MovieChat Forums > Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) Discussion > One of The Greatest Films Ever Made!

One of The Greatest Films Ever Made!

posted 15 years ago by AntoniousBlok
17 replies | jump to latest

This film is one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of cinema and anyone who thinks its 'one of the worst' (Whaaa...????? )(see previous thread) is a fool who doesn't know anything about films and should stick to the latest episode of Pirates of The Caribbean or Mission Improbable or Transformers. "Alfredo" kicks ass!!! This is the ultimate descent into hell-on-earth nightmare horror. Haunting and truly unforgettable. It just doesn't get any darker or bleaker than this. And featuring Warren Oates' greatest performance. And the lovely Isela Vega. This is the ultimate Sam Peckinpah film! Check out Roger Ebert's views here http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19740801/REV IEWS/401010307/1023 and here http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011028/REV IEWS08/110280301/1023. (You might want to skip the second review til after you've watched the film as it's got lots of spoilers.)

Peckinpah himself has said that "Alfredo" was the only film of his that was completely his, exactly as he wanted to make it, with no studio butchering or interference, censor's cuts or whatever. Thankfully, this has changed enormously in recent years, of course, with fully restored versions of several of Sam's films released on DVD to great acclaim. With one sad exception being "Pat Garrett", unfortunately:-(

"At the San Francisco Film Festival held in 1974 at which Peckinpah was honored with a retrospective of his work, he answered an inquiry about whether he ever hoped to release a "pure Peckinpah" film with "I did. Alfredo Garcia, and I did it exactly the way I wanted to. Good or bad, like it or not, that was my film"." From "Peckinpah: A Portrait In Montage" by Garner Simmons, 1998.

Brutal and disturbing, and so, soo sad, this is an All Time Classic and possibly Peckinpah's greatest!

10/10

[–] TayshaWaffles 15 years ago

obviously you're a big fan, from a dispassionate point of view, I watched this film for the first time last night and, yes, it is excellent. There are many small touches that you wouldn't expect such as Kristofferson wiping his nose before the attempted rape etc. Also what Robert Webber does in the bar to the hooker! Shocking! A great parable about pursuing money at any cost!

[–] stewie-3 15 years ago

Maybe a few minor SPOILERS to follow

I watched ...Garcia for the first time last night, and I thought it was very, very good. It wasn't without its flaws, but it worked more often that not. I especially liked the unusually sympathetic (at least by Peckinpah standards) nature of Isela Vega's "Elita". I wasn't sure about Oates' "Bennie" at first, but he just kept getting better as the film progressed. By the finale, I had decided "Bennie" was arguably the best performance of Oates' career.

I give the film a 7.5/10

[–] TayshaWaffles 15 years ago

You're right, it was a complex performance.

[–] khan0890 14 years ago

indeed... it's a masterpiece.

kim morgan's got an awesome essay on it up on her blog that begins with an amazing piece of prose: "I blame Warren Oates. Or rather, his white suited, blood spattered beautiful loser named Bennie. This is the man who ruined me for all others -- romantically, sexually, heroically, pitifully, existentially, all of it -- throw in the filthy kitchen sink soaking a seeping red sack."

it's linked on my blog below... check it out.

http://nyccine.blogspot.com/

[–] pbl1 14 years ago

'one of the worst' (Whaaa...????? )

What the $%*& is a Chinese Downhill?!?

[–] bobbyt1962 13 years ago

would some of the posters that think this is an all time great list their other candidates for a "top 10 or 20" or something that would provide context to your evaluation. i do like warren oates in here, and the story is good for me too. i like the locations, the supporting cast, cinematography. but the direction is what brings this down for me. i'm not a fan of remakes, but this is one i'd like to see. somebody that could make the love story less wooden. maybe not photograph skidding cars in slo-mo. create a mood of either pure fantasy (the fantasy of the best shot in mexico being a piano playing loser who has likely never seen a shooting range) or a grittier tone which makes things seem plausible. i see shortcomings obviously, but i really like many aspects of it-- i'm just trying to understand the criterion that makes it an all time great..

[–] dschoenike 12 years ago

top 10 that i can think of right now :)

Memento
Dr. Strangelove
Primer
The Thing (1982)
Donnie Darko
Saving Private Ryan
The Departed
Rainman
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Monsters Inc.

And i absolutley love Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. :) I think i have a pretty open mind about films, and love all kinds. Just something about this one, really stuck with me through the years. Maybe its just the simplicity in which it was made and told.

[–] WalterDenton 12 years ago

I am not one who thinks it's great, i have seen all and i mean all of Peckinpaughs films, and this one is lousy, terrible, as a film to compare to others, but ah, it is art, and art like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. As a Peckinpaugh film it is like it's lovers say it is. Personally, i think Ride the High Country is better than this, which is one of my favorites of all time. While violence is part of some stories, it seems toward end of his career-Peckinpaughs whole purpose for a film was to just be as violent as they came film wise-to this he succeeded. The Wild Bunch truly takes you there. Now, my last bit on this-Warren Oates as a star of a film is just sad. Then again, this film was made in the early -mid 70's, so it is par for the course.

"It's the stuff that dreams are made of."

[–] armanmarok 11 years ago

1. Amélie (2001)
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
3. Dekalog (1988)
4. The Innocents (1961)
5. Leon (1994)
6. Brazil (1985)
7. Suspiria (1977)
8. The Killer (1989)
9. Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
10. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

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The darker the shadow, the more radiant the light it beams.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] armanmarok 11 years ago

Murmur of The Heart? Great choice! My favorite Malle film!!

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The darker the shadow, the more radiant the light it beams.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] armanmarok 11 years ago

Yeah, Malle really knows how to make a story special. He didn't try to gross out or forced his viewers what to feel, he just laid the story bare and let his viewers decide. Magical, considering there's one huge aspect in Murmur many people would find disgusting to watch. You know what I mean, yeah? ><

And sorry, but The Innocents just dropped from my top 10. I rewatched it but it no longer scares me. Sad, but I have to admit its magic is now lost. :(

Supiria still is, though. It ranks number 1 as my favorite horror movie ever now for never losing its touch no matter how many times I've watched it. This here is my top 25 movies I just finished assembling:

1. Amélie (2001)
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
3. Dekalog (1988)
4. The Godfather (1972)
5. Léon (1994)
6. Suspiria (1977)
7. The Killer (1989)
8. Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
9. Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953)
10. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
11. Eyes Without A Face (1960)
12. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
13. Band of Outsiders (1964)
14. Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972)
15. Brazil (1985)
16. A Heart In Winter (1992)
17. Lost In Translation (2003)
18. That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
19. North By Northwest (1959)
20. Persona (1966)
21. The Seven Year Itch (1955)
22. Central Station (1998)
23. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
24. The Wages of Fear (1953)
25. Zombi 2 (1979)

Of course, Alfredo Garcia is still up there! How can it not?! ^_^

In a way, I think Peckinpah made better Western movies than Leone & Ford. Alfredo Garcia is still the best western movie ever for me.

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The darker the shadow, the more radiant the light it beams.

[–] bobbyt1962 11 years ago

thanks to the posters and their lists. though bmthoag isn't on my "op" list. YOUR lists have provided a great deal of grist for me. thanks again for your replies .

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] prplayer 8 years ago

steady now

so many movies, so little time