, now? The objectivity of Guthrie's life in a particular phase, the subjectivity of his point of view? How well did the film make Guthrie the hero ? reverence, objective?
3. The importance of the re-creation of America in 1936? The dust bowl, the small towns, the Depression? The look of Texas as pervaded by dust, poverty contrasting with the clarity and the hopes of California? The feel of the times, the emotional involvement of people? The importance of the cross-section of people from the ordinary folk of Texas and their Depression experiences, the people on the road who are victims, the victimisers? The city people of California, the bosses, the people working in the fields, the helpers, radio people, the rich? The appeal to an American audience? NonAmerican? audience?
4. The length of the film and yet its covering only about one year of Woody Guthrie's life?
5. The use of the songs by indication of theme and lines rather than in their totality? Their particular use for phases of Woody's experience e.g. Walking and Talking, So Long It's Been Good to Know You, California, This Train etc.? The importance of the songs as emerging from experience in both lyrics and melody and style of playing? Guthrie's felt importance of being in touch with the people and playing for them? The feel of the songs, their social comment, the Depression? The significance of the title and its place in the song and its recurrence during the film? Its irony and hope? The consistency of Woody Guthrie in his life attitudes, his songs and beliefs?
6. How well drawn was his character? The quality of David Caradine's performance as embodying Guthrie ? physical presence, slow-moving style, humour and naivety, moods, wandering, social awareness? Silences, mutterings and observations? Woody as a type from Oklahoma and Texas? The strengths of his character, his ordinariness, his particular gifts, his capacity for giving and enthusing people, his conscience, his lack of ability to compromise? The weaknesses of his character in terms of wandering, stubbornness? The film indicated that he was great. In what did his greatness lie?
7. The atmosphere of the opening, Texas and the Depression, the state of Texas by 1936, the physical appearance of the town? Homes, people, visitors in cars, advertisements? The prices for petrol and sodipop? Woody and his painting e.g. the argument with the store owner, the signs? (And Woody playing and telling stories to his children?) The range of the people in the town, the families sitting down to eat, the family sense, the need for jobs? Poverty, the dust and the significance of the visual presentation of the dust storm and its enveloping the town? The dance, people unhappy, dances closing down? The necessity for people to move? California as a goal?
8. The significance of Woody and his answering the man driving through the town and earning the dollar, a sense of awareness of how people are and his reading of them? The feeling in the scene with the woman who was grieving and could not swallow? His reaction to the experience, the indication of his charism and way with people?
9. His bonds with Mary and yet his ability to leave her? The admiring girl in the town an indication of Woody's inconstant fidelity? His understanding of her, her understanding of her husband? The poverty, trying to cope and manage especially with the children? The importance of Woody's writing to her during the months he was away? Ambiguous fidelity and love? The exhilaration of her arrival, her memories of the bad times and her happiness at having things? Her anger at his irresponsibility to her, as regards the radio people, his wandering and his absences? The important contrast of the tender scene of her arrival and looking over the house and her anger and hitting him? The credibility of her leaving him ? the note, the indication of time etc.? How credible a character of the times and place, how much sympathy did the audience have for her?
10. The importance of the collage of Woody's travels to California? The length, the episodic nature building up an impression of movement and experience? Woody on the road, the landscapes and the barrenness, the mountains and the open road, walking, talking and singing? The cars and the people e.g. the rich people on holidays in Florida? The families and all their goods being taken to California, their not having money to pay the entry fee and having to go back? The riding of the trains? The bond with the negro friend, crippled Whitey and his fights within the trains? The importance of the bashing groups waiting for the trains to come in and humiliate people, make them pay, send them back? The fights and the shooting in the van and the roof of the train? The borders between the states? The rage of people and their attitudes, hopeful and hopeless? What did this do to Woody?
11. The exhilaration of arriving in California and yet its only being a beginning, his experience with the Chinese when he arrived? The discovery of the camps and his reaction to them? The importance of Luther Johnson and his wife and what they represented? Luther and his expressing the pangs and the plight of people searching for work, exploited, in humiliating circumstances, in the camps, desperation? Luther's friendship and bond with Woody, lending his guitar, his visiting him at the radio station after he had been bashed? A sympathetic presentation of the victims of the Depression?
12. The presentation of the work on the fruit valleys, the hopes that were there? The way of life in the camps, the needs for the strikes, the pressures for the building up of unions and official reaction and bashing to these? The meetings? Ozark within this situation? His singing, the following in the camps, getting people to join in and be happy, Woody joining him? A preaching of union moves?
13. Ozark as instrumental in helping Woody to radio? The humour of his audition and his continuing to sing? The possibilities of communication, woody supporting himself and his family? Joining with Memphis Sue for the programmes? The effect on people? Mr. Locke and his way of running things? The world of contracts, sponsors, and the impositions, the avoiding of controversial material, the lists? Ozark's attitude and the ability to compromise? Woody’s inability to compromise?
14. The significance of the interlude with Pauline? As a personality, her being rich, her style at the soup kitchen and friendliness, the painting of the sign, her refusing Woody's advances, the dinner and her stylish manner? Her being one of the rich and being faced with conscience questions? Woody trying to understand her? The effect on her? On him? The tenderness of her happiness, his beginning to care? The way in which he revealed the truth about his marriage and the way in which he left her? Audience empathy with this episode?
15. The contrast of the rich in California with the poor? Concerts and raising funds, the world of hotels and entertainment? Woody unable to bridge the gap between the classes?
16. The importance of his decision not to go and work in the hotel, the atmosphere of the audition? Ozark and the bonds between them? Ozark urging him to stay and yet farewelling him? The significance of the postscript for Woody's life during his career, his illness?
17. The atmosphere of care and tenderness about so many of the sequences? What did this contribute to the audience's response?
18. The style of filming and so many collages of impression of places, people? The attention to detail, of individuals, an authenticity, compassion?
19. A particular portrait of America and its social history? How valuable?
20. The impact of the film as a social document, authentic and real, issues of conscience and change?
