FREE ON YOUTUBE Peter Fonda - The Hired Hand

FREE ON YOUTUBE  To the death of Peter Fonda! Does the sub-genre "spiritual" Western exist?  Certainly! Peter Fonda has made a dreamy spiritual western. In the center; a young man who leaves his wife and child behind to lead the life of a simple cowboy again. And after many years he decides to return to his wife and start all over again. The man's name is Harry Collings (Fonda), his best friend is Arch Harris (Warren Oates). But on their way back they come across a villain. McVey (Severn Darden). At the ranch of his wife they start as wage labourers. But Harry has matured in the ten years (!!!) of his absence and is allowed back into the bedroom. I hope that now not all female customers of our video store are pissed off about this summary. Anyway, we follow this wide ride in dazzling pictures, slowly dissolved, with sun flooded double exposures. A quiet, mystical western, accompanied by real folksy music. The best westerns were always very moral. But also exciting. One arrives at moral clarity through many shootings. That doesn't happen here. The villian simply kidnaps his best friend and announces that he will cut off a finger every week. Time for a showdown - but... it doesn't happen. Everything ends completely different than expected. Just like with "Easy Rider". Sometimes it all seemed a bit too metaphysical to me. But it's 2019. Donald Trump is president of the USA. Instead of hippies there are racist rednecks who all chose Trump. It's certainly my mistake to find Peter Fonda's Western too pregnant with meaning. I live in the wrong time. In any case, Peter Fonda loves to stylise everyday events with Christ symbolism.