Tiburon International Film Festival

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Year:  2004
Running Time:  89 minutes
Country:  USA
Genre:  Documentary
Cast:  Narrated by Kris Kristofferson; With: Billy Bob Thornton, Benicio Del Toro, Roger Ebert, Elvis Mitchell, Stella Stevens...
Showtime:   Sunday, March 13, 2005 @ 03:00 PM
Director:  Tom Thurman

Description:  Spattered with blood and controversy, Sam Peckinpah's Westerns revolutionized their genre. SAM PECKINPAH'S WEST: LEGACY OF A HOLLYWOOD RENEGADE goes in search of the man behind these legendary films. Through a poignant array of film clips and rare interviews, the documentary reveals a tortured artist whose genius and demons changed the Western forever.

Interviews include actor/director Billy Bob Thornton, Benicio Del Toro, Paul Schrader, film critic Roger Ebert, actors who worked with Peckinpah such as Harry Dean Stanton, Stella Stevens, L.Q. Jones and others. The personal side of Peckinpah will feature interviews with family members, sister Fern Lee, son Mathew Peckinpah, plus exclusive home movies and photos.

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Born in 1925, Peckinpah’s hometown of Fresno, California was for him the final frontier of the Old West. With older brother Denny and younger sister Fern Lea, there was plenty to explore on and around the Peckinpah ranch. The surrounding mountains and the wilderness would become etched in his memory forever, and he kept trying to get back there all his life, redefining the Western genre in the process.

After enlisting in the Marines and then studying drama at college, Sam Peckinpah made his way to Los Angeles, arriving upon the ‘50s television scene at just the right time for both the man and the medium. They needed Westerns by the gross, and he took what work he could get, which included writing and occasionally directing episodes for series such as “Gunsmoke,” “Broken Arrow,” “Zane Grey Theatre,” “The Rifleman,” and eventually creating “The Westerner.” That series was universally lauded for its originality and intelligence, and consequently lasted all of half a season.

“The Westerner” did lead to Sam’s first feature film, The Deadly Companions (1961) starring Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara. Largely forgotten today, the film still anticipates themes of the dying West Sam would continue to refine throughout his singular career. And it marks the beginning of his epic battles with producers.marks the beginning of his epic battles with producers. He died in 1984.

Sam Peckinpah Filmography:

Director

“Gunsmoke” (1955) - Television
"Broken Arrow” (1956) – Television
“Zane Grey Theater” (1956) – Television
“Trackdown” (1957) – Television
“The Rifleman” (1958) – Television
“The Westerner” (1960) – Television
“Route 66” (1960) – Television
“Klondike” (1960) – Television
The Deadly Companions (1961)
“The Dick Powell Show” (1961) – Television
Ride the High Country (1962)
“Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre” (1963) – Television
Major Dundee (1965)
Noon Wine (1966) – Television Special
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
Junior Bonner (1972)
The Getaway (1972)
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Convoy (1978)
Jinxed! (1982) Uncredited
The Osterman Weekend (1983)

Writer

“Gunsmoke” (1955) - Television
“The 20th Century Fox Hour” (1955) - Television
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – Uncredited
“Broken Arrow” (1956) – Television
“Zane Grey Theater” (1956) – Television
“The Rifleman” (1958) – Television
“The Westerner” (1960) – Television
“Route 66” (1960) – Television
“The Dick Powell Show” (1961) – Television
Ride the High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
The Glory Guys (1965)
“Noon Wine” (1966) – Television Special
Villa Rides (1968)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Straw Dogs (1971)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Actor

Dial Red O (1955)
An Annapolis Story (1955)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
Convoy (1978)
China 9, Liberty 37 (1978)
The Visitor (1979)

Producer

"The Westerner” (1960) - Television
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

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