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)
Description

Customer Response

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.

Wonderful Biopic of Woody Guthrie
Hal Ashby made a wonderful film about Woody Guthrie. It is still a wonder today. It centers on Woody's wondering lifestyle and his experience with Oakies during the Great Depression. Woody was an Oakie himself. The music Woody wrote came out of his experiences. David Carradine never had a great role to play and was never better. It's too bad he didn't win a Best Picture Oscar. I highly recommend this film.

Good acting job on a not very likable personality
David Carredine does a fine job of portraying Woody Guthrie, who was a dog of a man. He ran out on his wife and children in a time when folks were really starving in our fat land. Some one else has to see to his family in a time before we had welfare to assist people who were in need. He went out to California and got involved in labour unions, after seeing the shoddy way the incoming oakie's and other folks who had to migrate west, were treated. Got beaten up, run out of town etc. Took up with other women, then after finally getting a gig to sing on a radio station, he sends for his wife and kids, then basically ignores them once they arrive. She finally leaves and I guess goes back to Texas, and he continues with his labour union attempts to rouse the migrants to protest the way they are treated. It is depressing to find out someone who seemed to be worth admiring, has serious clay feet, kind of like BoJangles Robinson who was another dog. I have watched both of these films for the ist and last time. In spite of the good acting and music etc. they are just to damn depressing. Once around is enough for me.

Depression Era Story Falls Short As Musical Biography
The late Hal Ashby was one of the great maverick directors of the Seventies. After making his mark as an editor("In the Heat of the Night") Ashby helmed many offbeat and personal films. My personal faves are "Harold and Maude" and "Being There". I'm still waiting for his directorial debut, "The Landlord", to become available on DVD. "Bound for Glory" was a very enigmatic film for me. I admired how Ashby depicts the breadth of the suffering during the Great Depression from the dust parched Texas landscapes to the harsh conditions of the California workfarms. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler can be thanked for a large part of the film's power. As a biography, however, I think the film falls short. I didn't know much about Woody Guthrie before watching this film and quite frankly I don't think "Bound for Glory" offers much insight into the man. My knowledge of Guthrie mainly consists of him being Arlo's father and mentor to Bob Dylan. Like Dylan, Guthrie is portayed as a man of contradictions and enigmas. But there's nothing here that suggests why Guthrie became the spokesperson for the long-suffering working class. David Carradine is a good actor but he is unable to make sense to the viewer what Guthrie is all about. An interesting film that I wouldn't call a failure but falls short of it's noble ambitions.

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