Customer Reviews

Bound for Glory [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Woody Guthrie is a legendary American figure. His prolific song writing, grass roots activism, and even his influence on other song writers like Bob Dylan and Steve Earle are only partially responsible for that legend. Woody represents a classic American type - the ramblin' man with no fixed home who champions the underdog wherever the wind may blow him, and therein lies the heart of the legend. This film captures that aspect of Woody superbly.
`Bound for Glory' covers Woody's life from just before he left dust bowl Texas to his first sojourn into the sugar bowl of California. It expertly captures the harsh conditions and brutal treatment that inspired many of Woody's songs. From dust storms, desperate migrations via highway and railway, to the squalid conditions of California migrant camps, this film recreates the world that Woody saw.
David Carradine gives a career best performance as Woody. He captures Guthrie's ambiguous nature - from his genuine concern for the downtrodden and oppressed to his irresponsibility in shirking his obligations to his own family. His performance powerfully embodies Guthrie's fierce independence, restlessness, and gut-level dissatisfaction with the system.
This film is a superb addition to the Guthrie legend. If you have ever been moved by Woody's songs, consider it a must see. I highly recommend it.

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Unfortunately, for months I was frightened away from purchasing this movie, because one reviewer a year ago said the DVD soundtrack was such a bad transfer it was difficult to hear the dialog at certain points. Finally I decided I wanted to see this classic film so bad, I'd risk the bad sound. To my surprise and delight, I discovered no problem at all with the sound -- and I'm usually ultra-critical of fuzzy sound, which normally drives me up the wall. If, in fact, there was any sound problem on early prints of the DVD version, it appears to have now been corrected in the later prints. The viewer discovers belatedly, at the end of one music sequence, that it was tinny-sounding on purpose, because one of the characters was listening on an old-fashioned wind-up phonograph -- a nuance easy to miss if you blinked in the wrong place. In a few other sequences, the movie appears to utilize early-day recordings by the real Guthrie -- which helps rather than hinders the impact. True, the soundtrack technology in this 1976 movie is not up to modern-day Dolby Surround Sound standards -- but it's amazingly good for a 25-year-old soundtrack. Relax, and enjoy the Academy Award-winning Depression Era photography of Haskel Wexler that will make you feel you've stepped into a Walker Evans photograph of 1936 Dust Bowl refugees fleeing to the supposed golden land of California. Almost every scene is suitable for framing. Not to be missed. A "must buy" for collectors.

After spending 7 months engaged as music coordinator and playing the role of George Guthrie is this excellent Hal Ashby film, I was pleased to see how well it actually turned out. When one is behind the scenes in the making of a film, it is often difficult to try and follow a script, inasmuch, that so many scenes are shot out of sequence. This is a very fine film made by one of my closest friends, Hal Ashby. A great director with great actors. Carridine does a wonderful job, as does Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillion, and Randy Quaid...A first rate film for any class "A" film collector...Believe me, most of the dust in this motion picture was real..I coughed for month after the film wrapped...Hope you enjoy it... Guthrie Thomas

I had the pleasure of being an extra in the scenes filmed in Isleton, CA (the migrant camp scenes). It's impossible for me to watch this film and not see all the action taking place behind camera and between takes. David and Ron were wonderful, as was Randy Quaid. They had fun with this movie and with many of the principle group of extras. We spent a lot of time playing songs on guitars, harmonicas and anything else that could be used as an instrument. The movie is a must for any archive if you like documentaries or movies that teach a part of American history. I highly recommend it.

Captures the times very well. David Carradine gives an absolutley great performance. Ronny Cox is very good, also. The music is simply outstanding. A movie to see over & over. One of the best I've ever seen.

This one was hard to rate. I read "Bound for Glory" recently and stumbled onto this DVD at Netflix this past week (8/15/2007). This film was only loosely--and I mean very loosely--based on that Woodie Guthrie autobiographical chronicle. Granted, the book was a rambling, sprawling account of Woodie's travels and trepidations from the Oklahoma to California to Chicago and New York during the dust bowl days of the 30's and would be as daunting an undertaking to cinematize as the Bible (maybe more so). And I'm sure that fact and fantasy were flung around with some abandon in Woodie's book. After all, what was Woodie if not a master story teller?

So, what is good? The cinematography is superb. I could taste the dust and smell the box cars, and feel the heat of the southwest sun as well as feel the awesome power, beauty, and vitality of this nation the way is once was. David Carradine is not only a fine idiosyncratic actor, but an accomplished guitar player and singer. Randy Quaid put a lot of power into his relatively minor role as a migrant dust bowl refugee. Melinda Dillon, Ron Cox and the rest of the cast painted compelling and believable portraits. The music was a good balance of restraint and indulgence. I like Woodie Guthrie's songs a lot and the various artists who contributed to the film score were wonderful.

What wasn't so good? I get the feeling that a lot of permissions couldn't be procured for this film. Where was Cisco Houston and who was "Ozark?" And why the lack of original Woodie Guthrie renditions? The movie was long--too long in some places and maddeningly skimpy in others. Details very often inaccurate, incomplete, or totally made-up.

Bottom line: Rent it and take it for what it is--a good movie about a complicated man.

Unfortunately, for months I was frightened away from purchasing this movie, because one Amazon reviewer a year ago said the DVD soundtrack was such a bad transfer it was difficult to hear the dialog at certain points. Finally I decided I wanted to see this classic film so bad, I'd risk the bad sound. To my surprise and delight, I discovered no problem at all with the sound -- and I'm usually ultra-critical of fuzzy sound, which normally drives me up the wall. If, in fact, there was any sound problem on early prints of the DVD version, it appears to have now been corrected in the later prints. The viewer discovers belatedly, at the end of one music track, that it was tinny-sounding on purpose, because one of the characters was listening on an old-fashioned wind-up phonograph -- a nuance easy to miss if you blinked. In other places, the soundtrack seems to have utilized less-than-perfect, early-day recordings of Guthrie himself, which helps rather than hinders the impact. True, the soundtrack technology in this 1976 movie is not up to modern-day Dolby Surround Sound standards -- but it's rather good for a 25-year-old soundtrack. So relax, and enjoy the Academy Award-winning Depression Era photography of Haskel Wexler that will make you feel you've stepped into a Walker Evans photograph of 1936 Dust Bowl refugees fleeing to the supposed golden land of California. Almost every scene is suitable for framing. Not to be missed. A "must buy" for collectors.

This film is an intimate veiw of dust bowl Americana, and the life of a folk music Icon.The best performance to date from David Carradine. A visual jewel,filmed in California's San Joaquin Valley,by cinematographer Haskel Wexler. First film to use the Steadycam,(floating camera mount). Incredible dust bowl scene created with effects. The music reflects the mind of a man who see's the struggles of the people and the freedom of the soul through his music. Look for Mary Kay Place in her first movie role. Also, first film for Randy Quiad. A real handcrafted film. I shoud know,I was Carradines' stand-in.

The movie is kind of slow-moving - definitely a character, time & place study. It features excellent cinematography & good acting - especially by David Carradine playing Guthrie. I learned a great deal more about the Oklahoma dust bowl, how the hobos who rode the rails were treated, and about how some folks managed to eke out a living during the Depression. The movie highlights one of the several unpleasant episodes in California history - portraying the injustices against depression-era migrant workers that Woody Guthries speared in his music, and wrote of in his autobiography. Unfortunately, some of these injustices, now targeted at immigrant workers from Mexico & Central America, persist to this day.

This is a really informative film for those of us born after Woody Guthrie's era. I had no idea, for example, that (corrupt, no doubt) fees were being charged on the state line during the depression to families relocating to California. And Woody's endless dedication to the forgotten everyman instead of selling out for the big money is refreshing in this day & age. Bound for Glory is truly educational and would make a great double feature with The Grapes of Wrath.
However, the other reviewers who have given this film knocks for its video and audio are correct. The film is indeed letterbox, not widescreen as the publisher (MGM) and Amazon claim. This means you'll be stuck with those black bars at the top & bottom of your video instead of being able to enjoy it in a true 16:9 window. As for the sound, I was having to adjust the volume the entire 2.5 hours I watched, as it went from loud music & train sounds to imperceptible dialogue. One hopes that a remastered version of this film will eventually be released, for the content deserves better.