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Scarecrow (1973 film)
Encyclopedia
Scarecrow is a 1973
road movie
starring Gene Hackman
and Al Pacino
.
: Max Milian (Gene Hackman
), a short-tempered ex-convict
, and Francis Lionel "Lion" Delbuchi (Al Pacino
), a childlike ex-sailor
. They meet on the road in California
and agree to become partners in a business, once they reach Pittsburgh.
Lion is on his way to Detroit to see the child he has never met and make amends with his wife Annie, to whom he has been sending all the money he made while at sea. Max agrees to make a detour on his way to Pittsburgh, where the bank that Max has been sending all his seed money
is located. His plans are to open a car wash
, with Lionel as a partner.
While visiting Max's sister in Denver, the two's antics land them in a prison work-house for a month. Max blames Lion for being sent back to jail and shuns him. Lion is befriended, then assaulted by an inmate named Riley (Richard Lynch). Max proceeds to teach Riley a lesson, rekindling his friendship with Lion.
The two have a profound effect on each other, with Lion becoming more of an adult and Max loosening up his high-strung aggression (at one point doing a tongue-in-cheek striptease
to diffuse a fight at a bar). When they do finally make it to Detroit, Max has to take care of Lion, who becomes catatonic after hearing the passing of his unborn child (a lie made up by Annie to make Lion guilty for leaving them).
. The story wasn't an original. He got the idea from a friend, with a promise that the producers would cast his friend as the character "Lion." When Pacino signed on to do the movie, obviously this promise never materialized.
Although Hackman and Pacino worked well together, they clearly had different styles of acting. Pacino was more of the method actor, whereas Hackman was completely the opposite.
Director Jerry Schatzberg
was not the first choice. The original director was fired, and Schatzberg was brought on board in part thanks to Pacino, who had worked with him in an earlier film, The Panic in Needle Park
.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
road movie
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
starring Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
and Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
.
Synopsis
The story revolves around the odd relationship between two vagabondsVagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
: Max Milian (Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
), a short-tempered ex-convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
, and Francis Lionel "Lion" Delbuchi (Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
), a childlike ex-sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
. They meet on the road in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and agree to become partners in a business, once they reach Pittsburgh.
Lion is on his way to Detroit to see the child he has never met and make amends with his wife Annie, to whom he has been sending all the money he made while at sea. Max agrees to make a detour on his way to Pittsburgh, where the bank that Max has been sending all his seed money
Seed money
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding, friends and family funding or angel funding , is a securities offering whereby one or more parties that have some connection to a new enterprise invest the funds necessary to start the business so that it has enough funds to sustain itself for a period...
is located. His plans are to open a car wash
Car wash
A car wash or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior and, in some cases, the interior of motor vehicles.- Categories :...
, with Lionel as a partner.
While visiting Max's sister in Denver, the two's antics land them in a prison work-house for a month. Max blames Lion for being sent back to jail and shuns him. Lion is befriended, then assaulted by an inmate named Riley (Richard Lynch). Max proceeds to teach Riley a lesson, rekindling his friendship with Lion.
The two have a profound effect on each other, with Lion becoming more of an adult and Max loosening up his high-strung aggression (at one point doing a tongue-in-cheek striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
to diffuse a fight at a bar). When they do finally make it to Detroit, Max has to take care of Lion, who becomes catatonic after hearing the passing of his unborn child (a lie made up by Annie to make Lion guilty for leaving them).
Cast
- Gene HackmanGene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as Max Millan - Al PacinoAl PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
as Francis Lionel "Lion" Delbuchi - Eileen BrennanEileen BrennanEileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
as Darlene - Dorothy Tristan as Coley
- Ann WedgeworthAnn WedgeworthAnn Wedgeworth is a Tony award winning American actress, best known for her role as Lahoma Vane Lucas on the daytime dramas Another World and Somerset .-Early life:...
as Frenchy - Richard Lynch as Riley
- Penelope Allen as Annie Gleason
- Richard Hackman as Mickey Grenwood
- Al Cingolani as Skipper
- Rutanya AldaRutanya Alda-Life:Rutanya Alda was born as Rutanya Alda Skrastiņa in Riga, Latvia, the daughter of Vera , a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet...
as Woman in camp
Casting
- Penny Allen plays the mother of Pacino's son in Scarecrow. The two would later appear in Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
together. - Gene HackmanGene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
's brother Richard appears as Mickey in the film.
Miscellaneous
The film was written by first-timer Garry Michael WhiteGarry Michael White
Garry Michael White is an American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the screenplay for Scarecrow, which won the Palme D'Or at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. White also co-wrote the 1976 action film Sky Riders and the romantic drama The Promise in 1979.-External links:...
. The story wasn't an original. He got the idea from a friend, with a promise that the producers would cast his friend as the character "Lion." When Pacino signed on to do the movie, obviously this promise never materialized.
Although Hackman and Pacino worked well together, they clearly had different styles of acting. Pacino was more of the method actor, whereas Hackman was completely the opposite.
Director Jerry Schatzberg
Jerry Schatzberg
Jerry Schatzberg is a photographer and film director.-Career:Schatzberg was born to a Jewish family of furriers and grew up in the Bronx. He photographed for magazines such as Vogue, Esquire and McCalls. He made his debut as a feature film director with 1970's Puzzle of a Downfall Child starring...
was not the first choice. The original director was fired, and Schatzberg was brought on board in part thanks to Pacino, who had worked with him in an earlier film, The Panic in Needle Park
The Panic in Needle Park
The Panic in Needle Park is a 1971 American film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino in his second film appearance. The screenplay was written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, adapted from the book by James Mills....
.