It’s a good week for fans of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 psychological thriller, Straw Dogs. This Friday sees the release of Rod Lurie’s remake of the film, starring James Marsden and Kate Bosworth, and now you can rewatch the intense bloodbath of the original on sparkling, high definition Blu-ray. Peckinpah’s commentary on man’s innate savagery stands the test of time, holding as much relevance today as it did upon it’s controversial 1971 release. Due in large part to the film’s excessive and emotionally ambiguous rape scene, Straw Dogs was condemned by many critics at the time, proclaiming it to be misogynistic, a glorification of violence, and as legendary New Yorker critic Pauline Kael put it: “a fascist work of art.” The controversy surrounding the film, however, has only done it good, propelling it into the ranks of censorship legend. (The full, unedited version of the film wasn’t even released until 2002.) Even disparagers of the film have to admit that Straw Dogs is far from forgettable and provides an unquestionably fresh take on the primal nature of man.
On one level Straw Dogs is the story of a disintegrating marriage. David (Dustin Hoffman) and Amy (Susan George) are a newly married couple, who have just moved to Amy’s hometown of Cornwall on the English countryside. Amy is brash and confident while David is small in stature and passive aggressive in nature. She criticizes him for his cowardice while he criticizes her for her naiveté. It’s difficult to say what keeps them together but god knows it’s not similar interests or healthy communication. David and Amy’s marital troubles come to a head when the leering men working on their new house start showing a little too much interest in Amy. Instead of blatantly confronting the men, David ends up making a hunting date with them, choosing to fit in among them rather than sticking up for his wife. He is not accepted however, and by the film’s end David is forced to defend his home, his wife and his own life against the mens’ brutality.
One of the most interesting aspects of Straw Dogs is David’s transformation. From the get-go he is trying to establish authority over those around him. He hires the men to work on his house, even though he knows that the men harbor a lust for his wife and that she has a history with one of them. He wants some sort of control over them and therefore offers to be their employer. In regards to his marriage, he is condescending at best. He never lays a finger on his wife (even when she may want him to), but he makes her feel inferior at every turn. He is a man of intellect and he uses this to his advantage. But when he is thrown into a situation of pure physical antagonism, he discovers he is capable of more than intellectual warfare. In fact, he is capable of murder. And his pleasure at this discovery is palpable. His cold calculations throughout the first half of the film are all stepping stones for his transformation into the violent man of the film’s latter half. Straw Dogs is not the tale of a weak man suddenly turned homicidal. It is the tale of a man who has finally gave way to his baser instincts. Peckinpah is not advocating violence as a means to manhood; he is simply telling the story of a man who, in his own words, “finds out a few nasty secrets about himself.”
Straw Dogs not only stands the test of time, it stands the test of scrutiny. One can watch it ten times and find new symbols or meaning in Peckinpah’s creation. For example, Hoffman’s glasses (his use of them more accurately) is enough to tell you volumes about his character. He takes them off in the presence of the men so as not to appear weak, but leaves them on with his wife in an attempt to seem intellectually superior. He even takes them off when hunting, even though it is strikingly apparent that he can’t shoot anything without them.
Straw Dogs’ captivating content is matched by its visceral style. The vast majority of scenes, even those of high octane, are completely silent, evoking a sense of dreaded realism. In the climactic final scenes, one might expect a loud booming score and yet there is no music at all, only the sounds of the action we see on screen. Hoffman and George also deserve every bit of acclaim they received for their roles for both are pitch-perfect in their portrayal of the unhappy couple.
In this day in age, we are constantly bombarded by visions of violence, so much so that we have become desensitized to much of it. Straw Dogs is not Tarantino violent. It is not Saw violent. There is no squirting blood or strenuous torture scenes. There is only the realistic depiction of human aggression which is undoubtedly the most frightful representation of all. Straw Dogs is ultimately a delicate mesh of disturbing layers, surprisingly untarnished since its release forty years ago. It is a thoughtful drama and a psychological thriller all in one. And what more could you want than that?
Blu-ray Bonus Features
A few TV spots and the original theatrical trailer are unfortunately all you get on this Blu-ray edition. Those wanting some more insight into the film are better off with The Criterion Collection DVD which contains an overwhelming amount of extras.
"Straw Dogs" is on sale September 6, 2011 and is not rated. Drama, Thriller. Directed by Sam Cullman, Sam Peckinpah. Written by David Zelag Goodman and Sam Peckinpah (screenplay), Gordon Williams (novel). Starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan George, Peter Vaughan.
