One of the most innovative films ever made, Sam Peckinpah's motion
picture The Wild Bunch was released in 1969. From the outset, the film
was considered controversial because of its powerful, graphic, and
direct depiction of violence, but it was also praised for its lush
photography, intricate camera work, and cutting-edge editing.
Peckinpah's tale of an ill-fated, aging outlaw gang bound by a code of
honor is often regarded as one of the most complex and impactful
Westerns in American cinematic history. The issues dealt with in this
groundbreaking film-violence, morality, friendship, and the legacy of
American ambition and compromise-are just as relevant today as when the
film first opened.
To acknowledge the significance of The Wild Bunch, this collection
brings together some of the leading Peckinpah scholars and critics to
examine what many consider to be the director's greatest work. The
book's nine essays cover an array of topics. Explored are the function
of violence in the film and how its depiction is radically different
from what is seen in other movies, the background of the film's
production, the European response to the film's view of human nature,
and the strong sense of the Texas/Mexico milieu surrounding the film's
action.