Bound for Glory

From the Editors

By strumming his guitar with words of inspiration, Woody Guthrie instilled hope in the hearts of downtrodden Americans everywhere during the 1930s Depression. Now, the extraordinary life of this legendary balladeer and poet is captured in this "elegantly crafted, hugely beautiful and interesting film, which reveals loving integrity in every frame" (Los Angeles Times)! Winner* of two OscarsÂ(r) and starring David Carradine, Bound for Glory features "magnificent cinematography" (New York) and an amazing score adaptation. It's 1936, and the Great Depression is forcing droves of people from the dust bowls of Texas to the alluring green fields of California...and unemployed sign-painter Woody Guthrie is among them. Determined to find a better life out west, Guthrie hitchhikes, hops freight trains and sings his way across America, uplifting the spirits of the poor with his homespun wisdom and fiercely fighting for a better life for all. Featuring classic Guthrie tunes including "This Land Is Your Land," this "moving, inspiring" (The Hollywood Reporter) portrait of an American icon is "one of [the] year's most admirable and triumphant surprises" (Los Angeles Times)! *1976: Cinematography, Music (Adaptation Score)
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Customer Response

BOUND FOR THE TRASH BIN
I have had to rate this dire film with one star as there is no option given here for zero or minus ratings...Having just played Woody Guthrie myself, I must advise any interested parties that you will learn next to nothing about his life or music from this pathetic attempt at a 'bio-pic'. Hal Ashby's insipid and meandering direction is matched only by Robert Getchell's uninspired, dull script. One wonders how this film ever came to be released. David Carradine - who looks and sounds about as much like Woody Guthrie as Woody Woodpecker - appears to be extremely uncomfortable with his lot and task of carrying this rubbish like a cement guitar strapped to his back. Only about five years of Guthrie's life is covered in the excruciating two hours that this film drags on...I wished a dust storm would have wiped out the entire set and brought it to an early close. If the 'Hallmark' channel were desperately short for a matinee in the middle of a particularly slow week, they may be forced to show this picture. Do yourself a favour: David Carradine's father (John) appears in a classic movie that inspired much of Guthrie's music and feelings - The Grapes Of Wrath. Buy that instead and see how films were made forty years earlier with economy and talent and notably more satisfying results. Alternatively, there is a Billy Bragg doccumentary about Guthrie which is complete and informative as well as being entertaining - Bound For Glory is NONE of these things...

Bound for Mediocrity
While the casting and acting are great I had serious problems with the music and story. The music is out of sequence, giving you a false impression of when the songs were written. And the story is just plain inaccurate, mixing time and place. So if you know anything about Woody Guthrie's life you will be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if you just want a sense of who he was, at least up until about 1940, go for it!

The Story of the Great Depression
"Bound For Glory" is a great deal more than the story of Woody Guthrie. It is a virtual experience of living through the Great Depression.

This is the ultimate historical-based re-creation of life in America in the 1930s. From the unemployment to the box car hopping, dust storms, soup kitchens, migrant workers and their union organizing, the film takes you into the eye of the Great Depression hurricane that devastated life in America.

It provides a first-person perspective as the story builds upon the life of folk music legend Woody Guthrie.

Teachers from 5th grade through college can use this as a valuable instructional tool, and not even have to worry about any bad language or erotic scenes.

Where "Grapes of Wrath" was once used as Hollywood's contribution to showing the Great Depression, "Bound For Glory" surpasses it with a compelling storyline that keeps you riveted, production design and sets that are as stimulating as they are accurate, and superb acting and cinematography.

If you somehow missed this film because most of the attention that year was going to "Rocky," "Network," "All the President's Men" and "Taxi Driver," find out for yourself why this was the "other" film nominated for Best Picture.

A Walking Tour of The Depression and Dust Bowl
My parents survived the depression and the dustbowl, both of them moving as children with their families across the country at that time. They were spellboundby the acting, the props, and scenery, but most of all by the fantastic music that was played throughout the movie. I learned a lot just watching it with them.

Gutherie is awesome
My son loves Woody Gutherie, and so do I. I got this for his Birthday and he loves it. Very well made. Great music also.

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